Make Your Own {Gluten, Dairy and Grain Free} Hostess Cupcakes

Just thinking about hostess cupcakes brings back warm memories. I love that she came up with this great alternative at Cassidy Cravable Creations. Since I can't have eggs, I will use this coconut whipped cream here instead for the filling. I want to make these for my kids' birthdays. Below is a great tip she had. The photos are hers from Cassidy Cravable Creations.

Back to school tip:

When the kids are in school I try to always keep some frozen cupcakes (& pizza!) in my freezer at all times for that last minute party. I made 24 of these bad boys so I could stock up for awhile.

Cupcakes: (Click here for step-by-step pictures)

• 1/2 C Coconut Flour, sifted
• 1/2 C Arrowroot Flour
• 1 Tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/2 Tsp. Sea Salt
• 1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon, heaping
• 1/2 C Cocoa
• 1 C Water
• 5 Eggs
• 1 Tbsp. Gluten Free Vanilla
• 2/3 C Earth Balance Butter
• 1 1/3 C Granulated Sugar (I used sifted coconut palm sugar)

Filling

• 6 Egg Whites 
• 1 C Honey or Agave
• 1 Tsp. Pure Vanilla
• Pinch of Salt

Chocolate Ganache

• 1/2 C SO Delicious Coconut Creamer, original
• 1 C Dairy Free Mini (or finely chopped) Chocolate Chips
• 1/2 Tsp. Pure Vanilla, optional

Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Bring the water to a boil. Stir in the cocoa until melted then set aside and allow to come to room temperature.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, arrowroot, salt, cinnamon, and soda. Set aside.

4. Beat together the butter and sugar.

5. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl as necessary.

6. Add the flour mixture and beat until incorporated. Again, scrape down the bowl as necessary.

7. Add the cocoa mixture and beat until smooth. Batter will be thin.

8. Line a muffin tin with baking cups or spray each cup with cooking spray. Fill each cup almost full. Makes 12 - 15 cupcakes. Bake 17 - 20 minutes.

9. Cool completely on a cooling rack.

Filling:

1. Place egg whites, honey, and salt in a heatproof bowl.

2. Place the bowl over a small saucepan of water, being sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water.

3. Bring to simmer over medium-low heat. Stir mixture constantly until you feel the heat coming from the eggs if you place your hand over them and the consistency becomes thinner, about 7 minutes. Don't crank up the heat or the eggs will curdle and you'll have to run it through a fine mesh strainer, so be patient!

4. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla. Beat on high until mixture becomes thick and cool, about 5 - 8 minutes. 

To Fill:

1. After the cupcakes have cooled, use a knife to cut a cone shape out of the center of the cupcake.

2. Fill with the frosting. I used a pastry bag, but you can use a plastic baggie, push the filling in the corner, then snip the corner off.

3. Cut the bottom part of the cone off. Then place the top part of the cone, the lid, on top of the filling.

Make The Chocolate Ganache:

1. Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Make sure they are finely chopped or they will not melt.

2. Bring the coconut creamer to a rolling boil. Pour over the chocolate chips, add the vanilla, and stir until completely melted. 

3. Dip each cupcake in the ganache and set aside to cool completely. Place in fridge to cool faster if you're in a hurry. 

4. Optional: Repeat step 3 and dip each cupcake in the ganache again so the top will be super smooth. As you can tell, I did not do this step :)

Piping:

1. Use the remaining filling to pipe a cute design on the top.