Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache (grain-free, dairy-free)

It’s school holidays here in Australia, and hopefully all the parents of small children are having lots of fun with the kids home all day! But just in case you’re running out of activity ideas to keep little hands busy, how about making some cupcakes together? 😀

Ok ok, I know baking with kids can get messy and crazy, but it’s such a great skill to teach them, and if you can get them helping in the kitchen from a young age you’ll thank yourself later. It’s so awesome when teenagers know how to cook and start helping with the weekly meals and baking! And you’ll have a much better chance of that happening if you get them into cooking while they’re little. 🙂

This is our favourite, simple, cupcake recipe – you can use it as a base for any kind of grain-free cupcake. Swap the almond meal for pepita meal and omit the nuts on top to make them nut free. Make it with ganache for icing, or leave off the ganache and sprinkle with cinnamon and coconut sugar. Whipped cream and sliced strawberries on top is good instead of ganache, too. Try adding some fresh blueberries, or chopped apple and cinnamon, or chocolate chips to the mixture – or maybe a blob of homemade jam in the middle!

They’re super easy and quick to make, and the kids will enjoy decorating them… Here’s how Cassia decorated hers one day – with blueberries and basil leaves! 😀 Ha ha! We hope you love them. Happy holidays, and have fun!!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache (grain-free, dairy-free)

These Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache are really quick to make (dangerously so!!), and they are gluten free, grain free, dairy free, and can also be made nut free! Perfect for lunchboxes and snacks, they stay moist after being frozen. If you want to keep it simple, just sprinkle with a little cinnamon and coconut sugar instead of icing with ganache. Enjoy!

• Author: QuirkyJo
• Yield: 18 1x

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

80g coconut flour
90g blanched almond meal (or pepita meal)
½ tsp bicarb soda
¼ tsp fine sea salt
6 large eggs
280g coconut oil or butter (at room temp or melted)
120g honey or pure maple syrup (can use less but cakes will be less moist)
100g almond milk (or milk of choice)
2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

Ganache:

150g cacao butter, roughly chopped
40g raw cacao powder or Dutch cocoa
50–60g honey or pure maple syrup (to taste)
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
¼ tsp fine sea salt
130g coconut cream

Garnish:

1/2 cup chopped, roasted almonds or pistachios (opt)

Instructions

Cupcakes:

Thermomix Method

Preheat oven to 170C. Line muffin trays with paper cups and set aside.

Place coconut flour, almond meal, bicarb soda and salt into TM bowl and mix 6 sec/speed 6.

Add eggs, melted coconut oil or butter, honey or maple syrup, milk and vanilla and mix 30 sec/speed 6. Scrape down sides of bowl with spatula and mix another few seconds until well combined.

Fill paper cups to almost full and bake in 170C oven for 20 mins or until skewer inserted in centre of cakes comes out clean. Set aside to cool while you make ganache.

Conventional Method

Mix dry ingredients in a food processor or by hand. Add wet ingredients and mix well until creamy and smooth. Continue as above.

Ganache:

Thermomix Method

Place cacao butter into bowl and chop 8 sec/speed 8. Scrape down sides of bowl with spatula. Melt 5 mins/37C/speed 3.

Add cacao/cocoa powder, honey or maple syrup, vanilla, salt and coconut cream, and mix 1 min/37C/speed 3. Scrape down sides of bowl with spatula and mix another 1 min/37C/speed 3.

Conventional Method

Melt cacao butter in a double boiler on the stovetop. Add remaining ingredients and melt and mix until smooth.

To Finish:

Spoon the melted ganache onto the cooled cupcakes, sprinkle with roasted nuts if desired, and place in fridge to set.

Notes

Store in airtight container at room temp for up to 2 days, or in fridge for a week, or in an airtight container in freezer for two months.

For best results, use “If You Care” baking cups, as they are non-toxic, and non-stick. 

Makes approx. 18 regular sized cupcakes.

Keywords: baking, cupcakes, dairy free, gluten free, grain free, nut free, snack