This is the fifth of six gluten-free recipes from Alex Thomopoulos of Gluten-
Free with Alex T. Who could resist red velvet cake stuffed with cheesecake?
These cupcakes are filled with gluten-free goodness – literally!
Check out her Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Gnocci, Chocolate Chip Cookies,
Southwestern Frittata, Flatbread Pizza and our Interview with Alex for more!
Drawing from her training as a private chef and her personal experiences living
with celiac disease, Alex serves up an array of gluten-free dishes and provides
easy-to-follow tutorials that you can watch from the comfort of your own kitchen!
Best of all, she’ll keep you smiling, as she incorporates her her background in
stand-up comedy into every video and blog post. For more delectable recipes (and laughs!) visit her blog, Against The Grain, and her hit web series, Gluten Free
With Alex T on the food-centric YouTube channel HUNGRY.
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Gluten Free Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes
2 1/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour blend, (recipe below)
4 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups organic vegan sugar or granulated sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/4 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 tablespoons red food coloring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Preheat oven to 350F. Fill a standard muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a large bowl whisk to combine the flour blend, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Reserve. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment add the sugar and canola oil. Mix on low until the sugar dissolves into the oil. With the machine still running add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. In a medium bowl combine the almond milk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar. To the stand mixer slowly incorporate 1/3 of the dry ingredients followed by 1/3 of the milk mixture. Continue to alternate adding dry and wet ingredients until everything is combined and the batter just comes together. The batter will be very sticky and heavy.
With an ice cream scoop, add the batter to each liner, filling it 2/3 of the way up. Bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the oven, allow to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer cupcakes from the tins and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely.
Alex’s All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend
3 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups sweet rice flour
1 1/3 cup tapioca starch
1 cup sweet sorghum flour
2/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup potato starch (not potato flour)
4 teaspoons xanthan gum
In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk to combine all the ingredients. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Yield: 8 cups
Filling and Frosting
2 8-ounce packages Neufchâtel cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup finely ground gluten-free cinnamon sugar cookies
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream together the cream cheese on medium speed for 1 minute. Slowly add the lemon zest and juice, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and mix until well incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Turn the machine back on low speed and slowly add the powdered sugar. Continue to beat the mixture until everything is incorporated.
Place the frosting in a piping bag fitted with a small, round tip. Place the tip into the center of each cupcake creating a hole and fill the center with frosting. Once all the cupcakes are filled pipe frosting on the top of the cupcakes. Sprinkle with ground cookie crumbs.
Yield: 12 cupcakes
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Natalie Duggan is a Junior at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, pursuing a dual degree in Global Health and Journalism. Since her Celiac Disease diagnosis in 2011, she has enjoyed recipe development and helping others navigate the gluten-free lifestyle. Check out her photography portfolio on Flickr and her gluten-free pins on Pinterest.
