Hello summer! The long part of the year that includes enduring early morning wake up calls along with rushing out the door to make it to school on time is finally over. It is timeto relax a little bit and have more pool time, play time and to make messes in the kitchen. These kitchen messes, in my mind, are actually learning and growing opportunities for kiddos!
I have always been passionate about kids possessing culinary skills, I believe they are the most important skills in the world, and I'm not joking.
Not while ago I published an article with my opinion on why I think this way, you can read about it here. In this article I explain why knowing how to cook is the most fundamental life skill each of us can possess. These skills can lead to healthy eating habits as well as learn how to have fun in the kitchen!
This workshop was fun and we made delicious chocolate cupcakes with sweet potato chocolate frosting. We didn't use any refined sugar or flour. Every component to these ultra moist cupcakes was organic and good for you.
Sometimes I crave a little chocolate and want to get a healthy fix. Instead of turning to a sugary chocolate cake, I like to make this recipe. With this recipe, you can make a cake or cupcakes, but with kiddos, cupcakes are the way to go.
CREATING A PASSION FOR SCRATCH COOKING AND FOR USING WHOLE, ORGANIC, AND UNPROCESSED FOODS IS MY COOKING PHILOSOPHY.
Here are the ingredients that you will need:
Almond flour - make sure it's flour and not almond meal.
Coconut sugar - any sugar can work, and we made healthy cupcakes, so coconut sugar was/is the better choice, am I right?
Eggs - In this recipe, eggs work not only as a binder but to lift the cake batter during the baking process, so lots of eggs is a plus.
Applesauce - it's a wet ingredient that helps not only keep the cupcakes very moist but also reduces the amount of sugar in the recipe.
Coconut flour - nice to have but not a must, and you can easily sub with almond flour.
Fat - we used two different types of fat, coconut oil for the cake batter and regular butter for the frosting.
Milk - any milk works great, dairy or nut milk, coconut it's up to you.
Maple syrup - worked as a sweetener for the frosting. Honey is another great option.
Apple cider vinegar - or any vinegar you have on hand, balsamic would be my second choice.
Lemon and orange - we used zest only, orange flavor pairs nicely with dark chocolate and the lemon zest gave kids a second fruit choice not to mention that they learned an extra skill: how to zest citruses.
Sweet potato - worked as a body for the frosting.
Cocoa powder - we used it for the batter as well for the frosting.
Vanilla & almond extract - we used both, but you can stick with either one.
Salt - in my kitchen only two kinds of salt exist: pink and Celtic salt. Rich in minerals and electrolytes, no anti caking ingredients in my salt or other fillers..
WHY COCONUT SUGAR?
Coconut sugar is less processed than table sugar. Also, coconut nectar has a high mineral content. It is a rich source of potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron. In addition to this it contains Vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6. When compared to brown sugar, coconut sugar has twice the iron, four times the magnesium and over 10 times the amount of zinc.
Regular table sugar has a glycemic index (GI) of 65, while coconut sugar has a GI of 35. This is much closer to the GI of the sugar that’s naturally found in fruits, which is around 25. This is beneficial in keeping our insulin spikes in place.
WHAT DO I LIKE ABOUT THESE CUPCAKES?
Sometimes I crave a little chocolate and want to get a healthy fix. Instead of turning to a sugary chocolate cake, I like to make this recipe. It can be made as a cake too BUT with the kiddos, cupcakes are the way to go.
Quick recipe from start to finish in only 30 minutes!
Can be served as a breakfast muffin or afternoon snack!
Every ingredient including salt is good quality and good for you!
No special equipment needed, everything can be made in a bowl!
The amount sugar can vary depending on your taste buds!
Can be dairy free, use all coconut oil in a frosting as well and dairy free milk.
Delicious, healthy and with creamy chocolate frosting even the most picky eater can be satisfied.
Let's do it...
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Making Time: 10 minutes
Baking Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 16 portions
Author: Inna of innichkachef.com
Ingredients for the cupcakes:
3/4 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
1 and 1/4 cups coconut sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
Zest of one orange and one lemon
5 large eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 cups packed almond flour (not almond meal)
1/4 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon pink salt
Ingredients for the frosting:
1 cup sweet potato roasted, peeled and mashed
1/4 cocoa powder
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup butter room temperature or coconut oil
1 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch a pink salt (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line your silicone cups on a baking sheet (or use any cupcakes paper liners).
In a large bowl mix together all dry ingredients (flours, salt, baking soda, zest, cocoa powder). Using a hand whisk, whisk everything together.
In another bowl mix add all of the wet ingredients (coconut oil, eggs, sugar, applesauce, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar).
To the bowl with dry ingredients add the mixture of wet ingredients. Mix all together.
Pour in prepared liners and bake for 12 minutes.
Let cool for 10-15 minutes.
To make the frosting, use an electric mixer or just use a mixing bowl along with a hand whisk. Mix all ingredients until everything is nice and smooth.
Apply a nice dollop of frosting on each cupcake and decorate as you desire or use a piping bag to decorate each cupcake to give it a more polished appearance.
Enjoy!
Notes:
These cupcakes can stay in the fridge in an airtight container for up to one week or freeze for one month!
Using fresh berries for garnish adds not only a better look to the cupcakes but they also provide additional health benefits.
Sweet potato frosting can be eaten on its own as a chocolate mousse, and if you use coconut oil, this mousse can be the perfect dessert for your vegan friends.
I hope you'll make this recipe soon. If you do, please tag me #innichka_chef on Instagram, Facebook, Patreon or Pinterest.
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