Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of Melted or Softened Grass Fed Unsalted Butter or Ghee
• 1 tsp. Organic Vanilla
• 1/2 cup Organic Coconut Sugar or Organic Brown Cane Sugar
• 2 Large Organic Pastured Eggs
• 1/2 cup of Organic Whole Milk, Organic Coconut Milk, or Grass Fed Cream
• 1 1/2 cups Organic Blanched Almond Flour or Organic "Sifted" Hazelnut Flour
  
• 1/4 cup Organic Unsweetened Cocoa Powder or Fermented Unsweetened Cacao Powder 
• 1 tsp. Pure Baking Soda
• 1 tsp. Aluminum Free & Gluten Free Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt

Cupcake Instructions:

1. Whisk wet ingredients together in a big bowl.  Then whisk in the dry ingredients until you get a smooth consistency.
2. Use an ice cream scoop to transfer the cupcake batter into the individually lined cupcake pan.
   
3. Fill to 3/4 of the way full or just a little more.  Makes about 10 cupcakes.
   
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for approximately 20 minutes.  Transfer to cooling rack.
5. Be sure your chocolate cupcake recipes are completely cool before frosting them.
   

Whipped Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 cup Grass Fed Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2 to 3 Tbsp. of Organic Raw Honey
  
• Spash of Organic Vanilla

Whipped Frosting Instructions:

1. Whip the heavy cream using a stand mixer or use a hand mixer.
   
2. When cream starts to thicken, add your sweetener of choice and the vanilla.
   
3. Beat on high speed until cream is ready to use as a frosting. 
   
4. Use a makeshift piping bag and pipe frosting in a circular motion onto cupcakes.  Top with edible decorations.
   

Tip 1:  I prefer raw honey over agave nectar because it's lower on the glycemic scale.

Tip 2:  You can either buy hazelnut flour or make your own at home (preferably using properly soaked and dried hazelnuts).

How to Remove Hazelnut Skins

First, remove the hazelnut skins.  Then put them into a blender and blend until a nut flour forms. 

Then sift the flour for a better texture in your cupcake recipes.

Ganache Ingredients:

• Almost 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) of Organic Whipping Cream or Heavy Cream (35% milk fat)
  
• 3 cups (600 grams) of Organic Dark Chocolate Chips

Ganache Instructions:

1. Heat cream - preferably in a double-boiler and bring to a bare simmer.
2. Add in the chocolate chips and stir until completely combined with the cream.
   
3. Remove from heat and let Ganache cool for a few minutes before using as a frosting.
   

How to Make Dark Chocolate Ganache
3 Ways to Frost Cupcakes

You can use a Ganache recipe to pour over your chocolate cupcake recipes to give it that glossy look. 

Or whip completely cooled Ganache to create a fluffy lighter frosting that's great for piping.

Or keep Ganache at room temperature until it hardens to a spreadable frosting for your chocolate cupcake recipes.

When you pour your chocolate ganache recipe on your cupcakes - it should look as spectacular as this cake.

Tip 1:  Decorate by adding toasted nuts, toasted coconut, cocoa powder, sprinkles, etc. to your cupcake frosting.

Tip 2:  Use your chocolate cupcake recipes to make a quick chocolate cake for that special occasion. 

Use a dark chocolate Ganache recipe as the frosting for a spectacular looking Birthday, Anniversary, Mother's Day, Father's Day, or Valentine's Day Cake.

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Organic Blanched Almond Flour
• 1/4 cup Organic Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Pure Baking Soda
• 1/2 cup Melted Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
• 1/4 cup Organic Coconut Milk
• 1/4 cup Organic Maple Syrup
• 2 Large Organic Pastured Eggs
• 1 tsp. Organic Vanilla Extract

Cupcake Instructions:

1. Add dry and wet ingredients to a large bowl.  Then mix ingredients together until well combined.
2. Then pour batter into your lined cupcake pan.  Recipe should make 9 cupcakes.
   
3. Bake cupcakes in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for about 15 to 18 minutes.
4. Check to see if done by using a toothpick.  Cool your cupcakes on a cooling rack.
   

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 cup of Organic Palm Shortening or Organic Coconut Cream
• 1/4 cup of Organic Maple Syrup
• 2 tsp. of Organic Vanilla Extract

Frosting Instructions:

1. Your cupcakes must be completely cool before you can frost and decorate them.
2. Beat ingredients with a hand mixer until thick enough to frost cupcakes. 
3. Then pipe frosting on top of your cupcakes or spoon frosting on cupcakes.

I've never used palm shortening, but have heard it may be a trans fat.

Do you love to adjust other people's recipes?

And have you been confused about how much leavening you really need to use when you change a recipe?

Maybe this information will finally help you to avoid that funky metallic off-taste.

This sometimes occurs when you cut down on the amount of sugar in recipes.

When adjusting a chocolate cupcake recipe to be lower in carbs or sugar, you need to understand how to adjust the leavening.

Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda -
What's the Difference?

Baking soda is an alkaline leavening agent that reacts with an acid. 

Acidic ingredients that will activate baking soda include lemon juice, yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, molasses, honey, brown sugar, and cacao powder.

On the other hand, baking powder already has a dry acid mixed in with the bicarbonate and is activated by a liquid.

You'll want to get your batter into the oven as soon as possible once you activate these rising agents.

You can make single-acting (not double-acting) homemade baking powder by combining 2 parts of cream of tartar (an acid) with 1 part baking soda (bicarbonate).

Double-acting baking powder will react a second time once you expose a batter to the heat of an oven.

Baking soda is 4 times stronger than baking powder. 

1/4 tsp. of baking soda will leaven 1 cup of flour and 1 tsp. of baking powder will be needed to have the same leavening affect.

You can combine baking powder with baking soda to neutralize acids in recipes and create a better rise in your baked goods.

The following general guideline is good to know, so that you can evaluate recipes before actually baking to ensure success.

Baked goods with a lot of heavy ingredients like carrot cake cupcakes, may need a tiny bit more leavening.

Use a gluten free baking powder if you are following a gluten free diet.

It's important to note that baking soda and baking powder will only work as a rising agent if they are fresh.

I prefer to use coconut flour (which is low in oxalates) instead of high oxalate flours like almond flour. 

Please note that replacing coconut flour in recipes will also require adjusting the moisture level of the recipe.

You would start by replacing 1/4 cup of coconut flour (equals 1 oz.) for every 1 cup of almond flour or regular flour called for in the recipe. 

Plus add in an additional egg to your recipe for every 1/4 cup of coconut flour used.

And lastly, add in an additional 1/4 cup of liquid for every 1/4 cup of coconut flour.  Liquids that can be used are water, different types of milks, healthy oils, or heavy whipping cream.

Troubleshooting Tips:  You can use 1/4 tsp. of xanthan gum to help with binding - if your having problems with the recipe holding together.

If your recipe is too dry, add in an additional egg, 1/4 cup of liquid, or mashed fruit or vegetable.

If your recipe is too wet, decrease the amount of eggs or liquid in the recipe.  You could also add in more coconut flour (1 tsp. to 1 tbsp.) to your recipe.

Newsletter #44
The
Violet Flame

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