Vegan, sugar free, Maple cupcakes with Cashew Icing

Thanks to my upcoming root canal, I have been spending a considerable amount time cursing at sugar, and finding ways to use alternate sweeteners- without compromising flavor, or texture, of course.

One thing people fail to realize about baking, is it is incredibly scientific. Sugar isn't just a sweetener, it's a chemical compound. Sugar melts, it binds, it caramelizes, it coasts molecules and feeds yeasts. Baking without sugar is a scientific act of dedication, but sometimes a trip to the dentist can really motivate a chef, ya know.

So I decided to make cupcakes, using maple syrup, which yes, is a sugar, but is much less refined. Grade B is the syrup of choice. I didn't want these to be very sweet, so the syrup is minimal. Cashew cream is a great way to omit butter for many things, one being this icing. The cashews are sweet on their own, but a hit of maple really does wonders. Oh and the salt, that helps too. 

The starting point for this recipe was my favorite chocolate cake recipe, which happens to be vegan (I will  be posting that at a later date, no worries). I omitted the sugar, and chocolate aspect, played around with the ratio of dry to wet ingredients, adjusting to the syrup, and voila! Cupcakes. 

Maple cupcakes, cashew icing
Vegan, no refined sugar

1&3/4 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup grade B maple syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1&1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Preheat to 350. Line a mini muffin tin with liners.
Mix all ingredients, scoop into muffin tins and bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool before icing.

Cashew icing

2 cups cashews
2 cups water
1/2 cup grade B maple syrup
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1: Bring the water to a boil and add the cashews. Boil for five minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool in the water.

2: Once cool, strain out the cashews and purée in the food processor with the remaining ingredients.

Spoon into a pastry bag and allow to cool in the fridge before piping.

Black Pepper Parmesan Shortbread

Sweet and salty, that's my jam.

This recipe right here might be my all time favorite snack food. It sound a bit unusual, but please, please, please give it a chance. They come out so light and flaky with a sweet and savory parmesan flavor, a tin kick of black pepper and a super satisfying salty crunch. Just, try them.

Black Pepper-Parmesan shortbread

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup finely grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)
1 Tablespoon Maldon sea salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1: In mixer, beat butter and confectioners sugar until smooth. Add  pepper and kosher salt. Reduce speed to medium and beat, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, until light and fluffy, 4–5 minutes.

2: Add flour and cheese. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat mixture just until dough comes together.

3: Wrap dough in plastic and flatten into a rectangle. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

4: Preheat oven to 350°. Line a sheet tray with parchment. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a 10x8 inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Cut in thirds crosswise, then cut each third crosswise into 6 rectangles. Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Brush cookies generously with oil, then sprinkle with maldon salt.

5: Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool on tray for at least 10 minutes.

Carrot Cake, cream Cheese Icing

My dad, commonly known as Bob, is one of the pickiest people on planet Earth. He doesn't like new things, and gettting him to taste something he's never had before is literally impossible.

That's where carrot cake comes in.

Bob loves carrot cake.

I make this for his birthday (and most other holidays) every year. It's traditional, it's delicious and it makes him happy. Done deal.

This cake is also not terribly unhealthy. The ratio of carrot to flour is much higher than in most cakes, theres just enough sugar, but not too much, and the sources of fat come from protein-rich eggs, heart healthy extra virgin olive oil, and brain healthy walnuts- and not too much of any of them, either.

Carrot cake

1 pound carrots, shredded
2/3 cup raisins
1 & 1/4 cups sugar
1 & 1/3 cups  all purpose flour
1/2 cup toasted chopped walnuts
2 eggs
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat to 350. Line a 1/2 sheet tray with parchment. Or three, 6-8 inch cake tins, dependant on how thick you'd like each layer.

1: Toast the walnuts on a sheet tray in a 350 degree oven until fragrant. Set aside.

2:  In a large bowl combine the carrots, raisins, sugar and salt. Let sit for about ten minutes while the liquid is being drawn out of the carrots and raisins rehydrate.

3: Meanwhile combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda,  cinnamon and nutmeg.

4: Add the olive oil and eggs to the carrot mixture. Fold the dry into the wet and fold in the walnuts.

Bake for about 20 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before icing. The colder the better.

Cream cheese icing

1 stick butter, softened
6 ounces cream cheese, softened (low fat works fine, but don't use "whipped")
1 & 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
Pinch of salt
Juice of one lemon

With the paddle attachment or a hand mixer combine ingredients and beat until fluffy and super shiny. If not using right away, allow to come back to room temp and mix again.

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

Ahh, post #1! I have tried my hand at blogging before, albeit, unsuccessfully. Somehow, I always got distracted, or more so, disheartened. This time I find myself blogging mostly due to an abundance of recipes and a desire to share. People are always asking me for recipes, or recommendations, ways to use ingredients, techniques, tricks, ya know, I should just make it official and open up these blogging doors. Plus, it would be nice to have a nice, organized place where people can search for recipes, since things tend to get lost in the Facebook world. 

I have decided to grace you all with this recipe first for several reasons. One, being that I made it yesterday, it's fresh in my mind. Two, this THE most simple recipe possible, since I don't want to start off using techniques and tools the home-cook may not possess. And three, this is the kind of stuff I really enjoy making for people. It's healthy, it's delicious, it's dessert and is made from unexpected ingredients. 

If you do not have a food processor, you may use a blender, however, it may be a little bit harder to scoop out.

Chocolate Avocado Mousse
Serves 3-4 

3 ripe avocados
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 

1/3 cup melted dark chocolate
1/3 cup honey (or agave, if you prefer)
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup almond milk, or any milk you like

1: Combine all ingredients except for the milk in the food processor or blender. Once smooth, stream in the milk.
 Adjust salt to taste and spoon into ramekins.