GF Carrot Cupcakes

I know you've all been making almond milk...and you just don't know what to do with all that pulp! Here is another recipe for you. (If you don't have surplus pulp, I suppose you could still make these all the same.)

These carrot cupcakes are moist, fluffy and soft. I used this recipe as a starting point, but made modifications to make them gluten and dairy free. They are not too sweet, so I say they qualify as everyday muffin fare if you don't have a special occasion to make them.

For you experimental gluten free bakers out there, the most important thing you need to know is that flax meal, chia seeds and eggs are your best friends for binding all the other ingredients together. Also, if you use both baking powder and soda in a recipe you will get a lot more rise than if you use just baking powder alone.

These are delicious without frosting, but even better with. Ryan made the frosting for this, adapted from frostings we used to make in our raw food days, a blend of cashews, dates, coconut milk and other goodies. It's a little more like a sauce than a stiff frosting.

          Gluten Free Carrot Cupcakes
          (2 dozen large or 4 dozen small cupcakes)

1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups sugar (I used one cup evaporated cane juice and one cup sucanat)
1 cup almond milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice in it (let sit for 10 min)
1 pound carrots
3 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of one orange
1 1/2 cups oat flour
1 cup flax meal
1 cup almond pulp (or more oat flour if you don't have any pulp)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Set oven to 350F. Toast walnuts in oven for 5 minutes. Grate carrots, and add the almond milk, eggs, olive oil, vanilla, orange zest, and sugar, almond pulp (if using) and mix well. Combine the other ingredients together in a separate bowl and fold into the wet mix. Fold the walnuts in, being careful not to over-mix. Fill silicone muffin molds or greased tins 3/4 full (these rise) and bake for 15-25 minutes until firm and golden. Allow to cool before frosting.

While you are baking the cupcakes, make the frosting. Have on hand 1 cup soaked cashews (soak for about 1-2 hours).

Coconut-Cashew Frosting

1 cup soaked cashews
1 1/2 cups coconut cream or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
contents of 1/4 vanilla bean
6 pitted medjool dates
3 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Blend until smooth, Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate to help set. Once cupcakes and frosting have cooled, you may frost!