Category Archives: Cupcakes

Almond Cake with Lemon Icing- Vegan & Gluten free!!

01 Sunday Nov 2015

Posted by in Cake, Cupcakes, Gluten Free, Uncategorized, Vegan

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Sorry for the gap in posts! Life has been very life-y. I changed jobs, visited family and one of my wisdom teeth has turned out to be the source of all evil- currently quite uneven faced. So…. though I am seriously sugar free at the moment in order to give my immune system some chance of winning the battle against invading forces, here is the as promised the almond cake! Gluten free of course. The base recipe is similar to my last few cake ones, I guess I am really liking the texture the coconut oil gives to the cake. Springy and moist with good structure.

Almond cake!

Almond cake- wish I had vegan vanilla ice-cream with it

Almond Cake- gluten free & vegan of course!

  • A full cup or 200g of apple blueberry puree (or apple puree and add a some mashed blueberries)
  • 4 scant dessertspoons of org cold pressed coconut oil
  • Just under half a cup of rapadura / sucucant/ turbinado sugar
  • Half a teaspoon of apple cyder vinegar
  • Half a teaspoon of almond extract – 1tsp if you like it intense
  • A third of a cup of buckwheat flour
  • Two thirds of a cup of ground almonds
  • Half a cup of fine maize meal
  • A pinch/ eighth of a teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt/ fine sea salt
  • A generous tsp of vanilla powder/ a pod/ extract
  • 1 teaspoon of cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon of aluminium free baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of aluminium free bread / baking soda

Method:

Preheat your oven to 170C. Prepare a 20cm/ 7.5 inch cake tin

Put your fruit puree and coconut oil in a perspex / heat proof bowl and put it in the preheating oven for a few minutes to melt.

Meanwhile prepare all your dry ingredients. Sieve your baking powder and soda incase of lumps.

Take the oil and fruit puree out of the oven and mix in the sugar, stir until it dissolves. Next add in the apple cyder vinegar and almond extract.

wet and dry

wet and dry

Put your dry ingredients into the wet. Mix gently, just until there are no lumps.

Pour into you tin, make sure it is evenly spread. Place in the centre of the oven- or slightly to the right for me as the left is hotter.

Bake for 25mins (fan) or 30 min. Done when it is coming away from the sides and if you put a skewer in it and it comes out dry.

If you want to make cupcakes take 5mins off the baking time! O and put a dab of oil in your cupcake liners to stop them sticking to the paper.

Lemon Icing

  • 2 big teaspoons of org cold pressed coconut oil
  • The zest of an organic unwaxed lemon
  • Half a cup of vegan icing sugar
  • Five teaspoons of fresh lemon juice

Method:

Mash the coconut oil until soft. Add the lemon zest.

Press out any lumps in the icing sugar and add to the coconut oil. Mash press and mush them together. The sugar and oil take a bit of work, gradually begin adding the lemon juice and it will turn into icing.

Lemon icing

Lemon icing

I put it on the cake when it was still a little tepid- so it melted a bit. Normally I would advise leaving it cool completely- but actually the fact it melted a little into the cake was nice!!

I will also be putting up a fermented cauliflower recipe next- which I will be partaking in -lots – for the good bacteria, enzymes and yeasts! I will defeat you yet tooth!

Xs Aissa

 

Vanilla Berry Summer Sponge Cake, Strawberry Mint Sorbet- Vegan & Gluten Free

01 Saturday Aug 2015

Posted by in Cake, Cupcakes, Gluten Free, No bake/ Raw, Superfoods, Vegan

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I made Seasonal Rhubarb & Orange Crumble Cake a little while ago. I was quiet happy with it, especially the texture. So I thought I could adapt it for further use! I have to apologise though- there are pics of the sorbet but the cake pictures are not up to par. I thought I took a picture of my berries- nope. I thought I took a picture of the cut cake- showing the crumb and melted berries in it- nope…I just ate it. So I will put a pic of the Rhubarb cake in so you get an idea of the cakes texture at least! 😦

It has a creamy caramel colour due to the coconut blossom sugar.* It has a lovely fruity flavour, as one would expect, what with it having berries in it. It is the fruit puree that gives it an overall … fruity almost summery taste. I used some defrosted organic mixed berries I had, but fresh ones would of course be great too. Lots are in season here now, we had such a lovely spring there seems to be a bounty crop this year! This cake would make lovely faery cakes (cupcakes). Just reduce your cooking time by five or six minutes.

