...or, seeing as I am Australian, Patty Cakes. Everyone says 'cupcakes' these days but as a child we always called them Patty Cakes. I can only remember butter cake Patty Cakes and a fancy Patty Cake was a Butterfly Cake where the top of the patty cake was cut off and cut into two.. then buttery icing... then the bits put back... on then, maybe icing sugar... OH SO BADLY EXPLAINED!!
There, I found a picture... (gorgeousness)
...at one of my favourite blogs, Lemonpi, which is well worth a look if you love food and creative recipes and great photos. And she explains butterfly cakes beautifully!
Anyhoo...
Where was I?
Oh yes. Cupatty Cakes. (sorry)
Gluten free (GF) Cupatty Cakes, no less. I've mentioned before that my Mum can't have wheat so I've experimented with gf flour and know it's capabilities. GF don't scare me!
And it's working. This gluten free diet has changed a cranky, irritable boy into the kid you want to be with. I can't believe it. So yesterday I wrote a bit about how I'm changing the food we're eating but I didn't mention the supplements. Of course, omega3 squirty tablets, how they are eaten (and enjoyed!) everyday astonishes me- I think they're gross, a probiotic to help him recover from the damage gluten has been doing to his tummy (apparently) and a zinc supplement. All are being consumed except the zinc which is in the form of a powder that you mix with water or juice and it tastes like Tang. He eats chocolate flavoured fish oil but won't drink a Tangishly orange cordially drink, I live and learn.
When I make cupcakes I always use Nigella's recipe from her book 'Nigella Bites'.
It's just a chuck-it-all-in-the-food-processor-and-whizz recipe. In fact I use it so often that the book falls open to the page on it's own. And, I'm ashamed (proud?) to say that it's become one of those 'scratch-n'-sniff' recipes due to splatters of cake batter and flour dried to the page. I do love a well used recipe.
See that flour there? I'd better wipe it off AS IT MIGHT NOT BE GLUTEN FREE!!!!!!!
I've changed this base recipe many times but do adore the latest incarnation which is an orangey, syrupy tastebud delight... if I do say so myself....
GF ORANGE CUPATTY SYRUP CAKES
Preheat oven to 180 deg C.
These are all gram measurements so I just put the food processor bowl, with blade, on the scales and weigh the ingredients straight in.
So, weigh the following into the bowl of the food processor:
60g gluten free plain flour
60g ground almonds (no nut allergies in this house)
1 teaspoon baking powder
125g softened butter
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
rind of one orange, finely grated
Whizz this until all combined and then whizz it a bit more until light and smooth. Add a tablespoon at milk and whizz a bit more.
Spoon into 12 medium sized patty cases and bake at 180 deg C for about 20 mins or untill browned on top and a skewer comes out clean.
While they are baking make the syrup. In a saucepan put the juice of one and a half oranges and 1/2 a cup of caster sugar. Put on the heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved then let it bubble for 3 mins. Take off the heat.
When the cupatty cakes come out of the oven and are still hot pour a tablespoon on the syrup over each of them and sprinkle with cocoa. Let them sit in the tin for about 10mins then take them out to cool on a rack.
Oi! Hands off!
They have this deliciously smooth, creamy top on a soft, light, slightly mealy cake. And the orange and chocolate combo is always a winner.
Yummo.