Gluten Free Dairy Free Raspberry Cupcakes with Raspberry "Buttercream"

These cupcakes were a success first time!!! That hardly ever happens, at least not to me. The only change I would make would be swapping the brown sugar I used for these with white and using bittersweet chocolate chips rather than semisweet just to play off the tartness of the raspberries just a little more.
Regardless these cupcakes were ( I say "were" because they disappeared VERY quickly)  decadently sweet and tart and soft. They make both a cute dessert, served with coconut ice-cream (recipe to come!) or an afternoon tea treat. It's another one of those versatile recipes that can be used as a cake or cupcakes. I took these to work last week and they were loved by everybody, including those who can eat gluten and dairy.

I suppose my goal is to create really good food that everyone likes, not bearable food or 'edible' food but food that can be lusted over, food that I will dream about and look forward to. Most of all, this whole blog thing is to help me figure out the flour combinations that I like, ME but not just me, other people, people who CAN and DO eat gluten on a regular basis. I hate it when people tell me that I'm missing out. I DO NOT!! Yes I have to make most of what I eat from scratch but all that means is that my food is the kind of food that I like, and that YOU (not you but the person who thinks I can't eat anything) smell from down the hallway and wish YOU could eat. OK rant over, here's the recipe:

200 g frozen raspberries plus extra for topping

200 g dairy free margarine or coconut oil (melted)

200 g white sugar
200 g LSA or almond meal
4 eggs
1/4 c rice or buckwheat flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 c choc chips (optional but highly recommended)

For the frosting
1 tbsp coconut cream
2 tbsp dairy free margarine
3-4 tbsp strained raspberry juice
3-4 cups icing sugar depending on consistency required

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners, set aside

Preheat oven to 180 C

Defrost 200 g of the raspberries

Mix together wet ingredients in a small bowl

Place dry ingredients (including choc chips) into a larger bowl and make a well in the centre

Gently mix together wet and dry ingredients until well combined

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full using an ice-cream scoop or 1/4 cup measure
Bake at 180 C until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean

While the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting,
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the margarine and coconut cream until smooth
Add 1 Tbsp strained raspberries (made by forcing defrosted raspberries through a sieve)
Add icing sugar 1/2 a cup at a time until desired consistency is reached
Fit a large piping bag with a large round tip

Pipe swirls onto cupcakes by piping a mound into the center and then spiraling inwards and upwards until the mound is covered. Press 2 defrosted raspberries into the top of the frosting and drizzle a little of the remaining strained raspberries over the top, the juice will run down the spiral of the frosting and create a 2 tone effect