Dark Vanilla Berry Summer Sponge Cake

  • I cup of apple and strawberry puree (200g)
  • Three and a half dessertspoons of melted coconut oil
  • A quarter cup of xylitol
  • A quarter cup of coconut blossom sugar
  • A third of a cup of hot water- for right near the end
  • A third of a cup of buckwheat flour
  • Half a cup of ground almonds
  • Two thirds of a cup of fine maize meal
  • An eighth of a teaspoon of himalayan pink salt or sea salt
  • One teaspoon of vanilla powder- two pods/ teaspoons of extract
  • One teaspoon of gf & aluminium free baking powder
  • Half a teaspoon of gf & aluminium free baking / bread soda
  • One teaspoon of gf cornstarch
  • Two/ three dessertspoons of defrosted or fresh berries
  • I used a mix and chopped the strawberries so everything was the same size

* If you would prefer it the more traditional pale colour you can use all xylitol or replace the coconut sugar with agave and increase the dry ingredients by a few dessertspoons.

Method:

You will need a 7.5inch/ 20cm cake tin, if using a metal one be sure to line the base.

Preheat your oven to 170C/340F/ or 180C/350F if not a fan oven.

There are lovely sugar free mixed organic fruit purees you can get here by Clearspring. If you cannot get your hands on something similar then just sugar free apple puree will do.

Grab a perspex bowl and pop in your fruit puree and coconut oil. Put them into your preheating oven, this is so your coconut oil melts and your puree warms. Add in the xylitol and coconut blossom, stir stir stir and you will find the sweet stuff melts into the mixture.

In another bowl and throw in your flours, salt and vanilla powder. Sieve in the baking powder, soda and cornstarch. Mix and make sure there are no lumps.

Now for the fast bit. Ensure your cake tin is at hand. Add your hot water to the wet ingredients, mix through and pour into the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir until there are no dry lumpy bits and toss in your berries and give a quick stir. Pour into your cake tin and put straight in the oven. The hot water starts to react with the soda so it can’t be left sitting about the place.

The batter

The batter

It takes about 25 minutes. It is done when coming away from the sides of the tin, the top has little cracks and if you stick a skewer or knife in it  comes out dry.

Under exposed cooked cake!

Under exposed cooked cake!

Rhubarb Crumble Cake on the windowsill!

Rhubarb Crumble Cake on the windowsill!

Enjoy with vegan vanilla ice-cream (suggestion not an order). OR with….

Strawberry Mint Sorbet... melting

Strawberry Mint Sorbet… melting on my windowsill.

Strawberry Mint Sorbet

  • About two and half cups or 250g of frozen strawberries
  • Two dessertspoons of organic dark raw agave
  • Four big mint leaves

Soo I took the leaves off my Irish strawberries, washed them and popped them in the freezer over night. I advice chopping the berries before freezing, as even in the crazy strong jug blender the whole ones were like little rocks bopping about the place. They took ages to blend.

Frozen strawberry rocks

Frozen strawberry rocks

This is so easy. Put the CHOPPED frozen berries, agave and mint in your blender/ food processor and blend them to a liquid. Put in a freezer safe container and put in the freezer for at least three hours. Or use an ice-cream sorbet maker!

Blended nearly sorbet- what a colour!

Blended nearly sorbet- what a colour!

If you are good at quenelle-ing you can do that..or pop it in a ramekin like I did!

Hope you enjoyed the berry fest! Xs Aissa

 

Orange & Cinnamon Cupcakes- Vegan & Gluten Free

19 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by in Cake, Cupcakes, Gluten Free, Vegan

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Quick! Cupcakes needed!!!! Easy to make, easy to eat. Sweet and citrus-y with a hint of cinnamon its….

