Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe

Kayleigh here. Today's recipe came out of a happy mistake. Jason had his heart set on some rich chocolate cupcakes for dessert one week, so I made a grocery list from my go-to chocolate cake recipe and set out to the store. Sadly, the star ingredient of this particular baked good was grated zucchini, and the produce section had only two battered, dejected looking squashes on the shelf. When I got back home and started racking my brain to figure out what to substitute, I realized that the cake recipe would have made quite a bit more than a dozen cupcakes, so I gritted my teeth and began to improvise on the fly.

 

 These chocolate cupcakes are beautifully moist, dense, and rich. They are not quite as sweet as store bought cupcakes, so adjust the sugar to your preference, but we found this made them a perfect match for a sweeter cream cheese frosting. We tried them with some pear and blueberry butter as well, and found that to be deliciously unique.

Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 Cups Butter, room temperature
2/3 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cups Applesauce
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup White Rice Flour
1/4 Cup Sweet Rice Flour
1/4 Cup Corn Starch
1/2 Ts Xanthan/Guar Gum
1 Ts Baking Powder
1 Ts Baking Soda
Optional- fillings such as chocolate chips or walnuts, and toppings such as a berry jam or frosting

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. In a bowl, beat butter and sugar into a creamy mixture. Add the rest of the ingredients one by one, mixing thoroughly, then fold in any fillings.
2) Line 12 muffin tins or grease them, then distribute the cupcake batter evenly amongst them. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
3) Place the cupcakes onto a rack to cool as soon as you can handle them, but wait until they are room temperature before putting any frosting or toppings on them. Unless you want to end up with a melty glaze instead, of course. Unfrosted, these should stay moist and tasty for two weeks if refrigerated in a sealed container, but with frosting they should be eaten within a few days- a week at most.

Jason here. Sometimes I like to make up some desserts for friends, and Kayleigh is always there to help me out. This time I was in the mood for some cupcakes. When Kayleigh mentioned we use apple sauce, I was pretty skeptical. Kayleigh often likes to substitute recipes, and I’m happy to report they almost always turn out successful. In this case, Kayleigh really saved the day with the apple sauce substitution and the cupcakes have entered our regular rotation of desserts.

The applesauce gives the cupcake a much denser and moist texture then a normal cupcake would have. It lends itself very nicely to the sweet cream icing mentioned above, but also fruitier toppings as well. If you don’t want to make your own topping, you can always substitute jam or jelly. There is still some sugar in the recipe, but these recipes are about as close to healthy as I’ve seen for cupcakes that still taste like cupcakes.

So next time you find yourself missing an ingredient, experiment a little. You never know what will come of it.

Eden B Bakery Review - Revisited!

EDIT- We are very sad to say, but Eden B. Bakery had to close its doors in October 2013. We have high hopes for the owner, Brooke, to continue helping out the gluten intolerant community in some way or another, so we can update this post again with some good news! 

UPDATE- The menu has changed, and changed again since this revisit! Their seasonal rotation provides a wonderful opportunity for us gluten-free lunch-seekers to enjoy sandwiches and sweet treats that really match the mood of the weather outside, and leave us with a better, brighter mood.

Jason here. Last weekend we had the great opportunity to have a sneak peek at Eden B. Bakery’s new fall menu. When our schedules match up, Kayleigh and I like to meet up for a bite to eat at lunch. Since I work nearby, Eden B. Bakery is our favorite place to go. So now that we have frequented the establishment on a fairly frequent basis, and they are unveiling a completely new fall menu, we thought it would be fun do a new review. The staff is still as wonderful as ever, and the shop itself hasn’t changed so we won’t go into detail there. What we will talk about is the delicious new menu.

Let’s jump right in.

