Amazing gluten free vegan chocolate cupcakes

Baking both vegan and gluten free is a challenge.  To do both is like baking without a safety net.  Wheat props up vegan baking and eggs prop up gluten free baking.  Quite some time ago I stumbled across a recipe for vegan gluten free chocolate cupcakes on My Real Food Life.  I was excited.  I keep my eye out for such recipes.  This one was different to any others I had seen.

It had both strawberries and banana in the mixture as background flavours.  Far more unusual was the use of agar powder to help bind the cupcakes.  I have only used my agar powder once before.  It made a horrid firm jelly.  Yet I am curious to experiment more.  I really liked the advice on substituting for eggs and binding agents on My Real Food Life.  I was pleased to read that Alea is not a fan of processed foods like xanthan gum.  You can also read more about agar on Vegangela.

I misread a few things in the recipe.  My excuse is that Sylvia was yelling out to me from her cot while she was meant to be sleeping.  Not great for concentrating on an unusual recipe.  I didn't read that I needed to puree the fruit but I don't think it mattered too much.  I also wasn't sure if the banana should have been added to the strawberries when they were being reduced to a syrup.  I was very pleased however that I had so many of the unusual ingredients required by the recipe.

You only have to look at the above picture to see how good the texture was.  When I have tried vegan gf baking before, the texture can be too moist or gooey.  When I took the cupcakes out of the oven they held together really well and I noticed quite a bit of oil on the cupcake papers.  I could barely taste the fruit.  My only reservation was the slight grainy texture that I find in baking with rice flour.  I might try reducing the rice flour in the recipe.  My preference would be some soy or chickpea flour.  Though these might not be suitable if you are making the cupcakes for people with allergies.

The next day, Sylvia and I ate the cupcakes on the front verandah.  I photographed them out the front.  Of course a neighbour happened to walk by when I was doing it.  I don't know him well.  We just say hello when we pass.  I was a little embarrassed but I had a child with me.  Everyone knows you have to take lots of pics of kids.  It is not so well known that you have to take lots of pics of great cupcakes.

I am sending these muffins to Ricki's Wellness Weekends.

Other successful vegan gluten free baking on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Apricot Muffins
Chickpea crackers
Gingerbread cut out cookies
Zimsterne (Cinnamon Stars)

Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted slightly from Alea of My Real Food Life
Makes 12 cupcakes

Wet:

• 1 generous cup chopped strawberries 
• 1 small mashed banana (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 cup apple juice (I used a half jar of applesauce and topped it up with water)
• 1 tbsp agar agar powder
• 2/3 cup olive oil 
• 1 tsp vanilla 
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Dry:

• 2/3 cup white rice flour
• 2/3 cup coconut sugar 
• 1/3 cup tapioca starch (or any other starch)
• 1/3 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 5 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1tsp aluminum free baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Cook strawberries in a small saucepan over medium heat until a syrupy consistency (it took me 25 minutes but only 15 for Alea).  They should reduce down to about 1/4 cup of syrup.  Set aside to cool to room temperature (or place in the freezer to cool it quicker).

Meanwhile mix the remaining wet ingredients in a medium bowl to give the agar a chance to absorb the liquids and swell.  Add the strawberry syrup once it has cooled.  Alea pureed this mixture in the food processor but I didn't.

Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir in the wet ingredients.  Mix thoroughly.  Spoon the mixture into lined muffin tins.  Bake at 180 C (350 F) until the tops are dry.  Alea said 15-20 minutes but I let mine bake 25 minutes and they were still quite moist.  Cool on a wire rack.  The muffins should be eaten within a few days.  They do not freeze well (I tried it with one and threw it out).

On the Stereo:
I've never seen a straight banana: rare moments, vol 1 - Tiny Tim

This post is part of Vegan Month of Food October 2011.  Go to my Vegan MoFo list for more Vegan MoFo posts.