Treating ourselves well.... Gluten and Dairy-Free Coffee Chocolate Cake-Pops

Once in  a while, when we are feeling particularly gloomy, I find it lifts the spirits to drag ourselves out of bed and do a little decadent gluten and dairy-free baking!  Anything with chocolate is always a good incentive and works wonders for the soul. This also creates an Activity, as I tend to encourage tween participation. Often, depending on how well they are feeling at the time, or how much energy they have, this falls to licking the bowls afterwards, and offering to eat the results... but it keeps everyone happy. 

These tasty morsels pictured below, Miss 10 had great pleasure making with me (possibly due to our new 'pop cake' tray, a new invention I discovered at a '$2 And More' shop.... but whatever works I say)!  There was just the odd M.E. moment, when the silicon tray flipping into her Epsom salts footbath (as Miss 10 sat with feet in agony, and greased the tray), but it raised a lot of laughter! After a good washing, the cake pop tray was put to action once more, and we recorded our instructions below.  Equally good recipe for just making loads of cupcakes if you don't have a cake pop tray! 

Here's our photo tempter, with recipe below:

Miss 10's Super Scrummy Cake Pop Recipe  - (Gluten and Dairy-free)

Ingredients:

-          3 cups gluten-free self-raising flour

-          2 cups of sugar

-          Big splash of vanilla essence

-          ¾ cocoa powder

-          1tsp baking soda – sifted to remove lumps

-          7/8 cup of margarine softened

-          1 cup lactose-free milk

-          4 average-sized eggs

-          1 cup of boiling hot coffee

Finishing Touches:

-          dairy-free chocolate chips

-          dairy-free chocolate hail

(or any other dairy/gluten-free decorations of your choice!)

Directions:

-          0 Heat oven to 160C (325F)

-          0 Grease the cake-pop tray with margarine or spray oil

-          0 Place all ingredients (except the Finishing Touches) in a bowl or food processor and mix     or blitz until just combined, and margarine is fully incorporated

-          0 Pour mixture into the prepared cake-pop tray (or cupcake tray), and smooth the top

-          0 Bake cake-pops for 10mins or until a toothpick comes out clean

-          0 Allow the cake-pops to cool in the tray

To Finish:

 - When you are ready to ice the cake-pops, melt a good amount of choc chips (e.g. 2        cups) in a bowl in the microwave, stirring every 20secs. 

- Dunk cake-pop in chocolate with ‘spoodily thing’ (spiral spoon)

- Insert sticks

- Place choc hail on baking tray (with baking paper on it) and put cake pop on top to dry

- Sprinkle additional hail over stick end.

Makes heaps and heaps (or approx. 16 cake pops and 3 trays of cupcakes).

Settle down, get cosy, and enjoy!  

If you try them... let us know what you think! 

Do you have any favourite decadent treats to lift the spirits a little? xx The M.E. Mum