Orange & Cinnamon Cupcakes!

  • Half a cup of apple puree
  • Three dessertspoons of a sunflower oil that is suitable for frying or melted coconut oil
  • A scant teaspoon of apple cyder vinegar
  • The zest of a unwaxed org orange
  • Five drops of food grade orange oil or a teaspoon of extract
  • A third of a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice
  • A quarter cup of non diary milk
  • Half a cup of raw dark agave
  • Scant two thirds of ground almonds
  • Two third cups of fine maize meal
  • A third of a cup of buckwheat flour
  • A teaspoon of baking powder
  • Half a teaspoon of bread soda
  • A teaspoon of cornstarch
  • A teaspoon of vanilla powder/ good extract / two pods
  • A quarter teaspoon of cinnamon

Glaze

  • Two dessertspoons org coconut oil
  • One and a half dessertspoons cashew nut butter
  • Three dessertspoons date syrup
  • Three dessertspoons orange juice

To make the glaze just mash the coconut oil and cashew nut butter together. Next mash the date syrup and orange juice into the coconut oil and cashew nut butter. Ta-da! Glaze!

Cupcake Method

Preheat your oven to 180C/350F and line a cupcake tray. The recipe makes twelve! Grab two bowls. In your first mix all the wet ingredients including the orange zest. Give a bit of a whisk.

Orange-y apple-y sweetness

Orange-y apple-y sweetness

Now mix all your dry ingredients. It is worth sieving your soda, baking powder and cornstarch as lumps of these in your cupcakes is unpleasant.

Dry stuff! Hmm vanilla powder :-)

Dry stuff! Hmm vanilla powder 🙂

Pour your dry ingredients into your wet. Gently fold it all together. The bread soda/ bicarbonate will react with the cyder vinegar and start to create bubbles. If you are too rough you will  knock the air right out.

Fill your cupcake holders to the top, vegan gluten free goodies tend to not rise as much. Now there are tricks around this. *

They take twenty minutes in my fan oven at 180C/ 350F. They should be golden and darker at the edges. If unsure stick a skewer in one- it should come out dry.

cooling cupcakes

cooling cupcakes

Leave to cool completely before putting the glaze on.

Glazed!

Glazed!

Any ways hope you try them out! Xs Aissa

*My little liners are for traditional faery cakes- much smaller than a cupcake or muffin, but cupcake tins seem to only come in big sizes now. This means the cupcakes spread out a little – not up. The trick is shown in my ramekin cake- this was filled two thirds of the way up- but look at the rise! Because it could only go up!

ramekin cupcake

ramekin cupcake

A note on sweetness

I like to switch about what I sweeten my baked goods with. I stay away from refined sugars and corn syrup !! Eek- not healthy. I am all for moderation and variety. Rapadura/ sucucant sugar are pure dried cane juice. This means the molasses is not removed, and some minerals and vitamins remain in the sugar. In this recipe I used apple puree, agave and dates these have fructose as opposed to glucose. Too much fructose is not good for you either! That said they contain some nutrition e.g the dates have a good number of minerals- more than can be said for white sugar!

Its Classic Chocolate Cake – gluten free & vegan & yummy!

22 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Cake, Chocolate, Cupcakes, Gluten Free, Traditional, Vegan

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Classic Chocolate Cake, it also a classic vegan cake. Lots of vegan cakes use non dairy yoghurt instead of eggs or and apple puree, which I do in this. I have discovered the ingredients are somewhat flexible. If you find you have no yogurt you can use banana. Not enough apple puree, add more yoghurt and banana! The gluten free flour is easy to change about, though I recommend not going over a third of a cup of buckwheat as it can become sour.

