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.
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.
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