I haven't baked a lot of cakes in my day, luckily my family just goes for anything sweet. I did a great lemon cake a few years back, but couldn't replicate it. Most of the time I stick to banana cake (banana bread with frosting) and carrot cake for birthday's because they are familiar.
Kate is spending her birthday with me and our dad and brother will be here too with some golfing buddies. I just don't think they will go for the "healthy cakes." {Evil cackle} Because this cake is healthy too and they won't even know it. Except for Kate, because she can handle the truth.
1 cup freshly fed sourdough starter
1 cup raw milk
2 cups spelt flour
1 1/2 cups coconut sugar
1 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract (optional, may sub another flavoring of choice)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 eggs
Mix starter, milk and flour. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 8 hours. Don’t worry if it doesn’t get really bubbly. Cream together sugar, oil, vanilla, almond extract, cinnamon, salt baking soda and cocoa powder until mostly smooth and shiny. Add eggs and mix well. Pour in half of sourdough mixture and pulse 3 times. Scrape out remaining mixture and pulse until thoroughly mixed but do not whip vigorously. The texture is spongy like marshmallow cream. Ladle into lined muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and remove from pan to cool completely. Top with chocolate ganache.
Chocolate Ganache
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces dark chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla or other flavoring (mint would be really good)
Melt chocolate with cream, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, add vanilla. Let cool 20 minutes. Spread on tops of cooled cupcakes. The ganache will set up more in the next hour.
links; Things I Love Thursday, Fightback Friday, Finer Things Friday
links; Things I Love Thursday, Fightback Friday, Finer Things Friday
Yum! I have not used coconut sugar. Where do you order it from? I will have to try this with coconut milk.
ReplyDeleteCoconut sugar is awesome, it smells like crushed graham crackers. It is finer and lighter than sucanat, but more expensive, so I reserve it for the finer baking :) I get it through Azure.
ReplyDeleteYou are speaking my language.
ReplyDeleteDo you think this would still work with like rice milk, cultured coconut milk, or just plain milk? Cause I don't have a place around to get raw milk.
ReplyDeleteYou could use whole milk or coconut milk. Rice milk would not work well, it is not rich enough. Good luck tracking down raw milk though. It is worth the search!
ReplyDeleteThese look so yummy! I want to make them for Valentine's Day. Do you think I could use sucanat instead of the coconut sugar? - I don't have any on hand.
ReplyDeleteI would powder the sucanat first, otherwise it could turn out gritty. The flavor would still be good, like my homemade hot chocolate.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm all about trying this! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely trying these! Do you grind your spelt flour on a pastry setting or bread setting?
ReplyDeleteI grind every thing on the pastry setting. I have a wondermill and all the setting result in the same flour. I have never been able to tell a difference, so I don't mess with it.
ReplyDeleteOkay Kara, you've done it again! These are DELICIOUS. You'd never even know they were "healthy." I made some substitutions because I was in a rush or didn't have an ingredient (used hard white wheat, olive oil, almond milk, and sucanat) but they are positively divine. THANKS!!!
ReplyDeleteWow! You are brave Kami :) I am most surprised about the olive oil. Was it light or extra virgin? Did you powder the sucanat? Was it gritty at all. Thank you for reporting back.
ReplyDeleteIt was extra virgin. I didn't powder the sucanat because I was hurrying to make them but they were not gritty at all. They are super light, fluffy, and moist! I was so glad they worked so well with the substitutions. It seems to be a flexible recipe! And I didn't even measure everything perfectly (like I said, I was hurrying!). My husband doesn't love chocolate cake (prefers vanilla) but when he took a bite he raised his arm up and was like "OH YEAH! Kara does it again!" Haha :) Now he wants you to work on a vanilla recipe!
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome...ALL of it!! I'll have to see if this recipe works as other flavors. Chocolate is the easiest because the dark natural sweeteners doesn't mess it up. Any ideas for vanilla frosting?
ReplyDeleteWell I topped mine with a homemade frosting. I have to make my own powdered sugar since Max can't have corn, so I got the organic evaporated cane juice, added some tapioca starch and powdered it in my blender. Then I used some palm oil shortening (short on time, normally would use butter), added a little almond milk, and a splash of vanilla. It tasted really yummy and is refined but better than the super refined white sugar...I just don't think we'd really enjoy powdered sucanat sugar all that much so I figure since we never eat it, it's fine for a treat.
ReplyDeleteThe frosting on these cupcakes (the cupcakes are delish as well) is to die for - it's not vanilla but I still thought I'd pass it along because it's so yummy. http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2009/04/orange-creme-cupcakes-vegan-and-gluten.html
The description on my sucanat is "evaporated cane juice." I wonder what the difference is. What color is your evaporated cane juice?
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the orange creme cupcake recipe.
I've tasted your delicious sourdough cupcakes and they are divine! Thanks for sharing them with us!!
ReplyDeleteI think it is just more refined than sucanat. It is white - I've seen it at Trader Joe's and Fresh & Easy - well, it's not white white, but white in comparison to sucanat. It doesn't have that molasses flavor so it makes a nice frosting - that's the only thing I've used it for (oh and I've put it on popcorn back when we could eat popcorn and it was good).
ReplyDeleteHow many cupcakes does this recipe make?
ReplyDelete