Saturday, March 16, 2013

Saving my green for tomorrow

My title sounds like some kind of financial advice, but I'm actually referring to tomorrow being St. Patrick's Day. Everyone seems to be posting something green in honor of the holiday; however, I plan on just enjoying some green food then (gotta have some green o.j.), without actually posting it on my blog.

Since I took some photos of my latest unbaking project, I decided to share them with you. These mini Rawdorable cupcakes are not green in color, although I'm sure they'll still go well with any St. Patty's Day celebration (especially if you garnish them with a green clover, like I did with this cupcake).

You may recall me making these yummy Gluten-free Raw Neapolitan Brownies/Blondies a couple of summers ago for someone new to our church. She is going to be moving again soon, so I was asked to make another Rawdorable dessert for her.

On short notice, I gathered the ingredients I had on hand and made these mini coconut cream-filled chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing (I used the "cake" recipe from my Rawtess Cupcakes, although I didn't have any almond pulp at the moment, and the icing from the Neapolitan Brownies/Blondies).

One batch of my Rawtess Cupcake recipe was enough to yield exactly 16 mini coconut cream-filled cupcakes (I didn't have any cashews, but I did have the most perfect coconut cream at the top of a chilled can of coconut milk. Yum!). I shaped them in a lined cupcake tin (if you are going to use paper liners, I always recommend forming your cupcakes in a baking tin to maintain the liners' shape).

Anyway, I have a lot to do before my hubby and I have our date night, so here are my step-by-step photos (please refer to my Rawtess Cupcake recipe for the ingredients).

Placing the liners in a mini cupcake tin.

Adding the cupcake ingredients to the bowl.

Whisking the ingredients into a "batter."

Forming the mini cupcakes with a well for the filling (I set aside extra batter to top off the filled cupcakes; simply divide the "batter" into 16 equal parts and remove the tops as you form the bottom of each cupcake).

Filling the cupcakes with coconut cream.

Topping off the filled cupcakes with more "batter."

I transferred the filled cupcakes to a box (I reused my Conscience Box, which holds all 16 mini cupcakes perfectly in place). Then, I chilled them in the fridge while I made the icing (equal parts coconut oil, cocoa powder and pure maple syrup, some pure vanilla extract and sea salt, all blended until smooth in my Tribest blender).

Then, I frosted the filled cupcakes with the chocolate icing. I hope they are well received.

Oh, and before I sign off from today's post, I wanted to thank Lauren from Ginger is the New Pink, as I won her latest giveaway, Kristen Suzanne's "Raw Awakening" book (thank you Kristen, too). I can't wait to check it out :-) 

Have a happy St. Patty's Day everyone!