Chocolate Marshmallow Mini Cupcakes – gluten-free

Dario has been complaining about all the unhealthy baking I do on Saturdays because then he is forced to eat it. I should also be complaining because there’s been a certain growth problem going on while I sleep. Each morning, the scales are evidence of this nocturnal activity. So we have come up with a solution or at least, Dario has. It is the mini plan. I make mini cakes, cookies, bars and cupcakes. Of course, that only works if you stop at one but I was willing to give it a try. I bought a baking tray for tiny cupcakes and the requisite tiny cupcake papers and went to work.

You might remember some normal-sized, gluten-free chocolate cupcakes I made with cooked rice a while ago. I found the recipe on the Chocolate-Covered Katie blog. I had some cooked rice in the fridge but not as much as the recipe dictated so I made up the difference with more almond meal and crossed my fingers.

Once I had combined all the ingredients, I realized that if the mini-thing was going to work, I should be halving or quartering the recipe quantities. Well I didn’t and so now I had the problem of lots more batter than would fill the 12-mini-cupcake baking dish. Much more. I pulled out my red Tupperware silicon baking tray for making 6-muffins and filled them up. Still more. I dug to the bottom of my baking dish drawer and found two old metal trays for six muffins each. I gave them a good scrub and filled those. Still more. I dragged out a glass pyrex dish and poured the rest in there to make a mini-cake. And finally all the batter was gone. It took careful timing in the oven because of all the different sizes and I managed it by gluing myself to the oven and not letting myself get distracted.

Now as to the success of the mini cupcake experiment. Well, I have already eaten four today. Does that constitute success? And we have heaps and heaps more of them to devour. But the good news is that the recipe worked, and the mini ones were especially good because they are bite-sized and you get the cake, chocolate topping and the marshmallow all on one mouthful – truly scrumptious.

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Recipe: Chocolate Marshmallow Mini Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 150gm/6oz cooked rice
• 250gm/1 cup caster sugar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 6 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 300gm almond meal
• 50gm/2 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 300gm/1¼ cups chocolate drops
• 30 marshmallows

Method

1. Put the rice and sugar into the food processor and process till smooth.
2. Add the eggs, vanilla, almond meal, cocoa powder and baking powder. Mix till combined.
3. Pour out of the food processor and add a handful of chocolate drops. Mix well to distribute evenly.
4. Pour into mini cupcake papers 3/4 full and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes.
5. Take from the oven and cool completely.
6. Melt the rest of the chocolate in the microwave – 25 seconds at a time, stirring in between until it’s all melted.
7. Put about 1 tsp of chocolate on top of each mini cupcake and immediately add a marshmallow. It will set into the chocolate.
8. Dust with a little cocoa powder if you want them to look pretty.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Cooking time: 10 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 12

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