GOLD COAST — More Cupcakes is cutting back — on gluten.
The gourmet cupcake shop at 1 E. Delaware Place has come out with a new line of gluten-free cupcakes after months of trial and error and repeated requests from customers.
The gluten-free varieties include red velvet, chocolate coconut, double chocolate and the signature cream-filled "more" chocolate.
Owner Patty Rothman at first balked at the idea; gluten-free baked goods often suffer from odd textures and flavors. But with gluten-free dining on the rise and so many customers asking for them at the window of the More Cupcake truck, "There really was no way around not doing it," Rothman said.
"In terms of texture and taste, it's a challenge. Different flours impart different tastes and it can be overwhelming," she said. "The first one I made was a total disaster."
Rothman eventually figured out just the right blend of ingredients that includes white and brown rice flour, tapioca flour and potato starch. (Those concerned about cross-contamination should know that the gluten-free cupcakes are made in the same kitchen as the regular doughnuts.)
At $4.25 each, the gluten-free cupcakes are more expensive than the regular ones, which start at $3.50. Rothman challenges tasters to detect the difference.
"With the chocolate cupcakes, side by side, half of my staff can't tell which is which," she said.
Rothman has yet to master a gluten-free yellow or white cupcake but said she's working on it for January.
