I love sneaking real food desserts into parties and gatherings to test them on innocent family and friends. Whoops! The secret is out: I often bring whole food based, refined-sugar free goodies to our get-togethers without revealing that they are, gasp, "healthy"! In my opinion, this is one of the very best ways to evaluate the tastiness factor of my random gluten- and grain-free concoctions. Plus, it is not really lying anyway...it's more like a sophisticated scientific experiment on pure and total deliciousness. These scrumptious bite-sized coconut flour vanilla cupcakes definitely pass the test.
My Mom and sister made these for the first time at a recent summer party. They created a lovely bite-sized version with perfect swirls of frosting on top and somehow managed to transport them unscathed through unending beach traffic to their final destination. When it was revealed that their delectable little cupcakes were actually created with coconut flour, I was instantly proud. Amazing!
If you are looking for a lot of sweetness, these tasty coconut flour vanilla cupcakes can be enjoyed in a full-sized version as well. The frosting recipe has a relatively large yield too, so you should have some extra that you can use as topping for a cookie recipe or as a tasty spread on fruit. Although these recipes are similar to most standard cupcakes and frostings, the fact that they lack refined sugar and grains makes things a bit quirky. So here are a few extra tidbits to keep in mind.
To make coconut cream:
You will notice that both the cake and frosting recipes list an ingredient called coconut cream. Coconut cream is the delicious thick cream that you find at the top of a can of coconut milk. The best way to gather coconut cream is to first refrigerate a can of coconut milk overnight, so that the cream solidifies and rises to the top. It can then easily be skimmed off and used in recipes. Although you don't need to whip it for this recipe, you can see some photos on how to skim coconut cream and recommendations on which types of coconut milk to buy in our post about How to Make Whipped Coconut Cream.
For the cupcakes:
Be sure to sift the coconut flour to remove lumps prior to starting. This will result in a more even texture in your final product. If you want to review other tips for baking with coconut flour, I recommend downloading our free e-book on Coconut Flour Breads.
Raw honey can be solid at room temperature depending on which variety you are using. We like this Beechwood Honey for baking as it is both low in glycemic index and liquid, making it easy to work with. If you need to, soften your honey prior to beginning by submerging the jar in warm water or gently heating on the stove in a double boiler.
It is helpful to bring the eggs to room temperature before combining them. This prevents whichever saturated fat you are using from solidifying from the cold and will allow you to blend the ingredients together more easily.
Coconut Flour Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
Makes about 12 standard or 24 mini cupcakes
Ingredients
1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon unrefined salt (I recommend celtic sea salt or himalayan salt)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 large pastured eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup raw honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup grass-fed ghee, butter or virgin coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons coconut cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare 2 cupcake tins with liners.
Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl: sift coconut flour, add salt and baking soda. Stir together with a fork until evenly combined.
Prepare wet ingredients: blend together eggs, honey, vanilla, oil of choice and coconut cream. Beat with a whisk.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients slowly, continuing to whisk until well combined. Allow to set for about 5 minutes as coconut flour absorbs before moving on to the next step.
Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling about 3/4 of the way. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly.
Cool completely on a wire rack.
Coconut Flour Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
1¼ cup grass-fed butter, softened
2/3 cup raw honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons coconut flour
3 tablespoons coconut cream
Instructions
Place the softened butter, honey, cinnamon, and coconut flour in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add the coconut cream, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat entire mixture on high for another minute until completely smooth. The frosting will be silky but thick as depicted above.
Spread frosting onto cooled cupcakes. For extra frill, scoop frosting into a piping bag first (or plastic bag with a tip cut off) and pipe on top of cupcakes instead. Sprinkle with a dash of extra cinnamon for garnish.