For my birthday, my sweet daughter baked me these AWESOME cupcakes while I was out hiking with my husband, Mr. Balancing Act, and our lively Akita. It was such a lovely surprise to walk into the house and smell that delicious aroma! A friend on Facebook had posted a link to The Groovy Foodie, who created this recipe based on one she found in the cookbook listed below. Hopefully I have now given credit to everyone who has participated in the creation of these cupcakes!
They turned out to be just as moist, rich, and yummy as everyone had claimed! Although they contain quinoa instead of wheat flour, and some extra virgin olive oil, these cupcakes do not qualify as a health food. I am not suggesting you eat these on a daily basis! No, they are definitely a slightly healthier version of a decadent treat, perfect for a chocoholic's birthday! (Yes, I 'fess up!) As far as I am concerned, if a dessert does not contain chocolate, it might be delicious, but it is inevitably a disappointment.
Although the recipe for the frosting which follows looked pretty decent to me, I know my daughters detest cream cheese icing. Since I did not want to have to eat 2 dozen cupcakes all by myself, I figured it best to replace the cream cheese with peanut butter. So my daughter and I finagled a replacement frosting using butter, peanut butter, vanilla extract, heavy cream, and confectioners sugar. Again, I am not claiming this to be a health food! We made a small amount, iced the cupcakes lightly when they were cool, and enjoyed them with a cup of coffee. Perfect!
The recipe below, taken from The Groovy Foodie, has been changed in minor ways by me. The frosting, as I mentioned, is my own creation. Let me know if you decide to try them!
Best Chocolate Cupcakes Ever!
Adapted from Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood by Patricia Green and Carolyn HemmingCupcake Batter
- 2/3 cup Organic Quinoa
- 1 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup whole milk (you can use almond or other milks if you like)
- 4 large organic brown eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the cups of two 1 dozen non-stick cupcake pans (no flour) or use cupcake wrappers.
Combine the milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender or food processor. Add 2 cups of cooled, cooked quinoa and blend until smooth. (You can also use a handheld immersion blender.) Add the oil and melted butter and blend to incorporate.
In the meantime, mix together the sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in your mixer bowl. Add the contents of the blender and mix well. Scoop the batter with an ice cream scoop into the cupcake pans and bake for 20 minutes or until the cake bounces back when lightly pressed.
Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan before serving. Frost if desired (these are delicious without frosting as well.)
Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.
Makes 24 small cupcakes
Frosting
4oz natural peanut butter
1/4 cup room temp butter (1/2 stick)
1tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 to 3/4 cup powdered sugar (depending on desired consistency)
1-2 TB heavy cream
Cream butter and peanut butter together in a mixing bowl, slowly adding your cream as you continue to mix. Then add carefully add the cocoa and powdered sugar, bit by bit, alternating between the two. Add vanilla and a little more cream if necessary, until desired consistency is achieved. I like mine light, fluffy and mousse-like. If you like yours a bit more stiff, add more powdered sugar or cocoa to firm it up a bit.
Frost cupcakes when cooled.
Makes 2 dozen cupcakes
Glad you liked 'em! I'll have to try them with your peanut butter frosting (although, I urge you to give the cream cheese frosting a try because they'll never know there's in there, I've also used coconut butter and butter to make a pretty killer diller frosting for these gems.) BTW -- Here's a link to the original post on Groovy Foody.com http://www.groovyfoody.com/best-chocolate-cupcakes-ever-made-with-quinoa-a-tasty-and-healthy-new-year/ the recipe listed above is my adaptation (the recipe from Quinoa 365 is somewhat different -- it also never references cupcakes.)
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