Rebecca Weger

The only part of this I can take credit for are the cupcakes, but this was one amazing dinner. Every gathering has its traditions and specialties, those fabulous dishes and immeasurable hours and love expended. This one was a bit special for a few reasons. A big reason is that every item in this picture was gluten free.

I spent Thanksgiving dinner with some old friends, and two of us are gluten-free. Our hostess went to above and beyond to orchestrate a meal where we could eat everything on the table. The turducken was a masterpiece that had three layers of fillings: potatoes, wild rice, and gluten free cornbread stuffing. Our hostess made the cornbread by hand, and she and her dad assembled the birds at 4:00 am.

She also took a crack at two gluten free pies – making the crusts from scratch. Sadly, I didn’t get to try any tonight because I had already hit carbohydrate coma. In part because I wanted to try my own dessert creation: pumpkin cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting. The original recipe came from Smitten Kitchen, and I adapted it to be gluten free and a little less sugary. Specifically:

• Used gluten free flour (using Analise Roberts’ rice flour blend recipe
• Added 3/4 t xanthan gum
• Eliminated 1/3 c granulated sugar
• Reduced pumpkin to 1 c
• For the frosting I added some vanilla and a little bit more maple syrup
• The tops were dusted with cinnamon

I don’t have an 18 cup cupcake pan so I improvised.  12 full size cupcakes plus 17 minis (which were baked for a little less time).  I enjoy my sweets in small portions, so the minis are always a great option for me.  I made the cupcakes themselves last night and frosted them this afternoon.

The cupcakes were extremely moist and cakey, with well-balanced flavors.  The frosting was almost like having cheesecake on top.  They will most certainly be in my holiday recipe arsenal going forward, and are certainly on that list of foods that gluten eaters will never suspect as being anything other than “normal.”