Red Velvet Cupcakes for Valentine's Day

Red Velvet Cupcakes {allergy friendly}

Ingredients:
1-ounce bottle of red food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1 Tablespoon homemade)
1 Tablespoon vinegar
almost 1 cup of coconut milk (or other milk substitute)
1 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups gluten-free flour blend
1 teaspoon xathan gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons oil

Preheat oven to 350*.

Mix red food coloring, vanilla extract, and vinegar in a one-cup liquid measuring cup. Add milk substitute to equal 1 cup. Set aside while you are mixing the rest of the ingredients. This allows the milk to "sour" and replicate the buttermilk normally found in red velvet cake.

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Add milk mixture and oil to the dry ingredients. Stir until the batter is mostly smooth (only a few small lumps remaining).

Pour into a lined cupcake pan and bake for 20-24 minutes. Make sure the middles are completely done and that a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Makes 12-14 regular sized cupcakes.

"Cream Cheese" Frosting {allergy-friendly}

1/2 cup Earth Balance soy-free margarine
1/2 cup Spectrum shortening
1 pound powdered sugar (approximately 4 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1 Tbsp homemade)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1-2 Tablespoons coconut milk (or other milk substitute)

Cream butter and shortening with mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly add powdered sugar and liquid ingredients. Mix well. Add coconut milk to adjust consistency.

Happy Valentine's Day!

My recipes were inspired by Kathy P's Wacky Cake on Kids with Food Allergies and the Allergy-Free "Cream Cheese" Icing recipe I found on Hives in the Kitchen.

All of my "allergy-friendly" recipes are free of the eight most common food allergens -- milk, egg, wheat, soy (including soy oil and soy lecithin), peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. I don't use gluten-containing flours to replace the wheat flour so they can all be considered gluten-free as well.

V is for Valentine's Day and red velvet cake. Since the cupcakes don't have any milk or eggs in them, they're also vegan. I'm liking this recipe with the "V" posts at Ben and Me's Blogging through the Alphabet and the recipes shared this week at Home to 4 Kiddos.

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