Today I had a baking disaster.  Despite carefully following a recipe, the cupcakes broke and spilled out, the mixture was too airy and my cupcakes looked no way near the same texture as the one in the recipe photo. I binned the recipe but saved the disastrous mess and have frozen it as I will use it to make truffles down the track.

But I had already made the icing so I was back into the kitchen to make afternoon tea for 5 hungry 16 year olds.

Gluten free baking can be expensive, so along the way I have learnt to make use of left overs, mistakes and that packet of biscuits that was too ‘furry’ in the mouth.  I have also turned almost stale rice cracker biscuits, corn chips and oven dried ends of bread into breadcrumbs.

Gluten free cooking certainly makes you resourceful.

So Mark II….

Ingredients

Muffin

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

1/2 cup gf plain flour

1/3 cup cocoa

1/4 teaspoon gf  baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup Moist Coconut Flakes

Icing

125 g unsalted butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups gf icing sugar mixture

1/3 cup flaked natural almonds

Method

1. Heat oven to 175 C. Line 10 – 12 muffin tin holes with paper cases.

2. Combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a bowl.

3. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture together with coconut flakes. Mix together well.

4.  Put in muffin cases and cook for 18- 20 minutes. Cool in muffin tins.

5. Use an electric mixer to beat butter, vanilla and salt until pale and fluffy.

6. Add icing sugar a 1/2 cup at a time, beating well until well combined.

7.  Spread icing over muffins and decorate with flaked natural almonds.

This is originally a slice recipe but I find putting the mixture in paper cases is perfect for lunch boxes.

With or without icing, this is deliciously moist.

Pretty them up for a special treat or put them plain in the lunch box.