I am in a very celebratory mindset right now- so much to be grateful for!- and as I am dancing around my house in a lime green dress with purple flowers (I have no idea how Alice & Olivia finds this fabric but i can’t get enough!) I just had to make cupcakes.
Vanilla cupcakes. And lots of frosting. But something without grain, sugar or chemicals. So… I did! And they are glorious enough to share!
For years I have been making some version of raw caramel to dip apples. Someimes its as simple as nut butter, honey and a sprinkle of sea salt… other times it is dates and honey and vanilla… but today, its another one hybrid raw caramel being used as a cake frosting… and its really, surprisingly addictive.
As for the cupcakes, I have no wisdom on baking intuitively with coconut flour, so I started with one of my favorite food blogs- Empowered Sustinence, and her cupcake recipie HERE. And with a few tweaks and caramel frosting for miles, they are so good I can’t stop eating them… even though I swore I would save one for a friend!!!
Vanilla + Paleo Cupcakes (the original HERE is amazing, but I like very vanilla & sweet!)
- 1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted if you can
- 6 regular sized eggs (not jumbo, it will be too liquidy)
- 1/2 cup honey (original recommends 6 tbs raw but raw honey it not OK for SCD)
- 6 Tbs. coconut oil
- 2 Tbs. full-fat coconut milk (I use the Natural Value brand without BPA or Guar Gum— I think they add the gum to some of them and it is not good for you!)
- 1 TBS pure vanilla extract + some scraped vanilla bean. (original is 2 tsp. vanilla extract)
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp sea salt (my addition, makes a big difference with the vanilla)
Both the coconut milk and the coconut flour like to clump up and that does not make for a good baking experience, so mix it all up and whisk and whisk until it is all smooth. I used a hand whisk for about 2 minutes, though I bet an immersion blender would have made it all much easier! My trick here is to let the mix sit for about 30 minutes and the coconut flour will absorb some of the liquid and make this a whole lot more cohesive.
Now, spoon into lined cupcake tins (they will be quite full, and this makes about 8 regular-sized cupcakes, though I am tempted to go mini next time!) and bake for 15 minutes at 350, and then watch for up to 10 minutes more, checking every 2 minutes, until they are golden and well-risen and lively!
Let these cool off and make the caramel topping!
Salted Caramel Date Frosting
- A lot of dates (!!!)- I used 20 medjool dates- soaked in water for a few hours and then drained
- 1 heaping tablespoon cashew butter
- 1/4 cup full-fat coconut milk (same as above)
Blend all of this in a high-speed blender or food processor. Once its all blended, start adding sea salt by the 1/4 teaspoon and blending it in, tasting and then adding more salt. Some dates are sweeter than others and this will ensure you get the right mix of salt and sweet for your taste.
Store this in the refrigerator and frost your cooled cupcakes, generously dousing them with coconut or nuts or both once they are well-frosted.
The extra caramel will be your next big raw apple’s best friend! xoxo Dana
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These look pretty darn good – perfect for my book club where everyone has dietary restrictions. Thanks for the recipe!