I would like to thank Anne at Raw Yogi Journal II for today's post. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have thought of raw cupcakes.
We've never corresponded or been formally introduced (Hi Anne, I'm Teri) but I enjoy reading her blog. The first time I read it, she had a post on cupcakes.
She set a project for herself to find a way to make raw cupcakes that looked as pretty as the ones she had posted but didn't use nuts (which I understand why).
Even though I have a lot of recipes utilizing nuts, I don't eat them much on a day-to-day basis.
In my recipes I try to use the bare minimum of nuts without sacrificing the dish. I enjoy using nuts, they give you so many options of creating raw food.
As I was preparing the cupcakes, I was humored by the fact that I used walnuts to make a meatloaf and now I'm making cupcakes. I thought that was kind of funny. And those same walnuts can be used to create nut milk, flour, bread, a quick snack the list could go on and on and I'm only limited by my imagination.
Anne, I tried to avoid the nut issue but I think by making the cupcakes miniatures you can achieve the best of both worlds. And plus they're so darn cute. ;) Recipe Notes:
1 To save time, I went to a juice bar to get my beet juice (I was thirsty) but, you can grate a small piece of beet and extract the juice from that.
2 The photo for the chocolate icing is not represented.
3 You can adjust the amount of agave nectar used in the coconut icing from 1/2 to 1/4 cup depending on how sweet you like your icing. 4 I put liquid chlorophyll in my coconut water everyday so I have it on hand. You should be able to find it in any health food store.
1 cup walnuts, unsoaked
5 Medjool dates, unsoaked, pitted
1/8 cup raw or unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon coconut oil, liquid form
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon sea salt
COCONUT ICING
1 cup coconut pulp 2 tablespoons coconut oil
½ cup agave nectar
¼ cup coconut water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
dash of sea salt
PINK ICING
1 tablespoon coconut icing
¼ teaspoon beet juice
LIGHT GREEN ICING
1 tablespoon coconut icing
¼ teaspoon liquid chlorophyll
CHOCOLATE ICING
1 tablespoon coconut icing
½ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon maple syrup
¼ tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes, for garnish
1 Puree coconut pulp, coconut oil, agave nectar and coconut water in the blender until you achieve a smooth consistency. Add vanilla extract and sea salt.
2 In three small bowls, place 1 tablespoon each of the coconut icing.
3 In the first bowl add the beet juice and mix until the icing turns pink. In the second bowl, add the chlorophyll to the icing and mix until the icing turn light green. In the third bowl, add the cocoa powder and maple syrup to the icing, stir until it turns a dark brown.
4 Pour the remaining coconut icing in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place all the icing in the freezer while you make the cupcakes.
5 Process walnut and dates in a food processor until mixture sticks together. Add sea salt, vanilla extract and almond extract.
6 Roll small eight balls out of the mixture and place each one in 1 ¼-inch baking cups. Mold the sides of the baking cups around the balls and form into a cupcake shape.
7 Frost the cupcakes with the coconut icing.
