Casper's Uncles Ghost Cupcakes (Gluten Free Chocolate and Egg White Icing)

It just didn't feel right not to jump on the Halloween baking bandwagon, so I thought better late than never - or more like one of my friends practically dragged me by the hair to the kitchen at 11pm to create some kind of spooky snack, which I now realise was for her stomach more than for my blog.

They worked out okay though, despite being unable to eat them personally (the word diet is all you need to know) They sort of turned out like Casper The Friendly Ghost's uncles, hence the name of this post.

For someone so not into baking, these were scarily easy, I must say. So if like me, your Halloween baking is very last minute, try these out.


 









Makes Approximately 16 medium cupcakes

YOU WILL NEED:

FOR THE CUPCAKES:
250G (JUST OVER 1 CUP) BUTTER, ROOM TEMP
250G (1 CUP) RAW GRANULATED SUGAR
250G (2 CUPS) BROWN RICE FLOUR
3 LARGE ORGANIC FREE RANGE EGGS
200G MELTED DARK CHOCOLATE (60-80%)
1/2 TSP BAKING POWDER
1/2 TSP WHITE, MALT OR RICE VINEGAR
1/2 TSP SALT
1/4 CUP ALMOND MILK
1/4 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT

FOR THE ICING:
4 EGG WHITES
1 CUP RAW GRANULATED OR WHITE SUGAR
1/3 CUP WATER
1/4 TSP SALT
1/4 TSP VANILLA EXTRACT

BLACK WRITING ICING

BUTTER FOR GREASING TRAYS

Pre-heat the oven to 190C or 370F.

In a blender combine the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. You may need to scrape the sides down a few times.

Add the eggs one by one, mixing in between each addition.

Add the melted chocolate and blend until smooth.

Add the flour in thirds, blending in between each addition.

Add the rest of the ingredients until you have a smooth batter. It should be liquid enough to be able to pour but not too runny. If too runny add a little more flour, if too thick add a little almond milk.

Grease your muffin tins and pour in the batter three-quarter of the way full. You can also use cupcake cases.

Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

The icing should be eaten pretty much straight away so feel free to make the cakes up to 3 days in advance and make the icing when you're ready to eat them.

To make the icing:

Have your hand mixer ready.

Combine all of the ingredients in a heat proof mixing bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water, not letting the bowl touch the water. (A smaller saucepan is better).

Stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved, approximately 2-3 minutes. (If you're unsure use a thermometer and remove the mixture from the heat when it reaches 65C or 150F degrees.

Transfer the mixture into another bowl or in to a Kenwood bowl if you're using one.

Beat on a medium speed until, shiny and fluffy, this should take 3 minutes. Raise the speed at the end for about a minute.

I used a piping bag to ice my cupcakes but you could shape them with a spatula. (If you want a challenge, heres a great tutorial for using a plastic bag for a piping bag https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lxTweXx3Ao)

Draw eyes and mouth on the tops of your ghosts with black writing icing.