My baby boy turned ONE YEAR OLD yesterday! Chase has learned to love so many different, new things over the last year. He has learned to love toddling around after his older brothers and sister, exploring every nook and cranny of the house. He's learned to love whole, fresh foods like cucumbers and broccoli and he's learned to thoroughly enjoy splashing in the bath. It's so fun to watch him loving life. The part I love the best, though, is when he wraps my neck in a big, strong hug and then he's off for adventures. dreamy sigh Thanks for allowing me a Mama Moment.
But then he got happy!
This week I've been on a gotta-eat-healthy kick. I want it to stick because I have begun to feel so good and see some inches slip away. So, my dilemma yesterday was what to prepare for Chase's first birthday treat. Many of the recipes I found called for exotic ingredients that I didn't have in my pantry. Then I discovered a handwritten recipe in my recipe box for Tasty Vanilla Cupcakes. I had all of the ingredients, so I set to work. I reduced all the sugars in the recipe by 1/4-1/2 cup and they were still plenty sweet. In this picture, Chase kept grabbing for the cupcake while the candle was still burning. Poor baby; I kept shooing his hand away during the birthday song. He was so confused.
But then he got happy!
Here is the recipe. Please forgive the confectioner's sugar. . . it was a birthday party, after all.
Tasty Vanilla Cupcakes
makes 10-12
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup organic sugar
2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup vanilla-flavored milk (I use rice or soy or almond)
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup melted, unsalted butter or oil
1 egg, beaten
Grease your muffin tin. Mix dry ingredients, Then add wet ingredients, beating until smooth. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Cool on a rack.
Frosting: Blend with a hand mixer--1/4 cup unsalted butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tbs. milk, and 1 tsp flavoring of choice.
This is such a basic recipe--it's easy to make it your own. Just by adding things like a little cocoa or carob chips to the batter or by adding peppermint flavor to the icing, you can make it fit your family's special likes. I do try to use organic ingredients as much as possible in my baking because they taste the best and are the nicest to our health. . . even in sweet, birthday cupcakes.
1 comment:
Here are a couple of healthier chocolate cake recipes that you might enjoy:
Vegan Chocolate Cake
1/2 C Coconut Oil or Earth Balance Margarine
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 C Almond, Rice or Soy milk
1-2/3 C unbleached, unbromated white flour
2/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 C sweetener (not liquid) organic sugar, sucanat with honey, etc.
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer
1/4 C water
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C water
Measure milk then add vinegar, let sit. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 round layer pans or one 13X11 pan with cooking spray or lightly oil and flour.
Place flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl and mix together well with spoon. Mix egg replacer and 1/4 cup water with spoon until smooth. Add oil, vanilla, soured milk, 1/2 cup water and mixed egg replacer to dry ingredients. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed for 3 minutes then pour into prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Our Favorite Chocolate Cake
2 C. Sucanat with Honey (or Savannah Gold)
2 ½ C. freshly-milled soft wheat flour
¾ C. cocoa
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt
2 eggs
1 C. almond milk
½ C. coconut oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1 C. boiling water
Preheat oven to 350. Grease pan with lecithin and oil mixture. Combine dry ingredients in bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and mix on
medium speed for about 2 minutes. Carefully stir in water (batter may splash
because it's very thin). Pour into pan and bake 35-40 minutes. (for 9" layers:
30-35 minutes, cupcakes 15-20 minutes). Cool. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar or frost with icing**.
my notes on above recipe: if you use regular sucanat, it gives the cake a very distinctive flavor, it still tastes good, but you can definitely taste the sucanat. I could not find sucanat with honey, so I used half sucanat and half organic sugar the second time I made the cake. You could also make this cake vegan by substituting 1 very ripe banana for the two eggs. It gives it a slight banana flavor, but not overpowering and still yummy!
Chocolate buttercream frosting:
6 Tbsp. softened butter
1/2 - ¾ C. cocoa
2? C. powdered Sucanat with Honey or confectioners sugar)
1/4? C. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Cream butter in whisk bowl. Add cocoa and sugar alternately with milk. Beat
to spreading consistency (add milk a tiny bit at a time as necessary). Blend
in vanilla.
For a "white" frosting that uses less sugar:
½ C. softened butter
½ tsp. vanilla
? tsp. sea salt
2 oz. softened cream cheese
1 ½ C. powdered Sucanat with Honey or Savannah Gold (or 10x sugar)
Combine and beat well with electric mixer till fluffy. (This is also great
over cinnamon rolls.)
Post a Comment