you're going to love these!

A few weeks ago I made a delicious two tier cake for my boyfriend's birthday. Finding gluten and dairy free baked goods can be so difficult. So, I decided to make something for him myself! It was such a hit...I just had to make it again! Last night, I did...but at the very last second - I decided to make them cupcakes instead. They turned out great and I know you will enjoy these. If you'd like to make this as a cake - just use two 8" cake pans instead of muffin tins :) These are gluten, grain, and dairy free. They can also be made refined sugar free by substituting maple syrup for the icing sugar in the icing. Recipe below. 

INGREDIENTS:

For the cupcakes:

3 cups super fine almond flour

2/3 cup tapioca flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

2/3 cup coconut sugar (reduce to 1/3 for less sweet)

splash of pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 tsp apple cider vinegar 

1/2 cup dairy free milk (I used almond/coconut milk)

4 tbsp melted coconut oil 

4 eggs

12 fresh raspberries

For the icing:

1 container (200 g) dairy free cream cheese (I used Violife...it's incredible and has clean ingredients)

1/2 cup vegan butter (I used Miyokos - works very well in baking and has clean ingredients)

3/4 cup icing sugar

1 lemon (I used Meyer lemon - you'll need the juice + the peel)

12 fresh raspberries

How to:

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit and prepare your muffin tin by greasing with coconut oil or lining with cups. Take vegan butter and dairy free cream cheese out of the fridge to allow to soften. In one large bowl, mix all dry ingredients until well combined. In a separate bowl mix all wet ingredients except for the raspberries Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix until well combined. Using an ice cream scoop, divide batter equally into prepared muffin tin. I decided to add one raspberry to each cupcake for some reason haha...so feel free to do that if you'd like! Place in oven for about 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. When the muffins have cooled - you can start making the icing. Add softened butter and cream cheese to a bowl. Beat on medium for 1 minute. Add the finely grated lemon peel, lemon juice, and beat for a few seconds. Add the icing sugar and continue to beat for another minute. Add to a piping bag (or what I did - added to a ziploc and cut the tip off) and start icing the cupcakes! I topped each one with one raspberry but you could definitely add more. I think combining a few fresh raspberries with the icing would be delicious as well. 

Again, if you'd like to make this as a cake just use two 8" cake tins instead of muffin tins. 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! 

P.S. - Happy first day of spring <3