Jar Love: Gluten Free Cupcakes in a Pinch

I'm starting yet another weight loss challenge on Saturday in hopes of recapturing that fat-burnin' fire I once had. (Fingers crossed it works this time.) So obviously I'm looking to bulk up over the next couple of days cramming whatever I can down my face while I still can.  Makes perfect sense.

Time for preschool? No problem! Let's make cupcakes for preschool! We can cover Chemistry, counting, colors, hygiene, practical life skills, and fun all while Mommy gets her sugar fix. I call that a win-win.

After a fun preschool session a counter top full of cupcakes greeted the oldest three children as they returned home from school. Dee and Jeigh were thrilled, but poor Elle who has Celiac disease... "But what can I eat?" A question this sweet kid has to ask way too often. "Uhhh...What can you eat?" I was all out of gluten free cake mix and time. Time to improvise!

As they say, Necessity is the mother of invention and so I present today's edition of "Jar Love": Gluten Free Cupcakes in a Pinch!

While this isn't the most ideal "cake" recipe it definitely got us by on this day. And in record time. Less than 2 minutes from start to finish! And finding yet another use for my beautiful jars?? I'm a happy girl!

I found a recipe for "gluten free bread in a cup in seconds" a while ago on Pinterest originally from a blog called One Good Thing by Jillee. I have used this recipe several times when I needed some gluten free bread in a hurry for Elle though I usually leave out the sugar since it tastes a little too sweet to me. I've used a bigger flat bowl to make a pizza crust too. Again, not ideal, but when it comes to gluten free sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

For cupcakes I doubled the sugar in the original recipe where I didn't feel it would be sweet enough for a cake. Make sure to check out her post and the other variations (sugar and spice, Italian, chocolate, cornbread!) she has there.

Gluten Free Cupcakes in a Jar
(adapted from One Good Thing by Jillee)
Time: SERIOUSLY 2 MINUTES!!

1 large egg
1 tsp water
3 TBSP buttermilk (or 3 TBSP milk plus 3/4 tsp vinegar, stir and let sit for a few minutes. You could also use a milk substitute such as almond, rice, or soy milk.)
1/3 cup Bisquick All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Mix
2 tsp sugar 


Grease a wide mouth pint jar. Mix wet ingredients together in jar. Add Bisquick and sugar and mix until moist. Clean off edges of jar and smooth the top of the batter. Microwave for 85 seconds. Lightly touch top to make sure cake is cooked. Microwave for a few seconds longer if still uncooked on top. 


Allow the cake to cool a little in the jar then run a knife between the cake and the jar and carefully slide out. Allow cake to cool completely on a rack or plate and then cut into 2 or 3 cupcakes. Frost and enjoy!

We struggle with gluten free baked goods in our house. Elle doesn't seem to like many of the mixes and recipes I've tried so far. Gluten free ingredients and mixes are atrociously expensive so I get really frustrated with spending so much money on something that my girl only takes a bite of and pushes away refusing to eat anymore.

I can hardly blame her; a lot of gluten free breads, cakes, cookies, etc range from tolerable to repulsive. I was pleased she found this quick and easy substitute acceptable. She actually ate the entire cupcake!  Add that to all the win we are made of today and I think this calls for another cupcake! Gotta get them all out of the house before Saturday, right?