Easter Basket Cupcake Recipe made delciously gluten-free and fun!

Easter Basket Cupcakes!

2 Posted on April 2, 2012 - by Jules Shepard

Categories: All, Cakes, Desserts, Holiday, New Gluten Free Products, Recipes

Tags: , All Natural Food Dye, Allergy Friendly, Cupcakes, Dairy Free, Desserts, Easter, Easter Baskets, Gluten Free Candy, Gluten-Free Cupcakes, Kid-Friendly Desserts, Kids Treats, Vegan

So it’s nearly Easter, and I’m all about cake right now, so I got to thinking that Easter cupCAKES would be just right! I just used my Jules Gluten-Free Cake Mix and used all natural food coloring to dye some coconut flakes and frosting … used gluten-free jelly beans and GF sprinkles, and this fun Clif Kid Organic Twisted Fruit ropes (yep- GF!) for the handles, adorned a few with Peeps (they’re gluten-free too!) and I suddenly had some of the cutest little cakes I’ve ever made! Super easy, super cute and and super yummy!!! Have fun making AND eating them!

Here’s a great scratch cupcake recipe if you don’t have my cake mix on hand.

Easter Basket Cupcakes

3 cups Jules Gluten Free™ All-Purpose Flour
1 Tbs. gluten-free baking powder
1/4 cup powdered milk (dairy or non-dairy alternative like Vance’s DariFree™ Powder)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter or non-dairy alternative (like Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks)
2 cups granulated cane sugar
4 large eggs (see below for egg-free option)**
2 tsp gluten-free vanilla extract
1 cup milk or non-dairy alternative (like vanilla coconut, soy, hemp, rice, etc. “milk”) – I used So Delicious® Vanilla Coconut Milk

*Note – to make a delicious chocolatey version of this cake, simply add the following ingredients:

1/4 cup cocoa powder
replace 1 cup of milk listed for white cake with 1 1/4 cup chocolate milk, dairy or non-dairy (I love chocolate almond milk in this recipe!)

**Egg-Free Option – in place of 4 eggs, add 4 Tbs. arrowroot powder to dry ingredients and 4 Tbs. applesauce to the beaten butter/sugar mixture

Pre-heat oven to 350º F (static) or 325º F (convection). Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and dust entire surface lightly with Jules Gluten Free™ All-Purpose Flour. To make cupcakes, oil or line cupcake pans with cupcake papers (Makes approximately 28 cupcakes).

Whisk together the flour, powdered milk, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat well with your mixer’s paddle attachment, until the mixture is very light and fluffy (approximately 3-4 minutes). Add the eggs next, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla with the last egg addition. Slowly add the milk, alternating with the flour mixture and beating in between the additions. Beat until smooth and pour into the prepared pans.

For cakes, bake for 30 minutes, turning the pans half-way through if using convection setting; for cupcakes, test after 20 minutes for doneness. To test the cakes for doneness, insert a cake tester or toothpick in the middle of each cake and be sure it comes out clean, with very few crumbs attached. The cakes will also begin to pull away slightly from the sides of the pans. Add time if necessary to fully bake the cakes.

When done, turn off the oven and leave the oven door open to let the cakes cool slowly there for 5 minutes or so, then remove the cakes to a cooling rack. After 15-20 minutes of total cooling time, gently invert the cakes to remove them from the pans, then flip gently back onto the cooling rack until fully cooled.

Use toothpicks to help secure the edible “basket handles.”

Frost the cakes only when fully cooled, or in the alternative, you may wrap the cakes with wax paper or plastic wrap and seal inside freezer bags to freeze or refrigerate until ready to use.

Decorate with gluten-free candies or Peeps! Add food coloring or all natural food coloring to a bag with coconut flakes – shake to color the coconut into green grass! Gluten-free jelly beans, GF sprinkles, Clif Kid Organic Twisted Fruit ropes (yep- GF!) for the handles, plus a few with Peeps (they’re gluten-free too!) make the cupcakes as cute as can be!

*This recipe and over 149 more, also available in my new cookbook, Free for All Cooking: 150 Easy Gluten-Free, Allergy-Friendly Recipes the Whole Family Can Enjoy!