I have been making various versions with various flavours for a while. The element which helped this chocolate cake to another level of yummy was the discovery of a method on theppk.com for Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf . In the past I would to add hot water at the end, not the middle. It also inspired me to add some cinnamon! 🙂

Classic Chocolate Cake

Classic Chocolate Cake- gluten free and gooey

  • A quarter cup of soya yoghurt ( I used cherry flavour)
  • A quarter cup of cold pressed light sunflower oil
  • A third of a cup of cocoa
  • A big dessertspoon cacao powder
  • A cup of apple puree (unsweetened)
  • A scant two thirds of a cup of rapadura / sucucant / coconut sugar*
  • * and take out 3 dessertspoons as it will be a tad to sweet otherwise!
  • A third of a cup of boiling water plus a a dessertspoon.
  • One cup gluten free flour. I used the brand “Doves” (which is a blend tapioca,rice,maize & buckwheat)
  • Half a cup of ground almonds
  • One teaspoon of vanilla powder/ two pods/ a dessertspoon of extract
  • A third of a teaspoon of cinnamon (you barely notice it so you can add more!)
  • A quarter teaspoon of himalayan pink salt/ sea salt
  • One teaspoon of g/f aluminium free baking powder
  • Half a teaspoon of g/f aluminium free bread soda/ baking soda
  • One teaspoon of cornstarch
  • Half a cup/ 50g of chopped 72% vegan chocolate- I used one sweetened with xylitol
  • Seven crumbled/ chopped walnuts or a few spoons of chopped cashews

Chocolate Icing/ Frosting

  • Two dessertspoons of organic raw coconut oil
  • Half a teaspoon of vanilla powder/ extract/ one pod
  • Half a cup of vegan icing sugar
  • One big or two scant dessertspoons cocoa powder
  • A dessertspoon and a half of warm water

The Cake Method

Pre-heat your oven to 180C/ 355F. Grease a 20cm/ 7.5inch cake tin.

You will need two bowls. In the first bowl put in your apple puree, yoghurt, oil and sieve in the cocoa and cacao powders. Give a good stir. If you are using vanilla extract not powder add it to the wet not the dry.

with the glorious cocoa & cacao

with the glorious cocoa & cacao

In your second bowl add the flour, ground almonds, cinnamon, vanilla, baking powder,soda, cornflour and salt.

Now the clever bit. Add your third of a cup of hot water to your apple-y cocoa bowl. Stir it through. Add in your sugar and mix it again, making sure there are no lumpy bits.

Gently fold in half your dry ingredients. Add a dessertspoon of hot water and carefully give a stir. Add the rest of your dry stuff. Really be nice folding it in, fold in your chopped chocolate and walnuts. Do not over mix. You do not want to knock the air out.

Pour into your prepared cake tin. Put it in the middle of your oven. I put mine slightly to the right as the left is a bit hotter!

It usually takes 25mins. I peeped a couple of times and it took 30mins this time. It should be coming away from the sides of the pan, a little domed and cracking a bit. If you poke it with a skewer it should come out clean.

cake surface!

cake surface!

Leave it to cool for ten minutes before turning it out to cool on a rack. I left mine to cool on the windowsill – one of the first signs of winter!

When completely cooled you can ice it.

The Icing Method

Mash your coconut oil to soften. Sieve your icing sugar and cocoa in add your vanilla. Mash and press the mixture until a crumbly texture. Add one spoon of warm water first and mix again. Use warm water as cold water would make the coconut oil go solid again. You may or may not need the other half spoon of water. You want it to be soft and spreadable but not runny.

I plop all mine in the middle of the cake and sweep it to the edges with the back of a spoon or knife. This is enough icing for me, as you can see by the picture it is not smothered in it. You can always increase it by a third if you want a thicker layer.

iced!

iced!

Hope you try it out.

Xs Aissa

Last big slice! I then poured vegan cream over the top!

Last big slice! All it needs now is vegan ice-cream!

Brmufka- bread muffin cake Recipe

17 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by in Bread, Cake, Cupcakes, Vegan

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The world is chaos and the lack of order has impeded my ability to blog. That there is the excuse to preempt my apologies.

