Raw Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes
I can never understand why people choose to always have a negative attitude. Everything is always wrong with them, and there is never anything good in the world. At least according to them. What they don't realize is that when you go into every day with a negative attitude and expecting failure and bad things...of course you are going to come into contact with every bad situation possible. I would rather wake up and expect the best to happen, greeting each day as an opportunity to be happy. Negativity is after all a poison to the body, literally. I feel sorry for those who seem to not know how to be positive, I wish I could give them all a cupcake, so that they could see that everything is not all bad, and just for a moment maybe they would be positive. Because eating a cupcake is one of those experiences that erase negativity for a moment. Hugs and smiles work too though.
And so these little cakes of deliciousness happened. Just imagine it...moist chocolate cake filled with jammy strawberry filling and topped off with creamy silky strawberry cream...pure heaven! If you want to be in your happy place, you should make some so you can experience them too.
Raw Covered Strawberry Cupcakes
Makes 12
Cake:
2 1/2 cups raw sprouted buckwheat or quinoa flour
1 cup ground raw flaxseed
4 cups raw coconut flour (do NOT use store-bought!)
1 1/2 cups raw cacao powder
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups chopped raw red beets (peeled)
1 cup filtered water (or as needed)
2 cups young coconut meat*
1/4 cup coconut water
3 Tbsp raw coconut nectar or agave nectar
1/4 tsp sea salt
seeds of one vanilla bean, or 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup fresh organic strawberries
1 small chunk red beet (or about 1 tsp beet powder) for color
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp raw coconut butter, warmed to liquid
Filling:
2 cups fresh organic strawberries
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp coconut nectar or your choice of liquid raw sweetener
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
a pinch sea salt
1 1/2 Tbsp liquefied coconut butter
12 organic strawberries
For the cake, combine flour, flaxseed, coconut flour, cacao powder, sea salt, in a large bowl and whisk together until and set aside. To a food processor, add the dates, vanilla, beets, nectar and water to the processor and process until pretty smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth with a sturdy spoon (wooden works well) and well incorporated (the batter will be stiff, so you might want to use your stand mixer if you have one). Spoon the batter into 12 standard sized foil muffin tins and place on a dehydrator sheet. Dry for about 12 hours (until dry on the outside but still moist). Cut a divet into the top of each cupcake, then cut the bottom off the piece of cake you removed (so you have a hole in the cupcake to fill, but have a top).
Meanwhile, to make the frosting, combine all ingredients but the coconut butter and oil in a food processor and process until smooth. With the motor running, add the coconut butter and process a minute more. Pour the cream into a bowl and let sit in the freezer for about half an hour to 45 minutes or so until the consistency of whipped cream.
Meanwhile, to make the filling, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth. Spoon about 1 Tbsp into the center of each cupcake and place in the fridge for an hour to chill.
Place the frosting in a pastry bag, and pipe decoratively over the cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a strawberry. Serve! Store extra in the fridge.
*If you do not have access to young coconut meat, you can substitute 2 cups raw cashews soaked in filtered water and drained (if you do not mind the recipe not being nut free) and filtered water for the coconut water.
