Day 173- Recipe: Almond Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Avocado Frosting

I think that the hardest part of this whole recipe was finding the right ingredients! I took this recipe from the Simply Sugar and Gluten Free cookbook that I bought when I was back home in Washington, and now have finally had a chance to test it out.

The cupcakes call for ingredients such as Garbanzo-fava bean flour, sorghum flour, Coconut palm sugar, potato starch, and tapioca starch; most of which I was able to find at good 'ol Whole Foods, but as for the Sorghum flour and Potato starch I had to take a trip to Mother's Market to find those. The frosting called for Dutch-processed cocoa powder, I wasn't able to find that so I figured I probably had cocoa powder at the house so I wasn't too worried about the Dutch version. Unfortunately I didn't have any cocoa powder so I ended up just using unsweetened baking chocolate and melting it before I mixed it into the avocado mixture.

So here is the recipe from author Amy Green from the book Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free:

Almond Butter Cupcakes~

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup palm sugar
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups Basic Flour Blend, which includes: 4 cups garbanzo-fava bean flour, 4 cups sorghum flour, 2 cups potato starch, 1 1/3 cups tapioca starch
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin and 4 cups of a second tin with cupcake papers or lightly mist the cups with cooking spray.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the palm sugar one-third at a time, allowing the sugar to incorporate between each addition. Scrape the bowl down as necessary. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the almond butter for 20 seconds to warm it, then add it to the butter mixture and beat until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, allowing the first to fully incorporate before adding the second. Mix in the vanilla.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour blend, baking powder, salt, and xanthan gum. On low speed, beat the dry ingredients into the batter in three parts, alternating with the almond milk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.

Use a spring-release ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly among the prepared cups.They should be about two-thirds full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the tins halfway through, until the cupcakes spring back lightly when pressed in the center or a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack lined with a paper towel to cool completely. Frost with Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting or dip the tops in Chocolate Glaze.

I used sea salt instead of kosher salt since that is all that I have in my house, and it seemed to work out fine. You will also notice that if you don't have all the ingredients in your house already buying all these ingredients can get pricey. What's nice is that the basic flour mix makes a lot so you will have plenty of leftover to make more creations; just make sure to store in an airtight container. Also ingredients like xanthan gum you use a very small amount so the bag will last you a very long time.

Chocolate Avocado Frosting~

Ingredients:

• 3 small ripe avocados
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons of Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup agave nectar, or more
• 20-25 drops of liquid stevia, or more

Directions:

Blend everything together in food processor.

As I mentioned earlier, I couldn't find Dutch-processed cocoa powder so I used unsweetened baking chocolate. I also only used two ripe avocados and about 27 drops of stevia.

The true test was having my husband and roommate taste test them for me, and I was pleasantly surprised with their reactions. I have to say these cupcakes were a interesting adventure, that had a satisfying reward. Thanks Amy for such a creative recipe! (sorry my pictures aren't that beautiful, working on the presentation part!)

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP