So it’s finally here…February. What does that mean you ask? Well…it means it’s the coldest month of the year. In Connecticut…it means that as I am writing this we are getting 8 inches of snow and in a couple of hours I will have to go outside and dig out my car. It also means the fun sporting events like the Super Bowl and the 2014 Winter Olympics. There is one other thing February means…Valentines Day!
Now for me I could take or leave all the romantic stuff about Valentines Day. Don’t get me wrong, that stuff is great. But at the end of the day, isn’t the best part the food??? Breakfast in bed, lots of chocolate, fancy dinners…it is a food lovers dream.
However, it can also be a lot of pressure. What do you do? Do you stay home and make a romantic dinner or do you go out to a fancy restaurant? Do you exchange gifts or only cards? Flowers or Candy? Oh stress…
Personally, nothing says I love you more than cooking for someone. When you cook, you are showing someone that you care enough to spend your time making them something. Is there really anything more personal? I don’t think so. It might be cliche…but in my opinion there is nothing more romantic than sharing a meal with someone that you made yourself.
Since we are getting close to Valentines Day I thought I would start off by sharing this wonderful cupcake recipe. Now I wish I could take credit for it…but that would be a lie. This is actually one of my all time favorite cake recipes and I have been making a version of it for years. It is Beatty’s Chocolate Cake by the Barefoot Contessa, and it is amazing, decadent and fool proof. Before I was a clean eater, I would make this recipe anytime I had to bring a dessert. Therefore, I was determined to find a way to make it “clean.” I swapped out the refined flour, oil, and sugar for whole food ingredients and happily it tastes just as good as I remembered! Now, I did change up the frosting recipe to one of my own, but if you want to make the one she suggests with the recipe, it would be delicious as well. Check out the original recipe here, you wont be disappointed.
Enjoy!
Local Ingredient: Local Wildflower Honey (purchased from a local farm stand).
Sift all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
In another mixing bowl whisk together all the wet ingredients.
Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing on slow speed. Then pour in the hot coffee and mix only until incorporated.
Line a muffin time with cupcake liners. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into each.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.
While the cupcakes are cooling, combine the ingredients for the frosting. Whip until it becomes fluffy.
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups turbinado sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken (cold)
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 eggs large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup hot fresh brewed coffee
16 oz cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons butter, softened
6 tablespoons organic honey
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 orange, zested
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl sift together the whole wheat pastry flour, turbinado sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt.
- In another small mixing bowl whisk together the buttermilk, coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla. Make sure the coconut oil is liquid but not warm (preferably room temperature). I warmed it up in the microwave and then allowed it to cool on the counter before I added it to the wet ingredients. Tip- once the coconut oil is added to the cold buttermilk it will start to solidify, this is okay, just make sure you you are ready to immediately add the wet ingredients to the dry.
- Using an electric mixer on the slowest setting mix the dry ingredients together, until they are combined.
- With the mixer still on low, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix until all the ingredient are combined. Be careful not to over-mix, the mixture will still be somewhat dry.
- Pour in the hot coffee and mix on low only until the coffee is incorporated (be careful not to over-mix).
- Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into each of the cupcakes liners in the muffin tin.
- Bake on 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Once the cupcakes are done, immediately remove them from the muffin tin and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the cupcakes are cooling combine the cream cheese, butter, honey, vanilla extract and orange zest together in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer and whip until all the ingredients are well incorporated and the frosting is fluffy.
- Spread on the cooled cupcakes and enjoy!
[…] excited then this one came out as good as it did. The cake itself is amazing, but then you add our cream cheese icing, and well, its […]