08 | February | 2012 | Live. Learn. Love. Eat.

Today went a lot better than yesterday! 🙂

Can you guess why?

After wearing the thinking cap for the last few days, trying to come up with a recipe to bake with the girls for Valentine’s day, I decided on cupcakes!

It is always so hard to think of something to make healthy and sugar free for special occasions because usually Christmas or Valentine’s treats have so much sugar, fat or white flour. I thought first of brownies, cut into heart shapes, but I have already done a delicious whole wheat, sugar free brownie recipe. I also thought of cookies, but I have a million cookie recipes already too. I really wanted something different this time.

This recipe is just something I kind of made up as I went along. I made the chocolate cupcakes with whole wheat flour and pure maple syrup and then I was going to make an icing with icing sugar to go with them, but figured what was the point of putting icing sugar all over these healthy cupcakes? I then got crazy and created my own healthy icing made from pure maple syrup and pureed raspberries!

I am so excited about these cupcakes! They are healthy, delicious and oh, so beautiful! 🙂

Sugar Free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

A healthy, whole wheat and sugar free vegan chocolate cupcake!

Makes 18 cupcakes

Ingredients

2 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 flax eggs (4 tablespoons ground flax seed + 6 tablespoons water)
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
2/3 cup sunflower oil
1 cup vegan buttermilk (see vegan buttermilk how-to)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two muffin pans with 20 large baking cups.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt.
In a small mixing bowl whisk together the ground flax seed and water to make your flax eggs.
Add the maple syrup, sunflower oil, buttermilk and vanilla to the flax eggs in the small mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
Add the wet ingredients to the medium mixing bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, careful not to over mix the batter.
Spoon the cupcake batter into the baking cup lined muffin pan 3/4 of the way full.
Place the cupcakes in the preheated oven to bake 15-18 minutes. Cupcakes are ready when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely before icing.

Sugar Free Maple Raspberry Icing

A wholesome, sugar free icing with the flavor of raspberry and maple!

Makes about 2 cups of icing

1/3 cup raspberry puree (about 1/2 cup fresh or thawed frozen raspberries pureed in a food processor or mashed)
1/4 cup vegan margarine (see note)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Note: I have found that Earth Balance margarine is not the best to use for this recipe because it is more solid than regular margarine. If using Earth Balance margarine, allow it to soften before using in the recipe and after refrigeration, allow the frosting to soften a bit before spreading.

Directions

Whisk the pureed raspberries, margarine, maple syrup and vanilla together in a small bowl until smooth. Add the flour and whisk again until combined, smooth and thickened.

I am a genius!!! This icing turned out wonderfully and is very addictive.

I also had the idea of using my mini heart shaped fondant cutter to cut some strawberries into little hearts to put on top of the cupcakes. Just to make them even cuter! You could even top them with fresh raspberries.

Speaking of cute…

I picked up this cute little liquid measuring cup as a gift to myself. So much easier for measuring liquid tablespoon ingredients!

Since I am in such a happy and lovey mood today I thought it might be fun to have a little giveaway for my readers!

Leave a comment below telling me what your favorite recipe is on this blog for your chance to win one of these cute little measuring cups and a copy of Hearty Vegan Meals For Monster Appetites, by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman.