Saffron and Courgette Cupcakes

I’ve had a small container of saffron hanging about in my kitchen for quite a while, and I’ve never really known what to do with it. So I was excited to find this recipe which sounded lovely. It is taken from Phil Vickery’s book ‘Gluten-Free Baking’. I’ve stuck to the recipe almost all the way, which is quite unusual for me, but it looked so tasty I thought I’d give it a go. And I’m glad I did, as it is very nice indeed.

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 pinch saffron threads

2 tablespoons boiling water

2 medium sized eggs

180g caster sugar

200g flour (I used Doves Farm Gluten Free White Bread Mix)

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon xanthan gum

1 teaspoon honey

250g courgette

icing sugar and water to decorate

Pre-heat the oven to 180^OC.

Place the saffron threads in a small cup and add the boiling water. Cover and leave it to cool.

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a food mixer until they are thick and creamy. This will take about 5 minutes. Add the saffron water when the mixture is has thickened. Then add the honey and mix well.

Sieve the flour, baking powder and xanthan gum together in a separate bowl. Slowly add the flour mix to the egg mix, taking care not to over-whisk, as the dough will get rubbery.  Grate the courgette and add to the mix, fold well until you have a smooth and quite soft mix.

Spoon the mixture into paper muffin cases that are placed in a muffin tray, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cupcakes have risen and are golden. When you insert a skewer this should come out clean.

Leave the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack before glazing them with the icing.

To make the icing; sieve the icing sugar into a small bowl, and add a few drops water until you have a smooth but not too runny paste. Use a butter knife to place a dollop of icing on each cupcake.