My Brmufka- bread muffin cake, is the tale of a cake that went wrong and still tasted good. It tastes like a sweet bread- which I compensated for by covering it in a coconut yoghurt icing/frosting. I normally bake gluten free or at least wheat free, but not this time. There was a bag of whole wheat self-raising flour at work, it had had a hole poked in it. So rather than throw it out I thought I’d make cake!

brmufka with pink coconut yogurt icing

Brmufka with pink coconut yogurt icing

To make your own Brmufka- bread muffin cake you will need the following-

A 20cm/7.5inch cake tin. Greased with a little square of parchment paper on the base to prevent sticking! Measures and bowls…and an oven. More specifically one preheated to 170C/340F

  • 2 generous cups of whole wheat self-raising flour
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • Half a teaspoon of bread soda/baking soda
  • Half a teaspoon of ground cardamom
  • Quarter teaspoon of sea salt/himalayan pink salt
  • Half a teaspoon of vanilla powder/ or 1tsp of extract in the wet stuff!
  • Three quarters a cup of rapadura/turbinado/sucucant sugar
  • Note I used half a cup- hence Brmufka so it’s up to you what you want to do!!
  • Two dessertspoons of coconut oil worked to soft or melted
  • Three dessertspoons sunflower/rapeseed/canola oil (ones suitable for frying)
  • Seven drops of food grade orange oil or the zest of one orange
  • Half a cup of apple puree
  • Half a cup of non-diary milk
  • Half a teaspoon of apple cyder vinegar
  • A quarter cup of water or orange juice

Get your bowl and put in flour,baking powder, soda, cardamom, salt and vanilla. You can just add your sugar, but I sieve mine first as it gets out the lumps and makes for a lighter cake.

Put you apple puree, milk, quarter cup of water or juice and the vinegar.

Get another bowl and work your oils together, add the orange oil and or orange zest. Pour the apple puree milk etc mix on top and mix them together.

Make a well in the centre of your dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Gently fold together. Just so there are no lumps. You want a light touch so you do not knock the air out or end up kneading it !!

Here is where the BR part of the Brmufka happened. Having been out of the habit of wheat, I over mixed- this developed the gluten- hence making it more bready. But there is more, I was going to make a low flat cake- like fingers and spread it on a baking sheet. I started doing this, realised I didn’t have enough batter changed my mind and then put in the cake tin. Over worked even further !!!

Pop it into the middle of your pre-heated oven. My oven is hotter on the left so I place things slightly to the right.

The Muf part is due in partially to the whole wheat-ness, also to the fact when I tried to gently transfer it to my cake pan it had thickened and the surface was uneven. When it baked it came out with a domed spiky top like muffins!

It took 24mins in my fan oven. It may take up to 30mins in a non-fan. You could make it into real muffins / cupcakes and they would take 18-20mins.

It will be done when it is coming away from the sides, is golden brown and has a little cracking on the surface. If it looks good take it out and stick a skewer in it. If that comes out dry you have a Brmufka or a cake if added more sugar and didn’t overwork it 😉

Brmufka pacman- pre icing

Brmufka pac-man- pre icing

 

Pink Coconut Icing

This is so easy. In a medium sized bowl

  • One dessertspoon of coconut oil- mashed to soft
  • Four giant dessertspoons of berry coconut yogurt*
  • A mug/ generous cup of organic icing sugar
  • Half a teaspoon of vanilla powder/ insides of a pod
  • If needed a teaspoon of warm water

*if you use plain just squash a strawberry into it or add a teaspoon of beetroot powder to make it pink. If you use the beetroot powder you need a few drops of water for the colour to release.

Mash your oil and yogurt (if needed the berry) together. Sieve the icing sugar into the bowl (and beetroot powder if using). Add the vanilla and mix it all together. Really get your back into it so that you get a nice smooth consistency. if too stiff or powdery add a bit of water. If too runny add a bit more icing sugar.

If you have made cake as opposed to Brmufka you may not need as much icing 🙂

Xs Aissa

Gluten Free Lemon Cake

20 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by in Cake, Cupcakes, Gluten Free, Uncategorized, Vegan

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So my lovely” detox healthier me” plan went a little astray over the weekend. I was away with my sister and much fun was had, but a few alcoholic beverages were also had. 🙂 I had some superfood powders with me and took lots of spirulina so I was quite good really. In my holistic approach it is not healthy to be too strict either and it is rare I get too spend time with my big sis! So I am back on track again I will preparing myself a wheatgrass shot shortly.

