It’s Secret Recipe Club time! This month I was assigned to Melissa’s blog, Smells Like Brownies. Originally I wanted to try her cake in a cup, because I have never tried that before, but then this recipe captured my eye because the name reminded me of one of the flavors served at the local frozen custard in Rochester, NY where I grew up – Abbott’s Frozen Custard‘s Chocolate Almond. That particular flavor is my dad’s favorite, but unfortunately I cannot share these cupcakes with him due to being on the other side of this very long state. However I know that he would’ve enjoyed them, especially with the raspberries mixed into the frosting (we are both huge fans of berries).

Even though I am not gluten-intolerant, and did not bake these for the usual suspects in my life who are, I still enjoy playing around with gluten-free recipes from time to time. Unfortunately I was unable to locate an almond blend of gluten-free all-purpose flour called for in the original recipe, so I subbed 1/4 cup of the gluten-free flour I use regularly (Bob’s Red Mill) for almond meal because I didn’t want to miss out on any of the almond flavor captured in this cupcake.

Once again I was surprised by how I would have not been able to detect that these were gluten-free had I not make them. And an even bigger surprise, they were vegan despite the butter in the frosting (I was so confused at first when there were no eggs listed as an ingredient for the batter). Totally delicious cupcakes! Next, I would love to try Melissa’s feta alfredo recipe.

GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE ALMOND CUPCAKES WITH RASPBERRY ALMOND BUTTER FROSTING

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

CUPCAKES

1 cup unflavored almond milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1-1/4 cups gluten free all-purpose flour

1/4 cup almond meal/flour

3/4 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

FROSTING

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup almond butter

1/4 tsp salt

6 oz. fresh or frozen raspberries, pureed*, plus extra for garnish

3–4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Sliced almonds, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake tray with paper liners.
2. In a mixer bowl, stir together almond milk, oil, sugar, cider vinegar, and flavorings.
3. Sift the dry ingredients together into a separate bowl. Whisk to combine. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Beat for at least 2 minutes, until all clumps are gone.
4. Spoon the batter into prepared cupcake tray, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Drop the cupcake tray onto the counter several times from a height of about 3 inches, to help smooth the tops of the batter and release any latent air bubbles.
5. Bake for 22–25 minutes, or until the cupcake slowly springs back when pressed with a finger. Cool completely before frosting.
6. To make the frosting, cream butter, almond butter, and salt in a mixer bowl. Scrape the sides of the bowl at least twice.
7. Add 1 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar and blend well. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Blend the raspberry sauce into the frosting. Add the remaining confectioner’s sugar, 1 cup at a time, alternating with additional raspberry puree, if desired. When the frosting is not runny, but still a bit thick, but has reached the desired flavor/sweetness, continue whipping for another 5–10 minutes so the frosting becomes light and fluffy. Refrigerate for an hour then Pipe or spread** frosting on cool cupcakes. Garnish with sliced almonds if desired.

*I did not run the puree through a fine mesh sieve a the original recipe called for because seeds don’t bother me. But do so if you desire.

**I used a medium cookie scoop to frost the cupcakes.

Source: Adapted slightly from Smells Like Brownies.