Valentine’s day ( another sugar holiday) is coming up and I have a recipe for healthy cupcakes for you. These cupcakes are easy to make, applesauce substitutes for the extra fat and the frosting allows room for creativity.
I made these cupcakes with canned cherries, hence their name, but you can try to cook down and strain strawberries or rasberries for your pink frosting. Or you can try adding a few tablespoons of ( strained) berry jam, in which case you need to put in less agave syrup. Mixing a few cubes of raw beet with your frosting and later taking these cubes out will also give you a vibrant pink color without beet taste.
For the applesauce cupcake recipe, I like to mix whole wheat flour with gluten-free flour to give the cupcakes extra lightness. This is not mandatory. You can just put in 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour. The secret here is sifting it very well!
Whole Wheat Applesauce Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/2 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Cream coconut oil or butter until fluffy.
Add agave and blend.
Sift dry ingredients together.
Gradually add dry ingredients to coconut mixture. Add applesauce. Mix well.
Stir in vanilla.
Spoon into 12 lightly oiled cupcake pans or use paper baking cups.
Bake 15-20 min.
Vegan Cherry or Strawberry or Raspberry Frosting
Ingredients:
1 cup organic extra virgin coconut oil (or palm oil or butter)
1/4 cup of cooked-down canned cherries of fresh strawberries or cherry, strawberry or raspberry jam ( See note below)
1/4 cup of agave syrup
A splash of vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp of cashew butter or sunflower seed butter to give it dairy-like texture. I used a handful of presoaked cashews instead. Sunflower seed butter is nut-free.
optional: 1 tbsp. agar agar for thickness
Directions:
For a pink frosting, try 2 cups strawberries cooked down till they’re thick. Puree them. Add a spoonful at a time till you get the colour/flavor you like. Raspberries, cherries and beets work, too.
How to make cooked-down berries: Add a tiny bit of water to your berries and slowly simmer, until the berries release color. Don’t add sugar while you cook. Try adding 1/4 tsp citric acid to preserve the color. Strain.
Directions for the frosting:
Blend everything until smooth. See if you like it and adjust to your taste. If you find your frosting to be too runny, sprinkle in a tbsp of agar agar powder and blend it well. For decorating, cool the frosting to prevent melting.
Valentine’s day ( another sugar holiday) is coming up and I have a recipe for healthy cupcakes for you. These cupcakes are easy to make, applesauce substitutes for the extra fat and the frosting allows room for creativity.
I made these cupcakes with canned cherries, hence their name, but you can try to cook down and strain strawberries or rasberries for your pink frosting. Or you can try adding a few tablespoons of ( strained) berry jam, in which case you need to put in less agave syrup. Mixing a few cubes of raw beet with your frosting and later taking these cubes out will also give you a vibrant pink color without beet taste.
For the applesauce cupcake recipe, I like to mix whole wheat flour with gluten-free flour to give the cupcakes extra lightness. This is not mandatory. You can just put in 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour. The secret here is sifting it very well!
Whole Wheat Applesauce Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/2 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Cream coconut oil or butter until fluffy.
Add agave and blend.
Sift dry ingredients together.
Gradually add dry ingredients to coconut mixture. Add applesauce. Mix well.
Stir in vanilla.
Spoon into 12 lightly oiled cupcake pans or use paper baking cups.
Bake 15-20 min.
Vegan Cherry or Strawberry or Raspberry Frosting
Ingredients:
1 cup organic extra virgin coconut oil (or palm oil or butter)
1/4 cup of cooked-down canned cherries of fresh strawberries or cherry, strawberry or raspberry jam ( See note below)
1/4 cup of agave syrup
A splash of vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp of cashew butter or sunflower seed butter to give it dairy-like texture. I used a handful of presoaked cashews instead. Sunflower seed butter is nut-free.
optional: 1 tbsp. agar agar for thickness
Directions:
For a pink frosting, try 2 cups strawberries cooked down till they’re thick. Puree them. Add a spoonful at a time till you get the colour/flavor you like. Raspberries, cherries and beets work, too.
How to make cooked-down berries: Add a tiny bit of water to your berries and slowly simmer, until the berries release color. Don’t add sugar while you cook. Try adding 1/4 tsp citric acid to preserve the color. Strain.
Directions for the frosting:
Blend everything until smooth. See if you like it and adjust to your taste. If you find your frosting to be too runny, sprinkle in a tbsp of agar agar powder and blend it well. For decorating, cool the frosting to prevent melting.