I never will forget that moment in my life when I began questioning if it was really possible that sugar was the root of all evil in our diets. After Barbara Walters had her quadruple (or however many) bypass surgery she had Dr. Oz on as a guest of The View. This was pre-Whoopie and Rosie, post-Star Jones and all the other annoying hostesses they've had on the show. Anyway, in a passing comment I heard Dr. Oz claim that sugar was a serious contributor to plaque buildup in our arteries. He said it as they were going to commercial break and while others were yapping about something else that was said during the segment, but it was an audible statement that made its way to me. Refined sugar is simply not good for our health. My mind could not wrap itself around this concept. After all, grandmothers all over the world bake pies and cakes with it. They make dishes like spaghetti or sweet potato casserole with sugar. Sugar has been around for practically forever. How in the world can it be bad for us? It's everywhere we look!
About 2 years after I became aware of this possibility, I was told by my doctor to lay off sugar as well as the other foods that I am allergic to. Seriously? How does someone make it through life without a delicious sweet treat? I mean seriously, we can't take life and food to that extreme can we? I had a friend over the day the doctor told me to lay off sugar and was telling her about the report. She looked at my kitchen counter and just burst out laughing. It was literally covered with 2 huge bags each of powdered sugar, refined sugar, flour, and chocolate chips I picked up from SAMs the day before. I was getting ready for "birthday season" and the holidays. I was ready for some serious baking to take place.
Fast forward one year later and you will find me six weeks into a lifestyle that has no tolerance for pro-inflammatory foods such as refined sugars, grains, and dairy. That's right, it took me one plus years to be brave enough to make this jump! I'm a really slow learner sometimes. I have cut out foods that I am allergic to and am trying to focus on taking the time to get myself healthy again. I have discovered that this is not as bad as I have feared for so long. Thankfully, there are plenty of very talented people who have fought this battle before me and have shared their favorite recipes for those times when you just need a sweet treat. We have to remember though, that's exactly what it is; a treat. We can not allow ourselves to eat a cupcake every single day.
I am super stoked to post this cupcake recipe I discovered from an angel sent straight from heaven, Danielle Walker of Against All Grain. This girl seriously has the "clean" baking thing figured out! After a few very minor tweaks, I am ready to share this with everyone. These guys are so good my husband ate... well, a few last night. He is one of those very lucky people in the world that can say "I'm done with sweets" and have no problem with that concept for the future. I took this as a sign that the cupcakes were actually as good as I thought they were.
Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
makes 1 dozen
Ingredients:
- 2½ cups Almond Flour
- ¾ tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
- ⅔ cup Raw Honey
- ⅓ cup Grass-fed Butter; diced in small pieces
- 4 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 1 TBSP Lemon Juice
- 1 TBSP Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup Strawberries; finely chopped
- 2 Egg whites, room temperature
- ⅓ cup Raw Honey
- ¼ tsp Lemon Juice
- ¼ cup pureed Strawberries
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Line a standard muffin tin with baking cups.
- Combine the honey, butter, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla in a food processer or blender. Puree on medium speed for 1 minute or until frothy and smooth.
4. Add the dry ingredients and blend on high for 1 more minute. The
batter should be very smooth and contain no lumps. If needed, scrape
down the sides with a spatula and blend again for a few seconds until
all of the dry mixture is incorporated.
5. Gently fold the chopped strawberries in by hand. Divide the batter
evenly into the muffin tin, filling about ¾ of the way full.
6. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick can be inserted into the
middle and comes out clean.
7. Let the cupcakes cool completely on the counter before frosting.
Frosting
- Once the cupcakes have cooled, make your Italian meringue.
- Bring your honey to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
3. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites and lemon juice until frothy and you
can just begin to see trail marks from your beaters. When you lift out
the beaters, you should see soft peaks.
4. With the beaters or mixer running, slowly pour in the boiling honey in
a steady stream. Continue beating for 6-8 minutes, until the meringue
is cool to the touch.
5. Gently fold in the strawberry preserves. Put the frosting into a piping
bag for a pretty design, or spread onto cupcakes with a knife.
Tips
- For easier separation, separate the whites from the yolks when they are cold.
- Meringue will not stiffen if you use a dirty bowl (usually because of leftover oil) or let any of the yolk get in with the whites
- Over beating will cause the meringue to fall. Stop once you can lift the beaters out and see stiff peaks.
- The frosting needs to be piped immediately and is best served immediately as well. Once it’s on the cupcakes though, it will hold up in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
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