I have a new favorite go to item. Out goes the oven roasted turkey. It comes the grilled pepper steak. Those who read the blog may already know that I love food with hot sauce. From the moment they announced the new steak sandwich was going to have franks hot sauce, I couldn’t stop smiling. I knew I had a found a new favorite and it did not disappoint. The grilled pepper steak is fantastic. It has fresh house-made onion rings, arugula, roasted red peppers, and franks red hot aioli. It tastes fantastic. It is slightly reminiscent of buffalo chicken cheese steaks I used to get when I lived near Philadelphia. I can’t wait to get back and enjoy my favorite buffalo taste again.

Kayleigh here. I admit, I might be a bit biased, since fall flavors are my favorite out of the year. But when I heard pumpkin and squash not once, but multiple times, I could not help but get excited! Ranging from the rich, flavorful Butternut Squash Soup, to the little chunks of squash and pumpkin seeds in the Cornucopia salad, to ending with the creamy, decadent Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cupcake, I don't think it will be hard to form new favorites. The standout to me, though, was the Roasted Autumn Veggie Sandwich. Eden B. Bakery has really outdone themselves, innovating on the classic Eggplant Parmesan tastes with the addition of roasted parsnips, butternut squash, leeks, and spinach. When is the last time you got to have parsnip in your sandwich? Well? It's about time- it just melded so beautifully with the provolone cheese, creating an amazing earthy contrast!

If you are interested, here is a link to our first review.

Eden B. Bakery Review

EDIT- We are very sad to say, but Eden B. Bakery had to close its doors in October 2013. We have high hopes for the owner, Brooke, to continue helping out the gluten intolerant community in some way or another, so we can update this post again with some good news!

UPDATE- The menu has changed, and changed again since this revisit! Their seasonal rotation provides a wonderful opportunity for us gluten-free lunch-seekers to enjoy sandwiches and sweet treats that really match the mood of the weather outside, and leave us with a better, brighter mood.

Jason here. We've had the best luck discovering a bakery that just opened up on 116th Ave called Eden B. Bakery. The entire bakery is gluten free, so absolutely no worries about cross contamination and mislabeled meals. We have gone twice now and enjoyed a variety of their offerings.

Their first time I tried the delicious oven roasted turkey. Now I know what you thinking, “Oh that sounds so plain and boring”, but you would be wrong. First of all the bread was awesome. It was toasted in a Panini press. Second, the sundried tomato pesto, and balsamic added so much flavor to the sandwich.

We also got some delicious cupcakes with our meal. It’s really hard to describe one good cupcake vs another, but I can at least say they stock a variety of dessert items, so you will find something no matter what your dessert tastes are. The second time we ate there I got a philly cheese steak sandwich, which was their daily special.  I’m from the Philadelphia area so I know a good cheesesteak when I taste it.

Kayleigh here. I've got to agree, I don't think they have anything bad on their menu. I've gotten both the grilled and fresh veggie sandwiches, and just love the amount of flavor they packed into each bite. It's not just a pile of sprouts on the bread- they boost it with a mean marinade! And the bread itself is better than I've had in regular bakeries. Particularly the rosemary honey bread- give it a try!

On top of the lovely food, you're not going to find friendlier people than Brooke and Kendall. Even though we've only made it there for lunch a couple of times, they remembered Jason and I, and treated us like a couple of regulars- now that's customer service! And the owner, Brooke, is more than willing to answer any questions about the menu, or give a suggestion if you're stuck on deciding. And believe me- you may have a problem choosing between all the delectable options.

So, if you find yourself around downtown Bellevue, stop by the Chrysler, Jeep, an Dodge dealership. No, seriously, Eden B. Bakery is nestled just inside the front doors of the dealer. In addition to their regular sandwich and salad menu, they carry an amazing variety of cupcakes, cookies, muffins, and various tarts and other baked goodies, as well as a daily special consisting of an unusual soup or creative new sandwich. Check out their facebook page every morning to see their specials, or just drop by and surprise yourself- no matter what, it'll be a flavor-packed experience!

UPDATE- Since this post, their menu has changed to better fit the season. Click here to see our brief update review!