Steamed sponge cupcake

These sponge cupcakes not only have much less calories than the regular ones but also taste delicious and are prepared within minutes.

What you need:

• 2 cups (200g) rice flour
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk OR 3/4 (180ml) cup coconut milk
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/5 cup (20g) sugar (no less)
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1 tbsp coconut butter (or another type of butter)

Optional:

• Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
• Food colouring (green in my case)
• 1/5 cup (20g) chocolate powder (optional)

First, just add flour, sugar, and salt to a bowl and mix well. Then add the milk, lemon juice and butter, and beat on medium speed until well combined.

You could now add natural food colouring or any other optional ingredients.

Finally, add the baking powder (best last as it may react immediately) and then mix again.

Now be quick to fill the mixture up to three quarters full into cupcake or muffin forms.

Steam the muffins for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. I used an electronic steamer but you can also use a steaming pot or a bamboo steamer. They are best served warm.

The lemon juice is optional, but I used it as an acidic ingredient to make sure the cupcakes raise. Some buttermilk would also work fine. This is very important if you use baking soda instead of baking powder, which usually includes the acidifying agent. In this case also use less (about 1/2 tsp of baking soda).

….and most importantly, these sponge cupcakes also go very well with the current pastel trend seen all over the runways ;-))))

Enjoy,

Mahshid