2Tbspfresh orange juice (I just squeeze the orange I zested)
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING INGREDIENTS:
1/2cupof your favorite butter substitute
1/2cupshortening
2tspvanilla extract
4cupspowdered sugar
4Tbspcoconut milk or other dairy-free milk
CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2cupcane sugar
2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
3/4 cupunsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tspbaking powder
1 1/2 tspbaking soda
1tspsalt
2flax eggs or Bob's Gluten Free Egg Replacer(1 flax egg = 1 Tbsp flax meal + 3 Tbsp warm water. Let it sit about 10 min. to form a gel).
1cupcoconut milk or other dairy-free milk
1/2cupvegetable oil
1 1/2tspvanilla extract
3/4cupboiling water(for activating the cocoa)
Instructions
CANDIED CRANBERRIES INSTRUCTIONS
Heat maple syrup in a saucepan over medium-low heat for about 1-2 minutes (just until warm). Remove from heat and stir in the cranberries. Cover and chill in fridge for 8 hours.
Put cranberry mixture into a colander over a bowl and let it drain for about 15-20 minutes. Make sure to save the maple syrup for another use - it'll have a nice, subtle cranberry flavor!
Put sugar into a plastic storage container (that has a lid). Add a small bunch of cranberries at a time, put the lid on and gently shake so the sugar coats the cranberries. Remove the cranberries with a slotted spoon and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheets. Repeat with the remainder of the cranberries. Let the cranberries sit out until completely dry, about 2 hours.
CRANBERRY FILLING INSTRUCTIONS
Place all filling ingredients into a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat until cranberries break down and mixture thickens - roughly 10 minutes.
Pour the cranberry mixture into a blender. Place the lid on the blender, but remove the center piece of the lid, using a clean kitchen towel to cover the hole (this is to let the heat escape). Be careful so you don't burn your hand! Process the mixture until it's smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let it cool for about 2 hours on the kitchen counter.
CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat over to 350°F (180°C) and position rack to the center of the oven (you don't want the cupcakes too close to the heating elements).
Line two 12-serving cupcake pans with liners.
In a large mixing bowl, stir sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until there aren't any clumps in the mixture.
Add flax eggs or Bob's GF Egg Replacer, coconut milk, oil, and vanilla to the mixture. Beat with a mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
Stir in the boiling water. At first, the mixture will look a bit watery, but just keep stirring. It will start to thicken nicely.
Spoon the batter evenly into all of the cupcake liners. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool in the cupcake pan for about 5 minutes. Then remove each cupcake from the pan and let them all completely cool on a rack.
After the cupcakes are completely cooled, use an apple corer to easily scoop out the middle of each cupcake. Try not to go all the way to the bottom of the cupcake (so the cranberry filling won't seep out of the bottom). Make sure to pop those tasty cupcake middles right into your mouth!
Using either a pastry bag or a sandwich bag with a corner cut off, squeeze the cranberry filling into the middle of each cupcake.
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter substitute and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the shortening and beat until well combined.
Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Between each cup of powdered sugar, add a Tbsp of coconut milk and beat it in. Beat in additional coconut milk if necessary in order to obtain your desired consistency.
Frost your cupcakes to your heart's content!
You can store the frosting in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
As always: NO gluten. NO dairy. NO soy. NO nuts. NO eggs. NO bullshit.