Gopi's Monster Cupcakes

Alright!! Breaking away from all that healthy sprouted wheat flour for a moment - this cupcake recipe was inspired by the request of my sweet and powerful little friend Madhavi! :-)  They are light both in texture and flavor, super fluffy, very tasty and more-ish. :-) Hope you like these girl!

 Makes 8 monster size cupcakes.

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all purpose flour (sift if necessary)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 heaped TBSP fresh lemon zest
1 handful dried cranberries or blueberries (optional)
1 handful carob or chocolate chips (optional)
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup milk
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup safflower oil
8 baking cups

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix lemon into milk to make it sour. Mix other wet ingredients and then mix everything together nicely. Spoon into baking cups and bake in preheated oven at 365 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake approx 20-25 mins til golden brown on top.

To test done-ness, lightly press your finger on the surface of the cake and if the depression you created springs back, then its done.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. Drizzle with frosting if you so desire. :-) Bon appetite!

*To turn these into fairy cakes, simply cut the tops off, and decorate with your favorite frosting/cream etc. The tops a quite delectable in their own right! ;-)


Icing:
2 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup icing sugar or cake frosting

Mix well and drizzle over the cupcakes when they are room temperature.

Moist Cinnamon Carob cake

This dark, moist, fluffy cake is delicious, and when its warm it almost tastes like chocolate, but its not! 

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup pancake waffle mix
1 tbsp baking soda
4 TBSP cinnamon powder
1 - 2 TBSP double strength vanilla essence
1 cup carob chips
1/3 cup small crystallized ginger pieces (optional)
1/2 cup cranberries
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup safflower oil
water as required to make a runny dough, but thick enough to drop slowly from spoon

Method

Preheat oven - temp 375 fahrenheit

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add wet ingredient and whisk til smooth. Pour into a greased cake pan and bake til springy to the touch and deep brown - approx 45 mins.

Make a butter vanilla icing and pour over cake while its still warm to absorb some of the flavor into the cake..
Serve warm or cool..as is or with whipped cream..nomnomnom..!! :-)

Cinnamon Cranberry Log

This delicious cinnamon log is a great hit in our house! :-) I made it with extra pizza dough we had after we had no toppings left to make more pizza!

Ingredients

A ball of yeast dough approx as much as you can comfortably hold in your cupped hands

Approx 1 TBSP fresh Lemon rind - or fresh orange rind would be good too

Approx 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice - or fresh orange juice

Approx 1 cup brown sugar

Cinnamon
Cranberries
Carob chips
Melted butter

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Just make a regular yeast dough.When dough is ready to use roll it out on a floured surface to about a millimeter thick.

Brush butter over the dough.

Mix brown sugar, lemon rind, and lemon juice together. Spread onto the dough evenly. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon powder. Then with cranberries and carob chips. Roll it up tightly -- like you would a carpet -- and seal the edges. Brush with butter and place into a greased bread tin which has been sprinkled with poppy seeds.

Bake til golden brown. Remove from tin and cover with a wet paper towel and a dish cloth to keep crust soft. Remove when cool.

Icing

Approx 3 TBSP soft butter
1 tbsp alcohol free vanilla essence
Approx 1 cup icing sugar

Whisk together til smooth and drizzle over the cooled cinnamon log.

Cut into slices and serve with a hot drink e.g. malted barley cup. :-)

Carob Chip Spice Muffins

I made these tasty muffins for our lunch dessert today. Makes approx 14 muffins. To make them vegan simply use banana instead of yogurt as the "egg re-placer". Check 'em out! :-)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup wheat germ
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 Tbsp baking soda
3 Tbsp cinnamon powder
1 1/2 Tbsp nutmeg powder
1 cup carob chips
1 cup raisins
1 cup crystallized ginger small pieces
2 Tbsp vanilla natural essence
1 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup safflower oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt or 1 banana mashed into a puree (I like using banana because it gives flavor)
Approx 4 cups water - use as needed to make a medium runny batter that drops from spatula slowly but easily.

Method

Mix all dry ingredients. Mix all wet ingredients separately. Then mix everything together. Oil the muffin trays, sprinkle with oat flakes, wheat bran or something else to help prevent sticking. Fill batter into muffin tray and bake in a preheated oven (385 degrees) for approx 25 mins or until golden brown. To test if down simply press your finger tip to the surface lightly, it will spring back when done.

Serve warm or cooled, straight or with apple sauce, custard, cream etc. You can glaze them if you like.