Recipe: Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Thyme Frosting, Nut-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free [Sponsored]

Doesn’t that look spectacular and like you spent all day creating it or bought it at the fanciest store in town? Well, you did neither. You just came to my Allergic Girl blog and saw that this recipe is totally easy and allergen-friendly and all for you!

One of my May Epicurious #cook90 challenge goals is use more herbs. I had made blackberry thyme chocolate bark in January and it was incredible. As I had some thyme in my fridge after cooking this delicious braised lamb shoulder chop and was thinking about a Mother’s Day recipe, I thought: strawberries and thyme on chocolate cake? How might that work together? 

My mother, one of my primary taste testers of this combination said: “This is like something you’d get at a fancy cupcake shop and say to yourself, ‘Wow, that is delicious’.”

Which is good because I’m making this for her for Mother’s Day, a treat we can have together that’s safe for me and delicious for her and … everyone!

Recipe notes:
This recipe has three components: cake, buttercream frosting and jam. 

They can all be prepped ahead of time to make this recipe come together in a snap. 

If you need a dairy free buttercream, I’ve got you covered there, too. Here’s my dairy-free, allergen-free buttercream recipe. 

You will only need a tablespoon or two of jam to turn your frosting pink and luscious. The rest swirl into yogurt, spoon on ice cream, slather on toast with butter!

I use Namaste Foods chocolate cake mix as well as King Arthur’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix. Use anything that’s safe and EASY for you.

I use Organic Valley or Horizon Organic Butter, whichever is on sale.

I use Dominos Confectioner’s Sugar.

I use Nielsen Massey Tahitian vanilla. Swoon.

I use Lucini Olive Oil for cooking, baking and dipping.

I use Lactaid milk because I’m lactose intolerant, use what you need.

Use fresh thyme and take the leaves off the stalks.


Fairway Market Shopping list:
Box chocolate cake 
Oil
Eggs – size large
Butter
Vanilla
Milk
Fresh strawberries
Fresh Thyme
Granulated sugar
Confectioners’ Sugar


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Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Thyme Frosting, Nut-Free, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free

1. Strawberry thyme jam

2. Chocolate cake: Bake your chocolate cake according to the box directions. I like making cupcakes because they are naturally portion controlled and everyone can have a taste. But make whichever you like, cake or cupcakes or a loaf, go for it!

3. Strawberry Thyme Buttercream Frosting
1 box Domino’s Confectioners’ sugar
1 stick butter softened
3 T milk
1 t vanilla
A few sprigs of fresh thyme, washed and dried
Strawberry thyme jam 

Cream the butter until it’s light and fluffy. Add one cup of confectioners’ sugar, alternating with milk until the desired consistency. Add vanilla and stir through. Taste. Good? Great! Add 1 teaspoon of jam and 1 sprig's worth of thyme leaves. Mix thoroughly. Taste again. Need more thyme? Add some. Need more strawberry taste? Add another teaspoon of jam. NB:  Jam adds extra moisture so be careful here, otherwise the texture of the buttercream will be too loose. Stir and taste again. It’s probably pretty perfect and pink with a subtle hint of thyme by now. If not keep playing, but conservatively, just a pinch of fresh thyme, and 1 teaspoon of jam until it’s exactly as you like.

Once you cake cools thoroughly slather gobs of frosting all over your cake (or cupcakes). Top with a sweet little sprig of thyme so everyone knows these cupcakes are special.

Enjoy!

Thank you Fairway Market for sponsoring* this delicious allergen-friendly recipe!



(*My policies regarding my sponsored posts.)