Christmas is full of a lot of sugar, whether it’s fudge, cookies or candy, it’s hard to get around it, and so it goes even when biting into a tasty gluten & dairy-free candy cane cupcake! The ‘cup of cake’ contains no refined sugar, but it’s nearly impossible to make a yummy whipped frosting without it. A day or two before creating this recipe, Janice Mansfield from Real Food Made Easy, posted a new dairy-free Ermine whipped frosting that could actually stand up to piping. So I decided to give it a try and voila! This worked beautifully!
Christmas was a magical time growing up, beginning with trimming the tree. My mom always made Christmas a huge event in our home, from taffy pulling to painting ornaments, to sleeping in the same room with my brother’s and sister while waiting for Santa to arrive. Every year we drove to the mountains to cut down our ‘perfect’ tree. Bundling up in our snow gear, we’d bring the sleds along and plenty of hot cocoa. Most years we had overgrown Charlie Brown Christmas trees, but the adventure always made it the perfect tree in our eyes. I’m the child in red stripes below, who had long hair until my mom tried to cut it one day and it just kept getting shorter until she gave up and took me to the barber up the street, yes, the barber! I came home with really short hair, ha ha. Then my sister wanted hers the same, so my mom took her to the barber too; a five dollar haircut back then!
We always had many Christmas goodies around our house but gluten-free cupcakes were not part of them. I was diagnosed in 1964! It really is pretty remarkable to me to have been diagnosed with a severe gluten intolerance at such a young age. But these gluten & dairy-free Candy Cane Cupcakes can be a part of your Christmas goodies! And if you want a cinnamon roll recipe for Christmas morning CLICK HERE.
Making a roux from coconut milk and sweet rice flour starts the process for a perfect standup whipped frosting. You won’t be disappointed! Just make sure the rue has completely cooled before adding the other ingredients.
After whipping the cream into a frosting just look at how beautiful it pipes onto the cupcakes! I’m not a huge fan of the flavor of vegan butter sticks, but when you add peppermint flavoring, it completely disguises the fact you are not using real butter. Trust me, this really is one delicious dairy-free dessert!
Gluten & Dairy-free Candy Cane Cupcakes
Print recipe
| Serves | 8-12 |
| Prep time | 30 minutes |
| Cook time | 15 minutes |
| Total time | 45 minutes |
| Dietary | Dairy-free, Gluten-free |
| Meal type | Dessert |
| Occasion | Christmas |
Ingredients
cupcake
- 4 Large eggs (cage-free)
- 1/3 cup honey (raw)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup almond flour (extra-fine)
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand (gluten, dairy & soy free)- chopped)
frosting
- 15oz coconut milk (full fat in the can)
- 1/3 cup sweet rice flour (Mochiko or Bob's Redmill)
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 1/4 cup vegan buttery sticks (Earth Balance (2 1/2 sticks))
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 Medium candy canes (crushed)
Directions
| cupcake | |
| Step 1 | |
| Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray with non-stick spray or line a 12 cup muffin tray with cupcake liners. | |
| Step 2 | |
| In a large mixing bowl add eggs, honey, melted coconut oil, and almond milk and mix until fully combined. | |
| Step 3 | |
| Add almond flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt to mixture. Mix until fully combined. | |
| Step 4 | |
| Pour batter into prepared muffin tins, filling 2/3rd's full. Place in preheated oven and bake 12-15 minutes. Check center for doneness, do not over-bake. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting. | |
| frosting | |
| Step 5 | |
| Whisk 1 can of coconut milk and sweet rice flour together in a saucepan over medium heat. | |
| Step 6 | |
| bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking vigorously. continue whisking until mixture thickens enough to see marks left in the 'roux' by the whisk. Remove from heat. | |
| Step 7 | |
| Whisk in peppermint extract (not essential oil) and salt. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the roux to prevent a skin forming on the top. Let cool to room temp. | |
| Step 8 | |
| Place Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks in a large mixing bowl. Using wire whisk attachment, beat buttery sticks and granulated sugar on medium high for at least five minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. | |
| Step 9 | |
| Add the cooled roux to the buttery sugar mixture and beat another five minutes. It should have the texture of heavy whipped cream. Place into a piping bag and pipe the frosting onto a cooled cupcake in a circular fashion. | |
| Step 10 | |
| Place the four candy canes into a ziplock bag and crush the candy canes by hitting with a rolling pin or the bottom of a steel cup. Sprinkle crushed candy cane on top of frosting and finish with a small dollop of piped cream on top. | |
Would these be guilt-free too if they’re GF/DF? They look really pretty but it wouldn’t stop me from eating them. I agree, Christmas comes with a lot sugar. I personally love my Mom’s friend homemade gingerbread men. I save my sugar fix for her amazing baking.
Love the flashback photo of the kids decorating the tree way back when! 🙂
Haha! Yes, let’s call gf guilt-free, that works for me!
These are beautiful!!! I want to make them just to look at, lol!
Thank you, Erin, but they’re twice as good to eat!
What pretty cupcakes!
Those are the prettiest cupcakes and they sound delicious too! 🙂
They are like tasting a bite of Christmas in every bite!
I have a friend who is doing the holidays for the first time gluten free, these will be great for her and they are so pretty!
Thank you, Andi, I’m glad you can pass them along!
These sound delish! very creative way to be festive and healthy ;o)
A little bit healthier but they’re still a cupcake.
I adore the story of your haircut. You had me giggling! I can’t believe you cut your own tree down. Is that allowed? haha.
The recipe is lovely. These look so pretty!
Katie <3
We cut our own tree every year, just a few dollars for a permit. They were never the perfect “tree farm” shape but they were perfect to us and always fun to hunt down through the forest.
Mmm, what a fun holiday treat!
Mmm… these look so yummy!
Nice. I love when sweets are made just a tad bit healthier!
Definitely going to pass this on to all my GF friends and family! They look and sound delicious!!
Yum! These sound delicious!
I can’t imagine being diagnosed so young! Luckily there seems to be more awareness for gluten free foods. My husband (gluten sensitive) would love these cupcakes!
Yes, it’s definitely easier now!
These look awesome – can’t wait to try!
Oh my gosh I can’t believe these are gluten and dairy free!! They look and sound amazing! Thank you for sharing 😀
You are welcome! I’m going to have to do the weight loss New year’s resolution because I ate too many!
These look so delicious!
These look so yummy! I am always trying to find gluten free baked goods for the holidays!
I hope you get the chance to try them. They are a tasty treat!
What a cool recipe! I love the use of coconut milk!
I must say, Ashley, they were so terribly addictive and delicious. Maybe that’s why I am on a no sugar diet this month! 😉