I have been thinking about ingredients for this recipe for ages so I was so happy when I finally got round to making these cupcakes. They truly show how eating plant based doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the yummiest of treats. Granted, they do contain maple syrup but as long as you only buy the premium pure Canadian kind straight from the maple tree, the sugar content is only from the naturally occurring best kind. Whoever discovered that tree must have thought they’d found gold!

The lucuma powder gives a delicious caramel-like flavour, not to mention iron, zinc, calcium and protein (this is still my favourite superfood powder of the moment) And the sweet sharpness of the raspberries creates the perfect gooey filling in each bite. I can’t wait to make these again soon!

INGREDIENTS

(makes 12 cupcakes)

Cupcakes

• 2 cups ground almonds (200g)
• 1/2 cup coconut flour (50g)
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 4 tbsp lucuma powder
• 1 & 1/3 cups almond milk
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup cashew butter (110g)
• 7 & 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup

Raspberry filling

• 3/4 cup raspberries (to make jam) + 12 more raspberries
• 1 tbsp chia seed

Lucuma frosting

• 1 & 1/2 cups cashews (soaked over night in 1 cup of water)
• 2 tbsp lucuma powder
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 12 raspberries to decorate

METHOD

Begin by soaking 1 and 1/2 cups of cashew nuts (for the lucuma frosting) in 1 cup of water and cover overnight.

Preheat the oven to 180C degrees and line a muffin tray with muffin liners. Make the cupcakes by adding all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mixing well with a spoon until everything is thoroughly combined.

To make the raspberry filling, simply blend 3/4 cup of the raspberries (keeping the other 12 aside) with the chia seeds in a food processor for about 20-30 seconds.

Add about a tablespoon of the cupcake mixture to each muffin hole so that each one is just under half full.

Add a heaped teaspoon of the raspberry jam into the middle of each muffin and then place a whole raspberry inside. Top off each muffin hole with the remaining cupcake mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes at 180C and then remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Whilst the cupcakes are baking, take the soaked cashew nuts and add them to a food processor with 5 tablespoons of the water and blend for a few minutes until you have a smooth consistency. Then add the maple syrup and lucuma powder and blend until combined. Put this to one side. Once the cupcakes are cool, spread the frosting on top and decorate with a raspberry.

Store in the fridge but serve at room temperature for the best flavour.

Date posted: 1st February 2017