For all you guys not detoxing here is a Lemon Cake! It is vegan (obviously), gluten free and sweetened with agave. The icing/frosting is made with icing/ confectioner’s sugar. But there are some alternative options as the bottom of the post in regards to sugariness.

Gluten free Lemon Cake 

  • Two thirds of a cup of soya/ coconut yogurt. Some coconut yogurts are very set so feel free so add a little coconut milk if nessacary.
  • One teaspoon of apple cyder vinegar
  • Juice and zest of one and a half organic unwaxed lemons

Mix these ingredients together and leave to sit and curdle while you prepare the other bits.

  • A generous half a cup of dark agave
  • A third of a cup of a light sunflower oil. I found I had run out of sunflower when I went to make this. I melted four scant dessertspoons of organic cold pressed coconut oil instead. The coconut oil changed the texture, it was more set than crumbly but tasted just as good.
  • A quarter cup of apple and strawberry puree. You could just use apple if you like.
  • One teaspoon of sieved cornstarch.

Mix these together in order, sieving in the cornstarch and then giving everything a quick whisk.

  • One and a half cups of fine maize meal
  • Half a cup of ground almonds- almond flour.
  • One teaspoon of vanilla powder. If you are using vanilla extract add it to the agave.
  • A pinch of sea salt
  • One teaspoon of baking powder
  • Half a teaspoon of bread soda/bicarbonate of soda/ baking soda. So many names for it!!

Preheat your oven to 170C / 340F if a fan oven, prob 180C/350F if not fan.

Prepare a 7.5 inch / 20cm cake tin. Put a square of baking paper in the centre and lightly grease.

Mix your soya yogurt, apple cyder vinegar and lemon juice. Leave to one side

Get a bowl and mix your agave, oil and fruit puree. Sieve in your cornstarch and give it a whisk for a minute.

In another bowl put in your maize meal, add your ground almonds and press out any big lumps. Add your vanilla powder and salt and give the ingredients a mix. Sieve in the baking powder and baking soda- I always sieve these as it is pretty horrid to come across a lump of them in your lovely cake. Now mix everything again!

Add your yogurt mix to your agave mix and give it a quick whisk. Quickly yet gently add your dry ingredients to the wet. Lightly fold the dry in, just until they are combined. NO OVER MIXING and leave your worries and tension to one side so you do not beat the cake batter up! Pour the batter into your cake tin and put it straight into your oven. Heed the advise, if you over mix the cake will be dense and will not rise.

It takes 30 minutes in my fan oven but it could take 35 in a normal one. It is done when it starts to come away from the sides, there are little cracks on the top and it is going a light golden colour. If it looks good take it out and stick a skewer in it, if it comes out dry then your cake is done. Leave it in the tin for 10 minutes to cool. Gluten free goodies can be a bit delicate and crumbly while warm. Treat it kindly when you turn it out to cool on wire rack.

delicately balanced on my windowsill!

delicately balanced on my windowsill!

If you were to serve it as little lemon fingers I think you could get away with just squeezing a little lemon juice on top. This was a birthday cake for one of the guys I work with. He doesn’t mind a bit of sugar so I made a Lemony icing!

  • Two and a half dessertspoons of coconut oil- mashed
  • Half a cup of icing / confectioner’s sugar – seived
  • Half a teaspoon of vanilla powder or the scraped insides of a vanilla pod
  • Juice and zest of half an organic unwaxed lemon
  • One dessertspoon of warm water – cold water would make the coconut oil re-solidify.

Mash the coconut oil, sieve in the icing sugar and vanilla, mush mash and press so the fat is taken up by the sugar. Add your lemon juice and zest and give it another good mix. If it is still not forming a smooth spreadable mix you can add a dessertspoon of warm water. Make sure your cake is completely cooled before putting your icing on. I put a few little bits of lemon skin on a decoration.

Iced- in a slightly untidy manner and sitting in the morning sunshine. :-)

Iced- in a slightly untidy manner and sitting in the morning sunshine. 🙂

If you prefer your sugar in the agave fructose form I have made an icing with agave and coconut oil and arrowroot in the past. Elena’s pantry has one almost exactly like mine. The only adjustment I would make for this cake is reduce the coconut milk by a few dessertspoons and add the juice of half a lemon instead. http://www.elanaspantry.com/coconut-cream-frosting/

Hope you try it out. Xs Aissa

Nana’s Coffee Cake turned Vegan

21 Friday Mar 2014

Posted by in Cake, Cupcakes, Gluten Free, Traditional, Vegan

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So there’s a style of coffee cake that seems to be particular to Ireland ( though I’m open to correction on this ) anyhooow my Grandmother made a rockin’ coffee cake and I really wanted to veganize it. I also made it moderately healthier. The Irel Coffee essence mentioned here has been around in Ireland for donkey’s years and is a mixture of coffee, chicory and sugar you can use a good strong coffee extract instead. So here is what you will need…
A mug or cup measures. I tend to just use the one mug for everything, like I’ve said before as long as you use the same mug it will all be in proportion.
A 20cm/ 7.5 inch cake tin and some baking paper to line it.

Dry ingredients

  • A third of a cup of sunflower / rapeseed oil (canola)
  • Half a cup of apple and apricot puree – I buy an organic one by a brand called Clearspring, if you are amazing you can make your own. You could also use plain apple and use apricot yoghurt and just switch the measurement about.
  • A quarter cup of coconut/ soya yoghurt – you could use apricot flavour to intensify the fruitiness or I must insist on apricot flavour if you are using half a cup of this and a quarter cup of puree.
  • A third of a cup made up of 3 dsp of raw rapadura sugar (i.e. turninado ) and the rest Xylitol
  • 4 tsp of Irel Coffee essence or 4 tsp of good quality coffee extract use (use 3 if your coffee extract is strong)
  • One round teaspoon of cornstarch

Wet ingredients

  • A half a tsp of vanilla powder or a tsp of vanilla extract but if using extract put this in with the wet.
  • One cup of fine maize meal
  • One generous cup of ground almonds
  • Two round teaspoons of baking powder
  • A quarter teaspoon of baking soda
  •  A pinch of sea salt ( if full Irish granny mode throw a pinch of your left shoulder too )

Making it

Preheat your oven to 180C/ 350F. Prepare your 20cm / 7.5inch cake pan, this size pan makes a low cake. this is perfect if you want to make a two layered cake without the hassle of cutting through cake slices. If you prefer a higher rise just use a cake tin a size smaller.
First a get a bowl and put in your oil, fruit puree, yoghurt and coffee extract. Grab a sieve and sieve the cornstarch, now put your sugar and xylitol into it, I always sieve my rapadura sugar but is hard work sieving xylitol so even if you just sieve out the lumps in the sugar it should be sufficient. If using vanilla extract add it now. Give it all a good whisk.

Get another bowl and put all the dry ingredients into it. Make a well in the centre and pour your wet mixture into this. Gently fold the mixtures together, be nice to it, you just want to get rid of any floury lumpy bits. If you are too rough or over mix you will knock the air out and end up with a dense cake.

Pour (or push cos it’s thick) the batter into your cake tin making sure it is evenly spread. Place in the centre of the oven

After 5 mins turn down your oven to 170C/ 340F. It takes 23 minutes in my Uber fan oven it could take 25 or even 30 depending on your oven. You will know it is done when it is coming away from the sides maybe little cracks are starting to appear ontop, also when you stick with a skewer it should come out dry. You will get to know your oven, like I have to put everything on the right hand side cos the left is too hot.

So you could leave it like this, slice it into fingers and have it with tea or coffee. But to really finish it off it needs to be iced (frosting). Just make sure it has cooled down first!

Icing

This is like a soft royal icing or a butter-cream.

