With Little Miss Green Foot’s 2nd birthday in just 2 weeks, I’ve been on a hunt to find the healthiest version of a child’s chocolate cupcake.
Of course, after a quick taste test these little gems certainly qualify for a mama treat too!
Using ground almonds for calcium and protein, honey for natural energy, bananas for a great uptake of vitamins A C and B’s and a coconut based healthy chocolate icing means these really are a fun way to provide essential nutrients that our littlies need.
Chocolate Banana Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
- 300g ground almonds (or almond meal)
- 1/2 cup cacao or raw cocoa powder
- 3 organic eggs – lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons natural baking powder
- 150g ripe bananas – mashed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 cup cold pressed oil – almond, macadamia, sunflower or coconut
- 4 tablespoons raw honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160C.
- In a large bowl combine ground almonds, cacao and baking powder – mix well with hands to combine.
- Make a well in the centre and add vanilla, eggs, oil and vanilla. Mix to combine. Add banana and stir through.
- Once combined, pour mixture into lined individual cupcake pan.
- Bake for 25-30mins or until cooked through.
Chocolate Icing
Ingredients
- 25g dessicated *coconut butter (dairy butter is also fine)
- 125g tofutti better than cream cheese spread (dairy cream cheese is fine)
- 1/2 cup rapadura sugar – ground finely to resemble icing sugar
- 1/4 cup raw cacao or cocoa powder
- Hopper’s Sprinkles – optional
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a small bowl and mix wel with a fork until combined and there are no clumps. Set aside until cupcakes are cooled.
Notes
To make coconut butter, place a good cup of dessicated coconut into your food processor. Blitz on high speed for 3-4 mins – until coconut melts into a smooth creamy paste.
Although only 50g is required for this recipe, keep the remainder on hand, as it makes a yummy and healthy ‘nutella’ if you add some cocoa and some ground hazelnuts and honey!
I use Hoppers cake sprinkles and colourings, as they are made using completely natural fruit and vegetable based ingredients. The patty liners used are completely compostable, and do not contain any chlorine or aluminium. These, along with other products such as compostable and recyclable baking products can be found at health food stores or online at Vegan Online.
If you have a healthy cake recipe and would like to share with other mamas, please share in the comments!
Photo by Sheelah Brennan on Unsplash
