Monday, April 9, 2012

Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes

(gluten free, common tree nut free, dairy free, egg free, cane-sugar free, & soy free)

I don’t claim to be much of a baker. Never really have been. But mommyhood has thrown me head first into the baking arena. I make muffins every week (often it feels like daily). I’ve always enjoyed cooking but honestly never found the thrill in baking. Cookies are more my thing in the sweet department anyway. So the other day I wanted to make some cupcakes/muffins for my son’s little friend. We had a play date scheduled and my usual grain-free treat was not the best option, as his little friend can’t have tree nuts. So a nut free creation was in order, and one that was still allergy-friendly for Ethan (no eggs, dairy, gluten, cane-sugar or soy). No problem? Yeah right. GF baking is difficult and especially if you’re looking for a particular taste and flavor, which I was. So in these urgent cases I turn to my baking guru, Tessa. I emailed her a while back with my ingredients and she, of course, offered some great advice. So thank you Tessa for your consultation! One tip was to leave the fruit whole (which was an excellent suggestion, as I was pureeing it up).

Pineapple Coconut Cupcakes

Ingredients

Dry

-1/2 cup white rice flour (90 grams)

-1/2 cup coconut flour (52 grams)

-1/4 cup tapioca starch (27 grams)

-2 tablespoons potato starch (19 grams)
-1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (40 grams)

-2 teaspoons baking powder

-1 teaspoon baking soda

-1/4 teaspoon salt

Wet

-1/4 cup oil (I use grapeseed)

-1/3 cup applesauce

-1 1/4 cup filtered water

-1 tablespoon ground chia seed+ 3 tablespoons water

-1/3 cup coconut sugar

-1 teaspoon vanilla
-6 drops liquid stevia

-1 can drained pineapple chunks, squeeze all the juice out of the chunks and chop into smaller pieces.

How To

Preheat oven to 325

1. In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Spoon in the flours (otherwise it’s just too dense, so don’t scoop the flour out with your measuring cup. Or simply follow the flour weights).

2. In a separate bowl, mix the ground chia with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for a moment. Then add in the coconut sugar and mix until incorporated. It should be sticky and a bit frothy.
3. Add in the oil, applesauce, vanilla, stevia, and pineapple chunks, incorporate, then add in the water, incorporate.
4. Add the dry ingredients to wet and incorporate.
5. Immediately add batterer to baking cups – yields 12.
6. Bake for 20 minutes
7. When done, cool on rack

Notes:
*I highly recommend using these baking cups – they are great for nonstick! I And I use them over and over. They are also biodegradable.
*These cupcakes don’t rise much, so you can fill to the top of baking cup.
*I greatly dislike a dry cupcake. And so I’m happy to report that these are incredibly moist.
*Do not let the batter sit after mixing, as it starts to thicken and froth. So after you mix the dry with the wet, immediately fill your baking cups and bake.
*The little boy mentioned above can have coconut (no tree nuts). I read that in 2007, the FDA classified coconut as a tree nut. But I do believe coconuts are actually seeds, but can also be described as a fruit and nut. This is a good read on the matter.

Whipped Topping

Ingredients
-1 can full fat coconut milk (I use this brand for its superior coconut cream)
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
-2 tablespoons Grade B maple syrup
-4 drops stevia (or to taste)
-Natural yellow food coloring
-1/4 teaspoon thickener of choice (optional)

To make the whipped topping place 1 can of full fat coconut milk in the coldest part of your fridge for at least 3 days (the longer the better). I have a bunch in there so I just take one out as needed. Work quickly and remove just the coconut cream from the top of the can. Add to bowl with above ingredients. Mix with hand mixer until incorporated. Frost your cupcake, or place topping in the fridge until you’re ready to use. You could certainly omit the thickener if your coconut cream is working for you. Every can of coconut milk is different. I’ve made some very substantial toppings without thickener, and some really needed it.

And of course, Scott’s dipped in a little chocolate

Shared on: Just Another Meatless Monday, Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Monday Mania, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Traditional Tuesdays, Kids in the Kitchen, Real Food Wednesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Whole Food Wednesdays, Full Plate Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Freaky Friday, Fresh Bites Fridays, Lunch Box Love Fridays, Allergy-Friendly Fridays, Pot Luck Party Fridays, Friday Food, Superfood Sunday