With warmer days finally here to stay, we wanted to share a recipe that isn’t quite as rich and heavy as some other cupcake recipes! These healthified date caramel cupcakes are light and airy and absolutely addicting. Check out the recipe below!
Strawberry Cupcakes {Grain-free, Paleo}
Equipment
- muffin tin
- hand mixer or stand mixer
- whisk
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- ½ cup dairy-free milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, stems removed and halved makes ~1 cup puree
- 2 cups almond flour
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 eggs beaten
- ¼ cup coconut nectar or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the frosting:
- ½ cup coconut oil, room temperature
- ½ cup grass-fed butter, room temperature can sub with vegan butter or palm shortening
- 1/2 cup vegan or regular cream cheese
- 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch or tapioca flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
- Place the strawberries in a food processor and blend until a puree is formed, scraping down the sides and pulsing as you need to until smooth (if there are still some strawberry chunks, that is OK). Transfer the puree to a small bowl or measuring cup (it should yield about 1 cup). Note: you will use 3/4 cup for the cupcakes, and 1/4 cup for the frosting.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix the almond flour, coconut sugar, coconut flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to blend.
- In the medium mixing bowl with the apple cider vinegar mixture, add the beaten eggs, 3/4 cup of the strawberry puree, coconut nectar or maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Whisk until creamy.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the flour mixture. Beat until a batter is formed, increasing the speed as needed.
- Transfer the batter into the cupcake liners, filling the cups about two-thirds to three-quarters of the way full. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to slightly cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the muffin tin, before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting, about 1-2 hours.
- Make the frosting. In a large bowl, combine the coconut oil and grass-fed butter. Beat with a hand mixer until fluffy, about 30 seconds. You can also use a whisk to beat by hand.
- Add the remaining ingredients and beat again, using a spatula to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Using a spatula, mix the frosting. Frost the cooled cupcakes immediately, or transfer the frosting to the refrigerator for 10 minutes for a denser texture.
Notes
It was our sales manager Brooke’s birthday this week, and these cupcakes were the perfect treat! She is not much of a chocolate girl, so I knew we had to whip something up that was both festive and delicious. She can’t stop eating them, and I must admit I save some for myself that I have been enjoying in my breakfast. 🙂 I hope you get the chance to make these soon!
XOXO,
Sara