Gluten-Free Salted Caramel Mocha Cupcakes

I like making cupcakes. I like getting creative with them...And apparently other people like that too. These are for a friend from work who recently went on a gluten-free diet and has been dying for something sweet.

Since I'm not going to buy gluten-free ingredients separately for a dozen cupcakes, I decided to go with a mix, and then add my own special touches.

I started out with Betty Crocker Gluten-Free cake mix in Devil's Food. It was about $5.

The box says all you need to add is a cup of water, a stick of butter, and 3 eggs. But I wanted the flavor to have more depth, so I substituted coffee for water, then sprinkled in some espresso powder, brown sugar, and extra cocoa powder. These ingredients not only add more flavor, but fine ingredients also help to make gluten-free cakes moist, which is often an issue. I also added a splash of vanilla and almond extracts.

Betty Crocker says to bake at 350 for 18-23 minutes, and I found that these needed the full 23. They did rise up nice and pretty.

So now for the filling. I actually started this part a few hours before the cupcakes because it takes a while, but it's well worth the wait. Take a can of sweetened condensed milk and boil it in a pot of water for about 2 hours. When you take it out and let it cool off, you'll have your own gluten-free caramel filling!

I have a handy little cupcake-corer, but a knife or even the back end of a pastry tip will do the job. Core your cupcakes, and put the filling in. Make sure it goes all the way to the top of the cupcake or else the frosting will sink in when you get to that part.

I sprinkled the caramel with just a little bit of sea salt.

Then I started with a basic butter cream frosting recipe and got creative. I sprinkled in some more espresso powder, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Instead of milk, I happened to have some chocolate caramel coffee creamer (which happened to be gluten-free) so I used that. Milk will do just fine though.

I used my star pastry tip to pipe the frosting, then sprinkled with a bit more sea salt.

I'm really pleased with how these turned out. My husband agrees that you can't tell they're gluten-free, and he's really picky about his sweets. This is definitely something I would enjoy eating, even though I don't intentionally eat gluten-free.. And of course I didn't sneak one or two extras for myself.

Updating the Kitchen

When I moved into this house, it was in need of a lot of TLC. The kitchen and hallway floors were covered in this 70s-style patterned carpet that was thin, dingy, and brown. I got rid of that and had laminate flooring put in. That improved things a lot, but the walls and cabinets were just gross. So I slapped on some neutral paint, and then got down to real business.

This is what it looked like after the laminate flooring and paint. Don't mind the clutter.

I'd always had apartments before this house, so I was excited to add some personality. I decided on red for the cabinets. Yes, red.

I absolutely loathe sanding, so I used primer paint first, and then the red. I also put some primer on that backsplash so the real fun could begin.

I started with a pencilled-in design.

I wanted a nice transition between black and white, so I just covered the whole left side in black paint and the right side in white. The interesting part came in the middle.

It took a few coats to get the color just right, and it was kind of time-consuming, but definitely worth the effort. And I didn't do it all at once, so I didn't get sick of working on it.

And here we are all finished. It's the main thing that I get complimented on when people come to my home, and I just love walking in on this every day. Pretty cool, huh?

Life in the Backwoods...

Hey there. I'm glad you found me!

My name is Kayla, and I'm a 26 year-old newlywed trying my hand at country living. I've been out here for about five years, and I feel like I'm just now starting to get a handle on things. Life in the sticks sure isn't what I'd always expected when I dreamed of a nice little secluded house. There's so much that comes with being out in the boonies that I never thought of. For instance, that darned yard needs to be mowed every week!

My neighbors have been around for decades, so my husband and I are the new kids on the block. Not being as established as everyone else around, we don't have as many resources for sprucing up the place as I'd like. Nonetheless, I don't want the neighbors staring at an eyesore, and I like living in a nice place, so I'm trying to improve.

So that's what this blog will document. I like doing things myself, and that just so happens to be the cheapest way of doing things! Home improvement, baking, crafts...anything DIY is what I love to do. I'll share recipes, give tutorials, and show you what country living is all about.

But first, I'll show you a little about myself.

This is me and my husband Steven.

We're a little goofy, but totally crazy about each other. We went to elementary school together, lost touch, and then reconnected in 2009. We got married last year.

These are our two daughters, Tinkerbell and Ruka. Don't be fooled by their appearance - they're the two sweetest mutts I've ever known.

And our boy Jinx. Don't be fooled by his appearance either. He's not a sweet kitty - he hates everyone but us!

And finally this backwoods home in question. I bought this home when I was 21, and had no idea what I was getting into. It's been a curse and a blessing, and I love it with all my heart.

So now you know a little about me, and hopefully you'll be back for more. I can't wait to get started.