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This entry was posted on Monday, April 2nd, 2012 at 9:20 am and is filed under All, Cakes, Desserts, Holiday, New Gluten Free Products, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

18 Comments

We'd love to hear yours!

Carla @ Gluten Free Recipe Box said: on April 17, 2011

Super cute, Jules!
Reply
- Jules said: on April 21, 2011
  
  Thanks Carla!! Super fun, too!
  Reply
Laura said: on April 20, 2011

These are great, Jules! One question – can I substitute regular milk for the milk powder somehow? I saw that in one of your other recipes (the cinnamon rolls, I think?) and I don’t really want to purchase an enormous box for just a few recipes. Thanks!
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- Jules said: on April 21, 2011
  
  Laura – unfortunately, where I use powdered milk, you cannot just substitute with a liquid. If you’re up for some math though, you can try whole milk in its place, and reduce the liquids you add in recipes by the same amount minus the dry ingredient originally called for. Since you’ve made this recipe using the milk powder, get the batter to the same consistency (you may need to add more or less liquid, so add liquid slowly!) and give it a shot! Take good notes too, so you can repeat your successes (and share them with us too!).
  Reply
Jo Cermely said: on April 20, 2011

Like Laura, I would like to know if regular milk can be used. I use Lactaid mile but also have rice milk.

Thanks.
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- Jules said: on April 21, 2011
  
  Jo – you can absolutely use regular milk for the liquid milk called for in any of my recipes!
  Reply
Heather said: on April 21, 2011

I keep seeing so many recipes that have powdered milk & I am dairy free. What is the reason for using it in recipes? That is, what is the benefit for the recipe? Consistency? I’ve had to just postpone such recipes because I can’t afford buying dairy free milk powder or coconut milk powder (not sure it if will work) I’m supposed to avoid potatoes & soy products for the most part & see the only dairy free milk powder (you mention) is potato or tofu based.
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- Jules said: on April 22, 2011
  
  Hi Heather, I am dairy-free as well, but recognize the value of “milk” powder in certain of my recipes. Usually it’s in recipes like certain cakes or lighter breads that need a little extra structure, where milk powder is helpful. I use Dari-Free milk powder as my dairy-free “milk” powder of choice, but there are other options. Adding gelatin, or using almond meal or very finely ground certified gluten-free oats (measured in equal amounts as the milk powder) will also work nicely.
  Reply
ashlie said: on April 24, 2011

hey jules amaizing recipie I was just wondering in the picture above it looks like there is twizzlers to have as the handle twizzlers have wheat in them, is there anything else that you think would be good to use?
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- Jules said: on April 27, 2011
  
  Hi Ashlie – yes, Twizzlers have wheat in them — good for you, for knowing that! As noted in the intro, I used Clif Kids Twisted Fruit instead, and they are gluten-free.
  Reply
Laura said: on May 5, 2011

Is it possible to make this recipe egg free? Usually the rule in not to substitute more than 2 eggs, but I am curious. I have a party to send my kids to this weekend and we are GF/CF egg free and soy free. Ideas?
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- Jules said: on May 6, 2011
  
  Laura – I agree with your sub rule on eggs, which is why in my new book, Free for All Cooking, I offer an eggless cake recipe as an option. Basically, the ingredients are 4 cups of my flour, 2 Tbs. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 2 recipes of Ener-G egg replacer and 1 1/4 cups non-dairy milk. I’ll try to post the recipe on my blog sometime soon, but I’ve been so busy with the 1in133 – tallest World’s Gluten-Free Cake!
  Reply
Keturah said: on April 6, 2012

Cute cupcakes! Is it possible to half the recipe and get good results?
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- Jules said: on April 6, 2012
  
  Yes – you can halve this recipe if you just want 12-15 cupcakes or a one-layer cake.
  Reply
Emily said: on April 10, 2013

Do you know how long I would bake a sheet cake with this recipe? I want to make a cross cake for my daughters baptism. Thank you for making baking fun again.
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- Jules said: on April 10, 2013
  
  Hi Emily – SO glad to hear that you’re having fun baking again! That’s the idea!!! As for this cake, hop to my white cake recipe for directions for a 9×13 pan; it should bake approximately 30 minutes, but test to see if it’s done, adding more time in 5 minute increments if it’s not done in the middle. Hope that helps!
  Reply