These devastatingly delicious, over-the-top, dark chocolate cupcakes with get yourself drunk Baileys Buttercream are GLUTEN FREE! Who knew GF could be fabulous?!  I have also included my very best all-purpose flour dark chocolate cupcakes as well so it’s win win all over S&C (if you missed the last post, I have recently converted to referring to my blog as S&C because, like J.Lo, I am too cool to spell out my name…or I’m just that lazy…hmmm).

Those of  you who are regulars here, are more than a little aware of the crazy ride I have been on lately. It’s like the Mad Hatter ride at Disneyland where you think you are headed for impending doom…no not the dynamite!…and then your car makes a sharp twist and luckily, breathlessly, you are safe and sound.

The Celiac diagnosis is still up in the air for my son, but in the meantime,a little less than a week later, my daughter and I have quickly become “expert” gluten free bakers and chemists. I swear my kitchen turned into a science lab last weekend, and I’ve told everyone I know that, “It’s a good thing I was the top ten in chem in HIGH SCHOOL“. Yeah, that’s how I relive my glory days; I was a real wild child.

I quickly bought a boat load of Tupperware (must store the special flours air tight), cleared THREE shelves in my pantry,sanitized my Kitchen Aid, made TWO artisan flour blends, one for breads and one for pastry and have whipped up the following: mind blowing chocolate cupcakes (included here!), chocolate chip cookies (coming soon), pancakes (from scratch, of course), waffles and a loaf of sandwich bread. I have rocked all of the above and am feeling OK about this whole gluten free thing. It made this Type A Crazy feel a lot more in control of the situation.

I served these insanely delicious, soft, moist and NOT GRAINY chocolate gluten free cupcakes to ELEVEN people who all were NOT AWARE they were gluten free. I fooled them ALL. These are delicious and every bit as good as their counterpart, especially with the Baileys Buttercream. Oh yeah.

Because I absolutely know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that very few of my “regulars” are EVER going to go out and buy seven weird flour-like ingredients to create a gluten free version, I have provided you with my all-time favorite, best-in-the-world dark chocolate cupcake recipe. The addicting Bailey’s butter cream recipe can be used for either cupcake.

Thank. Goodness. Because you may lick your fingers, beater and bowl clean…this Baileys Buttercream is THAT GOOD.

Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Taken verbatim from Artisanal Cupcakes, the very best GF Cupcake book in the world because it made me very happy to bake cupcakes that were every bit as good as my non GF cupcakes. You must buy this book if someone you love needs to eat Gluten Free!

Makes about 18-20 cupcakes
1 cup water
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Dagoba and it was perfection)
1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon GF pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups Artisan Gluten-Free Flour Blend* (go to GF Page found on tab at top)
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons GF baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons GF baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

To make the cupcakes: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line your muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a medium saucepan with burner on medium, melt the butter with the cocoa powder and water, stir until smooth and silky. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, on low speed, beat together the sugar and butter cocoa powder mixture for about 3-5 minutes until the mixture is cool and smooth.

Add the eggs, beating in between each addition. Then add the vanilla and sour cream. Beat on low to combine.

TO MEASURE YOUR FLOUR BLEND: IMMENSELY IMPORTANT or your cupcake will not come out light and fluffy!  Using your one cup measuring cup lightly spoon the flour blend into the measuring cup until a bit full and use a knife to scrape off the excess. NEVER EVER scoop gluten free flours which would pack the flour. Some people weigh the flour for exactness but this system worked for me.

In a separate mixing bowl whisk together your Artisan Flour Blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to really aerate the ingredients and get them almost sifted. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and incorporate on low speed, ten seconds at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Then add the other half and repeat until the batter is smooth.

Scoop the batter (I like to use an ice cream scoop) into each liner 2/3 full. With a knife or back of a large spoon COATED with nonstick spray, smooth the tops of each cupcake. Gluten free batter is a little weird. It’s gelatinous and kind of stays where you drop it. It’s difficult to smooth out the tops and mine baked and ended up very uneven at the top of the cupcake BUT it did not matter one iota once frosted and you did NOT taste anything but wonderful fluffiness. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or the cupcake is slightly firm to the touch.

Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.

Baileys Buttercream

1 c. of unsalted butter, room temperature
3 c. of sifted powdered sugar
4 T. of Baileys

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes (Not Gluten Free)
Makes approximately 18 – 20 cupcakes
7 oz (just less than a cup) vegetable oil
1 c. buttermilk
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
2 c. granulated sugar
2 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 T. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 c. boiling water

Cake: Prepare pan by placing cupcake liners in muffin pan.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a  stand mixer or mixing bowl, combine oil, buttermilk, yolks, and vanilla.  Beat 2 minutes with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer at medium speed.  In another bowl, sift together (or use a wire whisk like I do to avoid sifting) sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.  With mixer on LOW speed, add one third of the sifted dry ingredients to oil mixture and beat until blended.  Then add one third of the hot water and slowly combine these (you don’t want the hot water to splatter on you…ouch!).  Continue this process, scraping down the bowl often until all ingredients have been add and mixed.

Chop 12 mini candy bars in thirds.

Pour batter into prepared liners, 2/3 full.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the cake is spongy to the touch.  It should bounce back when touched lightly and look firm. Cool completely before frosting.