Happy Cupcake DAY with...coconut flower sugar?!?!

What a fantastically easy way to raise some funds for the Alzheimer's Society. Bake sales in whatever shape or form are easy to understand, don't cost much to set up and run, it includes a wide group of people and EVERYBODY LOVES CAKE! :)

Our contribution is a recipe with an ingredient that we had not yet tested before. Some of you might be familiar with it: coconut flower sugar- the boiled and hydrated sap of the coconut palm.

So, what are the benefits of coconut sugar. Is it really so much better than the standard white granulated variety?

Well, it is definitely more expensive and has same level of carbs and calories. BUT, coconut flower sugar has clear advantages when it comes to nutrients, containing trace amounts of vitamin C, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron and copper. It also provides some small amounts of phytonutrients as well as the B vitamin Inositol, which is commonly known as a mood booster. Of course it contains fructose, so does agave syrup or date syrup but with only 45% fructose, coconut sugar is definitely a healthier option than some other sweeteners.

The glycemic index of coconut flower sugar is with 35 significantly lower than that of regular sugar (65-70). And on top of all that, it has a very intense caramel flavour with hints of brown sugar and coffee- delicious!

So, in celebration of National Cupcake Day and in the hopes that all of you get baking too today, we came up with an avocado-banana-raw cocoa cupcake with avocado frosting.

What you need for the batter:

1 large ripe avocado

1 large very ripe banana

120 g Jake's Boost Superboost Spread

2 large eggs (or 5 small ones)

1 cup of raw cocoa

1 handful of dark chocolate chips

50 g of coconut flower sugar (if you are not a fan of the avocado taste use a bit more sugar)

7 tablespoons of water

1 tsp of baking soda

1/4 of tsp of vanilla

1 pinch cinnamon

coconut oil for greasing the muffin tin

What you need for the frosting:

1 ripe avocado

25 g of coconut flower sugar

1 handful of dark chocolate chips

60 g of raw cocoa powder

Pre-heat oven on 170 degrees (fan assisted). You can combine all the ingredients for the batter at once, only add some of the dark chocolate chips at the end to keep some texture.

Grease the muffin tins with the coconut oil and fill each compartment with 2 tbsp of batter. Sprinkle 4-5 chocolate chips over the batter and bake on the middle shelf for 12 minute. Then, get a sheet of baking parchment on put over the tray and leave in the oven for another 10 minutes (check with a wooden spear if the cupcakes are ready- it has to come out clean when pulled out). The parchment protects the tops of the cupcakes from drying out while the middle cooks through.

Now the frosting: again, combine all ingredients in a blender or with an electric whisk until smooth and shiny and then..... have a taste :) because most importantly, food should be fun and enjoyment without any guilty feeling. Food is pure pleasure when it is made from natural ingredients, it becomes a guilty pleasure when you feel that you are not doing your body any good by eating it. Yep, tastes great!

Take the cupcake out of the oven and let them cool for at least 20 minutes, then lather with a thick layer of frosting. Bon apetit!

They should have a moist but fluffy texture and the frosting enhances the rich chocolate with the freshness of the avocado, it is not as thick and gooey as ordinary chocolate frosting.

The cupcakes can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days (in case you have some left over, but we seriously doubt it ;)

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