Strawberry Shortcake Namaste Cupcakes

As promised, a recipe for strawberry shortcake cupcakes. Viola! This recipe is a super simple recipe for any gluten-free friend, but especially for the beginner because it uses the fabulous Namaste Vanilla Cake Mix as the main base ingredient. Who can resist a sweet strawberry treat this time of year?! Not me!

Pretty in pink and perfect for an early summer treat. Or perhaps this is just the gluten-free treat you are looking for that Memorial Day celebration coming up in a few weeks. 'Wow' your friends and family with a special treat like this and I promise you will be every one's new [gluten-free vegan] best friend. In my last post I mentioned some of the great reasons why I would choose Namaste Food's Cake mixes to make some quick cupcakes, but did I mention that the mixes are also budget friendly too?!

When you compare it to all of the costs of mixing your own GF flours for a one-time event it really is a bargain. You really get a lot for your money spent and plus there is the guarantee that it will taste good (and let's face it, when you experiment with flour mixing you can never be completely sure you are going to succeed!) Yes, I do like to bake gluten-free cupcakes from scratch most of the time, but every now and then it is nice to create a clever treat like this and make it quickly with ease.

Then you can have the most fun in the decorating process and forget the stress in baking in the first place. And working with gorgeous red strawberries makes is really really easy! Hmmmm, love at first sight! Am I right?!

Strawberry Shortcake Namaste Cupcakes 
(gluten-free, vegan)

1 package Vanilla Cake Mix from Namaste Foods

2/3 cup of pure water

1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice

optional: lemon zest from 1 lemon

3/4 cup of melted extra virgin organic coconut oil

3 chia-gel eggs (3 TB of ground chia seed meal plus 9 TB of water whisked together in separate bowl)

Mix the above ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then let sit for a minute to let the chia eggs gel into the rest of the batter. Pour the batter into cupcake liners in a cupcake tin. Fill liners 2/3's full and you will get about 16 cupcakes. 

*NOTE* If you want to use eggs, then sub the chia gel eggs, for 3 eggs and your batter may make a few more cupcakes than 16. I have made this recipe with and without eggs, and the final product is very close to the same!

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes and check to see that they are baked through and not gooey with a tooth pick. Then pull from the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack or counter. Let the cakes completely cool before frosting (1-2 hours). This recipe will make between 16-20 cupcakes depending on your size.

Vegan Strawberry Cream Frosting Recipe

2 cups of organic powdered sugar

1/3 cup of Organic Spectrum Palm Oil Shortening

2-3 TB of fresh strawberry puree 

1 ts. of pure vanilla extract

fresh, washed and dried strawberries for topping

Use a hand held mixer to blend up the frosting and make it smooth, then pour it into a frosting bag with a Wilton decorating tip if you want to go all fancy. Then top with a slice or half of a fresh washed and dried strawberry. Then viola, you have some pretty tasty strawberry cupcakes.

If you want to avoid powdered sugar you can use a honey-based frosting here, and just switch out the raspberry puree for strawberry puree. Just remember that using raw local honey will make your cupcakes no longer vegan. 

P.S.

I hope you try your hand at making some gluten-free cupcakes, especially as easy as these. And, if for some reason you rather have someone like me do the job for you (and you live locally!) I would love to make some cupcakes or cake for your special birthday, gathering or party. Really! I am starting to do this more and more and have been loving it. So if you or a friend is interested in hiring me for your gluten-free cake or cupcakes for your special event, then please let me know! I would love to do the job!

Disclaimer: Namaste Food Co. donated the cake mixes for this baking adventure, but they did not give me any monetary reward for stating my review or opinion. My opinion is purely my own and would be completely willing to share that with any one who asks :)

Much love [and cupcakes] to you as always!