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Quirky Cooking

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

QuirkyJo by QuirkyJo
July 9, 2019
in Baking, Cakes, Chocolate, Dairy Free, Desserts, Eggs, Favourites, Featured, GAPS, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Lunchbox, Naturally Sweetened, Nut Free, Paleo, Snacks, Thermomix, Wholefood
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Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache (grain-free, dairy-free), Quirky Cooking

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!

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

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
2020-02-20 10:17:54
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Cupcakes
  1. 80g coconut flour
  2. 90g blanched almond meal (or pepita meal)
  3. ½ tsp bicarb soda
  4. ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  5. 6 large eggs
  6. 280g coconut oil or butter (at room temp or melted)
  7. 120g honey or pure maple syrup (can use less but cakes will be less moist)
  8. 100g almond milk (or milk of choice)
  9. 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
Ganache
  1. 150g cacao butter, roughly chopped
  2. 40g raw cacao powder or Dutch cocoa
  3. 50–60g honey or pure maple syrup (to taste)
  4. 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
  5. ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  6. 130g coconut cream
Garnish
  1. 1/2 cup chopped, roasted almonds or pistachios (opt)
Cupcakes
Thermomix Method
  1. Preheat oven to 170C. Line muffin trays with paper cups and set aside.
  2. Place coconut flour, almond meal, bicarb soda and salt into TM bowl and mix 6 sec/speed 6.
  3. 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.
  4. 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
  1. 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
  1. Place cacao butter into bowl and chop 8 sec/speed 8. Scrape down sides of bowl with spatula. Melt 5 mins/37C/speed 3.
  2. 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
  1. Melt cacao butter in a double boiler on the stovetop. Add remaining ingredients and melt and mix until smooth.
To Finish
  1. Spoon the melted ganache onto the cooled cupcakes, sprinkle with roasted nuts if desired, and place in fridge to set.
Notes
  1. 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.
  2. For best results, use “If You Care” baking cups, as they are non-toxic, and non-stick.
  3. Makes approx. 18 regular sized cupcakes.
By Jo Whitton
Quirky Cooking https://www.quirkycooking.com.au/
Tags: almond mealbakingcakeschocolatecoconut flourCupcakesdairy freegapsgaps recipeGluten FreeGrain FreeGrain Free RecipesNut FreePaleo DessertsPaleo Treatsquirky cookingSnacksThermomixthermomix recipes
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Comments 13

  1. Megan says:
    2 years ago

    One of my little ones is intolerant to coconut.. What’s the best alternative to coconut flour?

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      2 years ago

      Natural evolution green banana flour is a great swap for coconut flour. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Tracey Douglas says:
    2 years ago

    HI Jo, Was trying to make this from what I have in the pantry/fridge- and I have never made a Ganache before. I was wondering as I don’t have any cacao butter is there anything that could be substituted for it? I have normal butter?

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      2 years ago

      Hi Tracey, yes you can do that it just won’t set as firm. Will be yum though!

      Reply
  3. Kerry says:
    2 years ago

    Hi Jo, thanks for this recipe. Where do you buy cacao butter?

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      1 year ago

      Hi Kerry! Source Bulk Foods (in-store or online) is a great place to get Cocao Butter, or most health food stores have it. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Emma says:
    2 years ago

    Hi Jo, do these freeze and then thaw out OK? I find when I make GF they are great first day when still warm but by the next day they are quite dense(?) I want to do some cooking and free for lunches for the month but don’t seem to be able to make it work when making Gf stuff unless it can be reheated 🥺

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      1 year ago

      Yes they stay moist! Works well to freeze then thaw them.

      Reply
  5. Joanne Bennet says:
    1 year ago

    I can’t tolerate dairy so no butter and I’m not keen on the flavor of coconut oil can I sub it for macadamia oil or light olive oil??

    Reply
    • QuirkyJo says:
      1 year ago

      Yes, that’ll work. You might want to reduce it by about 20g as it may taste a little oily.

      Reply
  6. cialis says:
    1 year ago

    I love it when folks come together and share views. Great website,
    continue the good work!

    Reply
  7. online pharmacy says:
    1 year ago

    Hmm it seems like your site ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just
    sum it up what I submitted and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your
    blog. I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to everything.
    Do you have any tips and hints for rookie blog writers?

    I’d certainly appreciate it.

    Reply
  8. Elise says:
    1 year ago

    Any ideas I’m what yo make with a cupfuknof left over choc ganache? Brownies or cookies? Got a recipe??

    Reply

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Chicken Liver Pâté. Mmmmm pâté! 😍 Love it, Chicken Liver Pâté. Mmmmm pâté! 😍 Love it, or hate it? I’ve grown to love it! ❤️

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Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, chopped
½ brown onion, chopped
2 large sage leaves, chopped, plus extra leaves for garnish if desired
¼ tsp fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
½ tsp fresh thyme leaves
60ml (1/4 cup) chicken stock
300g (1 1/3 cups) ghee, plus 4 Tbsp extra for sealing
400g organic chicken livers, roughly chopped
1 ¼ tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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The stovetop method is demonstrated in this video - it’s a really simple way to make pâté! If you have a Thermomix you can cook it as follows:

Place garlic and fresh herbs into TM bowl and chop 3 sec/speed 7. Add onion and chop 2 sec/speed 5. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add stock and cook 2 min/100°C/speed 1. Add ghee, chicken livers, salt and pepper and blend 20 sec/speed 7. Scrape down sides and cook 5 min/100°C/speed 3. Continue with method in video.
Hello gorgeous people! 💙 It’s my birthday tod Hello gorgeous people! 💙 It’s my birthday today so I thought I might as well embrace it & share a few fun facts about me that you may not know... 😄😁

✨ Despite my public kinda life (books, speaking on stage, podcasts, cooking videos, social media, answering heaps of messages & emails every day...) I’m actually a bit of an introvert. No really! 😄 I hide away in my small country town on the Atherton Tablelands in FNQ (mostly in my kitchen or office) & prefer hanging out with friends at lakes & waterfalls rather than parties, big noisy groups of people, loud restaurants & busy shopping centres (they exhaust me)!

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PS If you’re hoping for reactions like these to the dinners you serve up this week, try these recipes! Search “quirky butter chicken” and “quirky chicken & brown rice soup” and they’ll pop up. 😘
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[Tap on this photo via the link in my profile to book your seat!]

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Salted Caramel Chocolates (dairy free): These are delicious on their own, or swirled through dark chocolate. Watch the video for tips. bit.ly/saltedcaramelchocs

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I’ve shared how to make this on my website, Quirky Cooking, and in this mornings email. ❤️ Tap on this photo via the link in my profile to go to the recipe. 

https://www.quirkycooking.com.au/2021/03/chocolate-easter-egg-cake/
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I love it when my readers are as excited about my recipes as I am, and want to share them! I only ask that if you do share my recipes on your own blog or on social media, you only share an excerpt or link, not the entire recipe. Full and clear credit must be given to Quirky Cooking with a link back to the original content. If you’d like to share one of my photos, please contact me for permission. Thank you! Jo x

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