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5 Feb 2015

Guilt-Free Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes

I have a wonderful recipe to share with you today for guilt-free chocolate cupcakes, but before I get into the recipe I thought I'd fill you in on why I'm posting a grain- and refined sugar-free recipe.

At the beginning of January I decided to try to change up my diet and exercise routine.  It's was/is the common New Year's resolution to improve health.  I've had a serious sweet tooth my entire life and I knew I was eating way too much sugar.  I wasn't happy with the mood swings I was having from the sugar crashes and decided to try and remove refined sugar from my diet.  I've also removed most grains and almost all dairy from my diet.  These I'm avoiding to see if it improves my metabolism.  I tend to be borderline with my thyroid function and it's always been way off during my pregnancies.  I guess you could say I've been eating a loose version of a Paleo diet.  My goal isn't to stick to one type of diet or another, but to discover some new healthy recipes to make in my kitchen.

In addition, I've begun exercising on a regular basis.  Most of you probably don't know this, but I was quite competitive in Figure Skating right into my twenties.  I suffered a severe back injury which ended my skating and really prevented me from doing a lot of the activities I used to enjoy.  I still have issues with my back and the left side of my body in general.  I have muscle atrophy in my left leg and it makes simple things like running difficult.  My sister encouraged me to try Barre workouts through Suzanne Bowen Fitness.  Although I still notice that the left side of my body is weak, I'm finding that I am able to modify the exercises slightly so that I can build strength.  It's still super challenging, but I'm happy to say that I've stuck through it for over a month now.

So now that you're all caught up on my new diet and exercise routine, we can get on with this post. :) 

We celebrated my dad's birthday a short while ago.  I thought I would try and see if I could bake a cupcake free of grains and refined sugar.  I decided to go with chocolate since I had some raw cocoa on hand.  The frosting ended up being a salted maple buttercream.  These cupcakes are for the true chocolate lover.  They are rich and have the most wonderful dark chocolate taste.  These may very well be the perfect guilt-free Valentine's Day treat. 


Chocolate Cupcakes (yields 12) 

Ingredients
Cupcakes:

  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1 cup raw cocoa powder sifted
  • 1 cup honey (raw if possible)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Frosting:

    • 1 cup butter or palm shortening (for paleo)
    • 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (optional)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • chopped dark chocolate and sea salt for garnishing

    Method

    Cupcakes:
    1. Preheat your oven to 350F.   Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
    2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer (you can also use an electric hand mixer) mix together the eggs, coconut oil, vanilla and honey until smooth.  Add the cocoa powder and cream of tartar and mix again.  Finally add the baking soda and salt and mix to combine.
    3. Pour the batter into the cupcake liners and fill them about 2/3 full
    4. Bake for 15-25 minutes until firm and a cake tester inserted in the middle of the cupcakes comes out clean.  Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes and then place on cooling rack to cool completely.
    Frosting:
    1. With an electric mixer (stand or hand) cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. 
    2.  Add the arrowroot powder and mix until well incorporated (this is step is optional, but I found it gave the icing a little extra stability)
    3. Add in the vanilla and honey and mix until fully combined and the frosting is light and fluffy.
    4. Frost your cooled cupcakes and garnish with the chopped chocolate and sea salt flakes if desired.
    *recipe adapted slightly from here

    *just a note if serving to young kids:    My kiddos found these to be too dark for their tastebuds, but I think if you increased the amount of honey in the cupcake it may appeal to younger children more.  They did, on the other hand, love the frosting!


    sharing here: linkpartypalooza

    8 comments:

    1. I have been paleo/primal-ish for close to two years now and it has tremendously improved my health and well being. Can't say enough good things about it :) thanks for a new-to-me recipe!

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Wow! I'm glad to hear that you've noticed an improvement. I'm definitely noticing a more even blood sugar level which in turns seems to be energizing. :)

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    2. Replies
      1. They are wonderfully rich and chocolatey. :)

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    3. mmm....these sound amazing! And perfect for me because I happen to be a true chocolate lover :)

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Yes, if you love chocolate, especially raw chocolate, these are the cupcakes for you.

        Delete
    4. These look so deliciously rich and chocolatey, yum!

      ReplyDelete

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