Coconut Flour Cupcakes

These adorable cupcakes are made with coconut flour and whipping cream for the frosting. They are gluten free and sugar free!

Cupcakes:
Combine ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting them.
Frosting:
For the frosting I made whipping cream and used this as the base and added the other flavors to it. I made chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.
First get a carton of whipping cream and use a hand mixer to beat it until it is the consistency of whipped cream and forms stiff peaks.
For the strawberry I added some coarsely blended fresh strawberries to the whipped cream. For vanilla I added 1 tsp. vanilla extract and for chocolate I added the chocolate mixture.
For easy application frost cupcakes with a pastry bag and enjoy!

Sourdough Poppy Seed Cake with Kefir Honey Topping

Poppy seeds are rich in B vitamins and minerals including iron. Soaking them in a sourdough batter helps deactivate anti-nutrients. This lovely little cake, low in sugar, and served with lightly sweetened milk kefir soft cheese is perfect for an outdoor summer tea party!

In a glass bowl, combine the flour, sourdough starter, poppy seeds and milk. Stir well and cover. Let rest at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 12.
Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. Pre-heat oven to 350.
In another bowl, combine the honey and softened butter. Beat together well.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
Add the lemon juice or vanilla, lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, soda and baking powder and beat well.
Stir in raisins.
Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake until the center springs back when touched lightly with your finger, about 25 - 30 minutes.
Remove from oven. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes and then turn the cake out onto a metal cooling rack.

Sauce:
Stir together the milk kefir soft cheese and the honey thoroughly.
Place the cake on a plate and cut into wedges. Serve each wedge with a spoonful of the topping.
The cake, if carefully wrapped, freezes well, but the topping will need to be made fresh.

Grain-free Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting

This rich, delicious cake is not only gluten and grain free, but dairy free as well! Yet it is so moist and decadent you wouldn’t be able to tell…

Cream together applesauce, oil, and sucanat, and then add eggs one at a time, beating well. Sift together dry ingredients and add to egg mixture. Finally, fold in carrots and nuts. Pour into 2 9-in. cake pans that have been lined with parchment paper and greased with coconut oil. Bake at 325 for 40-45 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then carefully turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting: Soak cashews in hot water for about 20 minutes to get them to soften up. Blend until creamy and smooth, then place in a small saucepan along with coconut cream, honey, stevia, arrowroot and water. Heat for about 5 minutes, until it thickens considerably. Remove from heat, and when it is completely cool, transfer to the freezer for several hours, until it is very thick. It will have a sticky, “gloopy” consistency at this point. Whip with an electric mixture for several minutes, and add almond milk a few tablespoons at a time until desired texture is reached. Spread on the cooled cake and transfer to the refrigerator until ready to serve. Enjoy with homemade ice cream!

Coconut Cupcakes and Sucanat Cream Cheese Frosting

A coconut lover’s dream cupcake 🙂

Preheat oven to 350°. Put cupcake liners in a cupcake pan.
Cupcakes
Whisk flour, shredded coconut, baking powder, and sea salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat sucanat and butter at medium speed, until smooth, 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating between adding each egg. Beat until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Gradually beat in coconut oil.
Beat in 1/3 of the dry ingredients at low speed, beat in 1/2 cup of buttermilk, repeat until all of the dry ingredients (3 additions total) and buttermilk (2 additions total) are incorporated. (The alternation of adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk should begin and end with the dry ingredients).
Pour into cupcake pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center cupcake comes out clean, 22–27 minutes. Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove cupcakes to cool completely.
Coconut Flakes
Preheat oven to 350°. Put coconut chips on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 5-7 minutes until some chips are golden brown. Some will remain white. Let cool. This can be done 3 days in advance.
Frosting
Using an electric mixer, blend the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until well blended. Add powdered sucanat and blend on low and work up to high for 6 minutes.
Assembly
Smooth frosting on cooled cupcakes and sprinkle toasted coconut chips on top. Enjoy 🙂

Strawberry Icebox Cake

This is one of my all-time favorite desserts! The recipe was passed down from my grandmother and adapted to make it healthier. There’s something special about strawberries and whipped cream, and when you throw some butter and sweetener in the mix…YUM!

Crush wafers finely in food processor and mix with melted butter. Press the majority into a 9×13 pan, reserving some for the top. Cream together butter and sucanat, and add eggs one at a time, beating well. Spread over crust, then sprinkle strawberries in a thick layer over that. Whip cream and spread over top, sprinkling with reserved crumbs for a final touch. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

No Bake Cheesecake

I love cheesecake. And this cheesecake recipe is amazing, plus it contains healthy fats and very little sugar. In the above photo, I’ve used a store-bought crust with nuts and flour. You can go that route, if you are in a pinch for time and are able to find a crust without soy! But if you have some extra time and all the ingredients, try out the crust recipe too!
One of the best features is that this recipe can all be made the night before company comes! If you plan that far ahead.

Combine crust ingredients and press into 2 pans.
Whip cream and set aside.
Beat cream cheese until smooth, then beat in maple syrup and stevia, sour cream and vanilla. Then fold in whipping cream.
Pour into crust and refrigerate.

