Gluten Free Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes

Double doses of chocolate and peppermint butter cream icing - who could ask for more!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup gluten free flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp guar gum
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk (or milk substitute)
• 100g softened butter
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Icing:

• 1 cup sifted icing sugar
• 2 tbspn softened butter
• 1 tsp peppermint essence
• 2 tbspn condensed milk
• 1-2 drops green food colouring (optional)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celsius.  Put 12 cupcake papers into a 12 hole muffin tin.

Put all the ingredients except the chocolate chips (if using) into a bowl and beat until well mixed.  The mixture should be quite runny.  Add the chocolate chips (if using) and mix by hand - beating them in will destroy their structure.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Remove from the muffin tin and cool on a wire rack.

Icing:

When the cupcakes are cool, put the butter into a bowl.  Gradually beat in half the icing sugar and peppermint essence.  Beat in the condensed milk then the remaining icing sugar.  Add food colouring if desired.

Put the icing into an icing bag and pipe onto the cupcakes.