chocolate raspberry cupcakes, and a new mosaic

I've been in Goleta, CA near Santa Barbara for the past week installing a mosaic walkway for Ryan's sister and her beau at their house. It's gorgeous here, just up the road from a butterfly sanctuary, meadow, and a bluffy, beautiful beach. Look up and you'll be sure to spot a flock of pelicans in flight. Look down so that you don't step on sand fleas galore, or the occasional stranded jellyfish. 

I know all this because after a week of working very hard, I managed to finally get down to the beach...a much needed recharge to body and mind.

 

Tonight is our last night before heading home, and the mosaic is done! I am so happy that it is finished, and love the way it turned out. As usual, I underestimated the amount of work that it would be and ended up spending over 100 hours working on it, but it was worth it, as now their house looks like it is wearing a diamond ring. I have yet to name this mosaic, but it is inspired by the ocean meets mountain wonderland that is this part of the world. It is late in the afternoon as I shoot these pictures for you, and the sun is shining brightly on the entire mosaic. In the morning, the lighting will be ideal for the official portfolio shoot...this is just a sneak preview.

 

One thing I have been taking the time to do while here is cook and bake. I have been reading my way through the La Tartine Gourmande cookbook and it is incredible. She has brilliant recipes and lovely ideas. I highly reccomend that you get yourself a copy of this book (I know I will, as the copy I have now is borrowed from a friend). I was inspired by her savory muffins last week, and I made the most incredible quinoa and lemon pancakes this morning that are worth the book in themselves. As she cooks with a decidedly French flair (being French), I have been dreaming of souffles and quiches, fresh salads and rustic flavorful soups. 

These cupcakes are inspired by a recipe in her book. Of course, I had leftover almond pulp to deal with. And I used frozen organic raspberries instead of fresh, expensive ones. If you want a fluffier cake, add 1/2 cup of GF flour and a teaspoon of baking powder.

Thanks Béatrice, for your amazing ideas!

chocolate raspberry cupcakes

• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 7 TBS coconut oil
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 2 cups raspberries
• slivered almonds
• brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil muffin tins or 9 inch cake pan. If you are using a cake pan. line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper.

In a double boiler, melt the coconut oil with the chocolate chips. With a whisk mixer beat the eggs, sugar and salt until foamy and doubled in size. Add the almond pulp and cocoa powder and mix. Then add the melted chips and oil and mix until combined. Add 1 1/2 cups of raspberries and stir to combine. Scoop into oiled muffin tins or cups, filling all the way. Place 3-4 raspberries on each muffin, then sprinkle with slivered almonds and brown sugar. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until they are firm to the touch and a knife comes out clean. Allow to cool before removing them from the tins.

Lemon-Beet Lovecakes

In the event that you are looking for a romantic, blood red cupcake recipe for everyone's favorite Hallmark holiday, here you go.

I have been hankering to make these for a while. When I sat down to look at what others have thought of in the cupcake-colored-by-beets department I was not surprised to find that there are dozens of recipes out there on the myriad of food blogs. I was most inspired by this blog: My Diverse Kitchen. Nearly all the recipes out there either call for roasted or steamed or canned beets. I am TOO lazy to roast or steam if I think it unnecessary, so I simply pureed the beets along with the other liquid ingredients and it worked out just fine. Think of this as a naturally colored red velvet cake. The beet flavor is present but not overwhelming, and the texture is moist and slightly dense. The lemon and the small amount of cocoa powder compliment the beets in a wonderful, refreshing way. Best of all is the stunning color.

I learned about using olive oil in my baking from Jamie Oliver. I really love the flavor it imparts and it is now one of my go-to oils for baking. Yes, I know all that stuff about how heating olive oil converts it to something toxic...so if it really bothers you then use some other oil that doesn't have a bad rep when heated, like coconut oil or sunflower oil; the lovecakes will still be delicious. (While on the subject of substitutions and changes to the recipe, you don't have to put the egg in there if you don't want to.)

I am a lucky girl to have heart shaped cupcake molds in pink and red...but this recipe will work with regular cupcake molds as well.

 Lemon-Beet Lovecakes

2 medium-large beets (peeled and chopped)
2 oz (1/4 cup) lemon juice
1 TBS lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup olive oil
1 egg (optional)
3/4 cup flax meal
1 1/2 cup oat, millet, quinoa or other GF flour or a mix
1 tsp baking powder
2 TBS cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F
In a blender combine the beets through the egg and puree until very smooth. In a mixing bowl combine the flax meal through the salt. Add the beet mixture and stir to mix. Fill cupcake molds 3/4 full (these rise gorgeously). Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on cupcake size.

Frost if desired. I used the frosting recipe from the carrot cupcake recipe, but added the juice of one lemon and about 1/2 cup powdered sugar to it.

the sweet life

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!