Sprouted Flour Chocolate Cake

Rich and chocolatey, this cake is fairly easy to make.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a round 8″ cake pan with 2″ sides or use a 9 or 10 inch pan. Line bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter paper.
Sift together flour and cocoa powder.
Place eggs in mixing bowl. Whip eggs until frothy, using electric mixer at high speed. Gradually add sucanat, beating for 3 to 5 minutes or until the mixture is pale in color and doubled in volume.
Fold in dry ingredients, using rubber spatula. Fold in butter. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until the center of the cake springs back when gently pressed.
Loosen cake from pan by running a knife between edge of cake and sides of pan. Remove cake from pan and place on a wire rack, leaving the parchment in place. Allow to cool completely.
In a blender, grind sucanat on high until powdery.
Blend all ingredients together with beaters, adding your sucanat powdered sugar a bit at a time until your frosting is the consistency you would like it to be.
Mix cream cheese and honey until well blended. Mix in milk until frosting is desired consistency.
Place cake onto serving platter. Spread with chocolate frosting. I used hot water and a metal spatula to help smooth the frosting on the cake. Decorate with fruit, if desired. I used raspberries. Then, using a cake decorating bag with a small-holed tip, swirl the cream cheese frosting over the entire cake.

Honey Cheesecake with Pecan Praline Topping

Slightly thin but delicious in flavor, this basic honey cheesecake is easier to eat than super-sweet cheesecakes sweetened with sugar. The crust is a gluten-free crust making this recipe happily gluten-free for those who can’t have gluten.

Preheat oven to 350° F. Blend nuts (I used only pecans, a mixture is fine), oatmeal and spices in a food processor or blender. With machine running, add the raisins and continue to puree until the mixture has the consistency of crunchy coarse meal. Add melted butter last.
Press the mixture into the bottom of a spring form cheesecake pan. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Watch it carefully, as nut crusts burn easily. Cool completely before filling.
Blend cream cheese with honey until smooth. Beat in eggs and yolks. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Turn into prepared crust and bake at 300° F for 50-55 minutes or until set. Cool and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
Toast pecans at 350° F until lightly brown and toasty (approximately 10 minutes). Remove from oven and set aside.
Combine butter and sucanat over medium heat and stir until smooth. Stir in cream and salt and bring to a boil. Simmer until just thickened. Remove from heat and add pecans.
Pour over cheesecake and refrigerate until firm. I left the cheesecake in the spring form pan so that the sides would keep the praline from coming off. It worked well. I left it on until the praline was firm.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes with Coconut Sugar Buttercream

Soaked grain chocolate cupcakes with a rich coconut sugar buttercream.

To make the cupcakes:
In small bowl mix the flour and buttermilk together. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 12 - 24 hours on the counter.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a small pan melt the butter over low heat.
Combine the coconut sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla and sea salt together in mixer bowl.
Add the melted butter to the sugar mixture and mix well.
Add in the flour/buttermilk mixture and beat until all ingredients are well combined.
Fill a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners.
Evening divide the batter between the muffin liners.
Bake for 14-15 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

To make the frosting:
In a small saucepan whisk the corn starch into the cold milk.
Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly until it gets very thick, like cake batter, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and let it cool down until room temperature.
In a mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
Add in the vanilla and cooled milk mixture.
Beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Put the frosting into a large pastry bag with a large tip and pipe onto the cupcakes in whatever way you wish. You can also use a large Ziploc bag and cut one corner off.

Kefir Cheesecake Cups

Kefir cheese may be used to replace cream cheese in cooking. These little Cheesecake cups are a delightful and refreshing version of cheesecake, without the tummy ache!

Crust:
Break the cookies into pieces and make them into crumbs in the small top bowl of a food processor.
Pour the crumbs into a small bowl and add the melted butter and Sucanat. Mix well.
Place 6 paper muffin cup liners into a muffin pan.
Set aside a couple spoonfuls of the mixture in a separate bowl and distribute the rest amongst the muffin liners in the pan. Tamp down evenly.
Cheesecake:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
In the small bowl of a food processor, combine the kefir cheese, Vanilla extract, honey and egg. Blend well. Pour into muffin liners. I find it easier if I transfer the mixture to a small Pyrex measuring cup so that it is easier to pour neatly.
Place pan in oven and bake for 35 - 45 minutes. You will be able to tell when they are done by checking 2 things… the tops will begin to puff up a little, and the batter against the paper liner will begin to brown a little. When this happens, remove from oven.
Topping:
Set oven at 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, thoroughly combine kefir cheese, honey and vanilla. Spoon this over the little cheese cakes.
Sprinkle reserved crust crumbles on top and return to 350 degree oven for exactly 3 minutes.
Remove from oven. Allow to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and chill.

Grain-Free Maple Pecan Cupcakes

These are simple cupcakes that feel like you’re treating yourself, even while you nourish your body!

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Stuff eight muffin cups with liners.
Combine coconut flour, arrowroot powder, salt, & soda. Add eggs, maple syrup, & vanilla extract. Beat the batter for at least one minute (preferably 2). The key to successfully baking grain-free dishes is beating the egg with the flour really thoroughly.
Spoon batter in cupcake liners and bake about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for about an hour.
Whip all frosting ingredients together except pecans until peaks form. Spoon frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Sprinkle pecans on top and serve.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Dense, smooth and sort of fudgy, the original recipe is in a Betty Crocker cookbook. I’ve added a pinch of sea salt and vanilla, plus the coffee substitute to make the chocolate “pop.”

*Use ground chicory root for grain-free.
Makes (1) 8″ x 11″ pan.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter an 8-by-11-inch cake pan and set aside.
Over low heat, melt butter with honey, cocoa powder, sea salt, vanilla and coffee substitute (if using). When ingredients are smooth and butter is melted, remove from heat.
Lightly beat eggs in a mixing bowl. While whisking, add chocolate mixture. Mix until smooth.
Pour into buttered cake pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Chill thoroughly. Cut and serve. Optional: Spread with whipped cream before serving.