Gluten Free Apple Cake Muffins
These light and tender muffins flirt with being apple cake. They dont have the dense graininess of your typical gluten-free muffin. I think the difference might be the flour mix- with potato starch. And the oil. I used organic canola oil.
These light and tender muffins flirt with being apple cake. They dont have the dense graininess of your typical gluten-free muffin. I think the difference might be the flour mix- with potato starch. And the oil. I used organic canola oil.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 cup sorghum flour
- 1/2 cup millet flour or brown rice flour*
- 1/2 cup potato starch (not potato flour)
- 2 organic free range eggs beaten
- 1/2 cup organic canola oil
- 1/2 cup rice milk
- 1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract
- 1 heaping cup diced peeled apple (we used two medium apples)
- Carbohydrate 208.281725127402 g
- Cholesterol 250.144999990059 mg
- Fat 97.4488599978129 g
- Fiber 8.92360002326965 g
- Protein 18.502349991944 g
- Saturated Fat 59.714362498638 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Recipe (483g)
- Sodium 1744.18049977881 mg
- Sugar 199.358125104132 g
- Trans Fat 7.42506699988815 g
- Calories 1741 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a twelve cup muffin tin.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, potato starch, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar.
- Add the eggs and oil, and beat to combine. Add the rice milk and vanilla extract, and continue beating for a minute or two until the batter is smooth and elastic.
- Stir in the apple pieces by hand.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups.
- Bake in the center of a preheated oven for about 22 minutes, until the muffins are domed, and firm.
- Cool on a wire rack for five minutes, then turn out the muffins from the pan to keep them from getting soggy. Continue to cool on a wire rack.
- Option: Sift tops with powdered sugar when cooled a bit.
- Wrap and bag leftover muffins, and freeze them to preserve texture. These gems make perfect grab-and-go treats.
- Make one dozen muffins.
Golden-domed and fragrant with cinnamon, these baked goods achieve a tender crumb that largely avoids the gritty texture common in gluten-free baking. Achieving this structure relies heavily on a precise blend of sorghum flour, millet flour, and potato starch combined with xanthan gum, which mimics the elasticity usually provided by wheat gluten. Without that specific binding agent, the batter fails to trap expanding air pockets, resulting in a dense, crumbly failure.
Beating the batter for a full two minutes after adding the liquids is critical for developing the proper internal structure before folding in the diced apples. Baking takes place at 375 degrees Fahrenheit in the center of the oven, requiring approximately 22 minutes to achieve structural stability. Pulling the pan prematurely leads to collapsed centers, while overbaking dries out the crumb.
Transferring the baked items to a wire rack after just five minutes of cooling prevents condensation from forming underneath the crust, preserving the delicate exterior texture. For longer storage, freezing the wrapped muffins immediately locks in moisture and prevents staleness.
