BOGART LOVES: Snowed in

We had a blizzard last weekend. A big, bad, serious blizzard. The snow kept falling and we were lazily stuck in our house, aside from the few dreaded trips outside to shovel our walk. Since none of us were driving anywhere, our next door neighbors Erick and Keely invited us over for a little get together on Saturday night. Erick eats gluten-free and loves sweet treats so I decided to whip up a batch of my gluten-free cupcakes to take him. If you have the ingredients on hand, these are supremely easy and really tasty. Rich, buttery and moist. You'll never know they were made without all purpose flour. A basic vanilla buttercream on top and they're complete. There is just something so appropriate about baking when the weather outside is frosty and snowing. I topped the cakes with frosting, packaged them in a box, we bundled up and headed through the snow for a little neighborly hospitality. Though the roads were treacherous and the wind was bitter, we all had a great time holed up together in the warm house while the snow fell outside.

Gluten-Free Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
makes 12

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
2 L eggs (at room temperature)
1 1/2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour mix (I like Bob's Red Mill brand)
3/4 tsp xanthan gum (found in the gluten-free sections of most markets)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 C whole milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the basic buttercream frosting:

1 1/2 sticks softened unsalted butter

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp kosher salt

4 cups powdered sugar (or to your liking)

Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and move an oven rack to the center position.

In a medium bowl, whisk the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer with a large bowl) beat butter and sugar on low speed until light in color and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until each egg is incorporated. Scrape the bowl with a plastic spatula, making sure all of the ingredients are evenly combined. Add the vanilla. On the lowest speed, mix until incorporated. Scrape the bowl again.

With the mixer on low, add half of the flour mixture. Once the flour is just incorporated, add the milk. Then add the remaining flour mixture, being sure not to over mix. Turn off the mixer and gently mix the batter with your spatula to make sure everything is evenly incorporated.

Line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners and fill each liner 2/3 of the way full, preferably with an ice-cream scoop to ensure even sizing. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until the tops just barely spring back when gently pushed. Be sure not to over-bake.

Allow cupcakes to sit on a wire rack until completely cooled. Generously top each cake with buttercream frosting (see below).

Frosting:

Using a hand mixer, blend the butter in a large bowl until creamy. Add salt and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition until completely combined. Eventually, your frosting should be the consistency of slightly softened ice-cream. The amount of sugar needed may be a bit more or less than suggested above, depending on the softness of your butter.