Fresh Fruit Sweetened Carob Cupcakes
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Full credit for this recipe goes to Alaena Haber of Grazed and Enthused who originally shared this recipe as a guest post on The Paleo Mom’s website way back in 2015. Unfortunately, at some point the recipe went missing from both websites, and despite a follower sharing the information for Alaena to re-post, it was never put back up. Hopefully she won’t mind me sharing her beautiful recipe here … it looks like one that the AIP community doesn’t want to lose!
Alaena wrote:
“I wanted to make a birthday cupcake that AIPers or those on sugar-free diets could enjoy. The texture is very close to the birthday cake we’re all used to – dense, moist, and chewy. The frosting takes on an almost mocha flavor from the carob powder and I really could just eat a bowl of Birthday Frosting and never turn on my oven, but I wasn’t going to half-ass the birthday cake recipe.
I wanted to make a recipe with the texture of a real cupcake… dense, moist, but light at the same time. The carob powder lends the chocolate-y flavor while also absorbing some of the moisture from the pureed avocado, plantain, and blueberry. That’s right… cupcakes WITHOUT added sweetener and made with 3 varieties of fresh fruit. The fruit flavors do not come through in the final product though – they just provide the texture and natural sweetness. I do highly suggest weighing the plantain and avocado according to the recipe. I own a small kitchen scale that I find very helpful when baking with Paleo ingredients because of their finicky nature. The Chocolate Frosting is a very simple recipe that takes just 5 minutes to whip together and is delicious on its own. If you want your cupcakes to have as much frosting as the ones in the photos, I suggest doubling the recipe!
Enjoy these handheld treats on your next special occasion (“Tantalizing Tuesday” is a holiday, right?) Share them with your friends & family who will be shocked when you tell them they’re really eating a sweetener-free fruit cake!”
Want more of Alaena’s recipes, grab a copy of the cookbook she co-authored with Dr. Sarah Ballantyne – “The Healing Kitchen” it’s one of the most recommended in the AIP community – check it out here.
Fresh Fruit Sweetened Carob Cupcakes
♥ RECIPE & IMAGES BY: Alaena of Grazed and Enthused ♥ A cupcake that AIPers or those on sugar-free diets can actually enjoy!
Ingredients
- 9 oz peeled yellow plantain (about 1 large)
- 6 oz peeled and pitted avocado (about 1 large)
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
- 2 tsp organic vanilla extract
- ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup sustainable palm shortening
- 1 gelatin egg (click for directions)
- ½ cup + 2 T carob powder
- 1 T arrowroot flour
- 1 T coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Frosting Ingredients
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
TIP: It is strongly recommended that you weigh your plantain and avocado for best resutls as AIP baking can be finicky!
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9 muffin cups with silicone liners or grease well.
- In a high-powered blender (like a Vitamix) or food processor, puree plantain, avocado, ½ cup blueberries, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar and palm shortening until smooth. Pour in gelatin egg and pulse to combine completely, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add the carob, arrowroot flour, coconut flour, baking soda, and sea salt to the blender. Blend until combined. The batter should be fluffy and thick.
- Pour ¼ cup batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes until the tops spring back when lightly pressed.
- Let cool on wire rack completely before frosting. Store frosted cupcakes in a sealed glass contained in the fridge for up to 3 days.
For the Icing:
- Using a hand or stand mixer, whip cold coconut cream in a bowl for 5 minutes until fluffy and soft peaks form.
- Stir in carob powder, gelatin and sea salt until smooth.
- Keep frosting cold until ready to pipe or spread onto cupcakes.
*I place a 13.5 oz can of coconut cream in the refrigerator for a few hours and discard any coconut water that has separated from the cream. The coconut water can be used in smoothies and juices.