{Gluten and Dairy Free} Vegan Raspberry Filled Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting

Prep Time 20 minutes

Bake Time: 13 minutes for mini cupcakes, about 37 minutes for large cupcakes, 23 for regular cupcakes

Makes 31 mini cupcakes, 9 regular cupcakes

1 cup rice milk

1 tsp pomegranate juice

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup potato starch (not flour!)

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp xanthan gum

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp double-acting gf baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup grapeseed or canola oil

1 and 1/2 tsp gluten free vanilla

1/2  recipe of "cream cheese" frosting (below)

raspberry jam or pureed raspberries

mint or raspberry for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350F and line the mini muffin pan with mini liners.  Put the mini muffin tins on a large baking sheet to stabilize them in the oven. Combine the rice milk and pomegranate juice and set aside.  Mix the flours, starches, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix out any cocoa lumps.  Beat the sugar, oil, vanilla, rice milk and pomegranate. Slowly add the dry mixture in 3 batches. Put some in, mix it, put more in, and mix it and then do it one last time. Fill the muffin tins half full. Add one tsp of raspberry jam or raspberry puree. Put a tsp more chocolate cake batter on top of each dollop of jam. Bake at 350F for 13 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked into a cupcake.  Let cupcakes cool. Chill frosting for at least 30 minutes before frosting cupcakes. Garnish with mint and raspberries if desired.  I am posting this at Allergy-free Wednesdays.  I tried it with this frosting and may like it even more!

 Raspberry Frosting

1 cup Earth’s Balance or Palm Shortening (or butter)

3 and ½ cups confectioners sugar divided

¼ cup thawed frozen raspberries or fresh raspberries crushed with juice

1 TBS water or rice milk

1 tsp vanilla

Beat the Earth’s Balance or Palm shortening until fluffy. Add the sugar, raspberries, rice milk (or water)  and vanilla. Beat it until mixed.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes.