Gluten-free Valentine Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Cupcakes:
125g unsalted butter
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
125g Gluten-free Dry Flour Mix
150g raspberries
6 passion fruit, pulp removed and passed through a fine-meshed sieve to remove the seeds
milk, if needed

For the Icing:
500g icing sugar
160g butter
1 vanilla pod (split open and seeds removed)
3 drops of pink food colouring
milk, if needed
'hundreds and thousands' to garnish

Method:

For the cakes: cream together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly to combine after each addition. Sift the gluten-free flour mix, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda over the top then fold into the creamed mixture before adding the raspberries and sieved passion fruit pulp. Carefully fold the fruit into the batter. If the mixture looks a little stiff add a little milk or cream to loosen.

Line a cupcake tin with 12 cases then divide the batter between the cases. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for 20 minutes, or until the cupcakes are cooked through and well risen (a skewer inserted into the centre should emerge cleanly). Remove from the oven and set aside to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing, cream together the butter and icing sugar using an electric whisk, until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla seeds and whisk to combine then work in the food colouring to give you a pink icing. Now gradually add enough milk to give you a just-pipeable paste. When the cupcakes have cooled, spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a star-shaped nozzle then pipe the icing all over the tops of the cakes. Sprinkle over the hundreds and thousands then store in an air-tight tin until it's time to serve.

Find more classic Valentine's day Recipes Here.