  • Two dsp of organic raw coconut oil
  • 1 tsp of Irel coffee essence or good quality coffee extract
  • Half a cup of icing sugar ( confectioner’s sugar )
  • Two dsp of hot water
  • Eight walnuts for decoration

Get a bowl and add your coconut oil and mash it until soft. Add your coffee essence/ extract and mash again. Now add your icing sugar, really get in there to make sure really mixed together, use the back of your spoon to press out any lumps. Now add your hot water, it is important that it is warm, cold water will make the coconut oil re-solidify. Mix to a nice smooth spreadable texture.

Put on your cake and arrange the walnuts to decorate.

Pre- icing, a certain someone had some while I was waiting for it to cool

Pre- icing, someone had some while I was waiting for it to cool

Here is the finished thing!

So much nicer iced

So much nicer iced

My First Post!!!

06 Thursday Mar 2014

Posted by in Chocolate, Cupcakes, Gluten Free, Vegan

≈ 7 Comments

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Hi there!

So I hope to thrill and excite and maybe mildly amuse you (intentionally or not!). I know I should go all out with a beautiful picture and a perfectly laid out text for my debut.. but I think I just need to start- so here we go…

ALMOST FREE OF EVERYTHING CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Sooo line two cupcake tins- add a dot of sunflower oil to each liner- this prevents sticking later

Preheat your oven to 170C/ 340F if a fan oven 180C/ 350F other wise.

When I say cup – I use an actual mug for measuring so it is all roughly. I PROMISE TO BE MORE PRECISE IN FUTURE! but I think you can be relaxed as long as you use the same mug all the time

Dsp= dessertspoon Tsp = teaspoon

I use Vanilla powder if this is unavailable add 1 dsp of vanilla extract to your agave.

• 2/3 squares of 72% vegan fair trade chocolate finely chopped set aside for later. I use one that is sweetened with Xylitol. It is an English brand called Plamil.

• 1 very well mashed organic fair trade ripe banana (approx 1/3 cup) Put in a mug add==>

• 3 dsp sunflower oil or rapeseed oil (i.e canola) Always org cold pressed and in a glass bottle!

• Fill the rest of the mug (2/3) with coconut milk – the light version suitable for tea or coffee use

• Add a dash of organic apple cyder vinegar ( prob near a tsp )

Leave this to sit and curdle a little, meanwhile organise the other ingreds.

Get yourself a bowl and in it put==>

• just barely 2/3 of a cup of organic dark agave ( I happened to have a cranberry agave and mixed it with a dark raw one)

• The fine zest of two blood oranges

• Add the banana, milk etc mixture into this and ..

Whisk and jump up and down so it knows your serious!

So now so get your dry ingreds ready. You don’t have to sieve everything but do sieve the baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, cocoa and salt. Lumps of any of these are like sooo not nice! Seriously!

• Generous 1/3 cup organic ground almonds

• Scant 1/3 cup a gluten free flour (I used a rice and tapioca mixture)

• 1/3 cup buckwheat flour + 3 dsp

  • Generous 1/3 cup of Organic Fair Trade Cocoa

• 1 tsp vanilla powder (or if using an extract put it into the wet stuff)

• ¼ tsp or good pinch sea salt

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp cornstarch (i.e. sometimes called corn flour )

• 1/8 tsp of org cinnamon powder

• 1/8 tsp or ¼ tsp org cardamon powder- depending on your love of it!

Now it is important not to dilly dally OR over mix as the soda reacts with vinegar and you can loose the rise if you dilly dally or over mix…

Gently combine the dry into the wet, softly – just until no visible floury bits.

Use a dessertspoon to fill your cupcakes- because they are vegan and gluten free they will not rise as high so fill to almost the top of the liners.

Sprinkle the tops with the finely chopped chocolate and stick in the oven. Bake for 20min in fan oven could take 22-25 in reg oven.

Because of the sprinkle of chocolate they come out looking ready to eat, but you can always let them cool and make a ganache. —>

  • 30g of fair trade chocolate finely chopped – maybe even an orange flavoured one
  • 1 teaspoon of organic coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon of organic agave or maple syrup

Melt in a bowl over warm water and simply pour over your cupcakes, now super chocolatey!I really hope you like them! It’s made me hungry now. I might make them over the weekend and add a picture or two!!!

xx Aissa