Posted by It’s been a while since I posted anything vegan. These vegan partially cooked cupcakes are like a Christmas present to me. Christmas has always been special. Studying in a convent we would always look forward to this time of the year. Before the winter break started there were a lot of activities – carol competition, Christmas tree decoration, social service week etc., which continued till almost Christmas and then the school would close for vacations till after new year. A few weeks ago I had made a blueberry tart which tasted awesome but unfortunately, I didn’t take down the measurement so couldn’t share the recipe. With that in mind, I wanted to create something that gave away Christmas vibe and looked pretty. I don’t know why but among berries whenever I see red currant it reminds me of Christmas or the red nose of ‘Rudolf’. It’s kind of metaphorical to me……never knew why? These raw cupcakes need a little patience but the end product tastes amazing. It’s a three layered cake with a creamy soft coconut dream cream followed by red currant cashew creamy layer and base (date – coconut – walnut) layer. Vegan or not you could still enjoy them – they are gluten-free and refined sugar-free.
Vegan Cupcake
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: vegan
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 3 hours (includes freezing time)
INGREDIENTS
Base:
Walnut (coarsely ground) 6 tbsp (heaped)
Pitted dates 6
Coconut (desiccated) 2 tbsp
Coconut oil 2 tsp
Filling:
Cashew nuts 120 g
Coconut oil 2 tsp
Maple syrup 50 ml + 50 ml
Red currant 1 cup
Orange juice 200 ml
Coconut cream 1 tbsp
Top layer:
Coconut cream 6 tbsp
Coconut water 1 tbsp (liquid at the base of coconut cream)
Coconut oil 1 tsp
Maple syrup 2 tbsp
METHOD
- Base: Put 10-12 walnuts in a processor and ground them to get around 6 tbsp of coarsely ground walnut.
- Put the pitted dates in the processor to get smaller bits and mix with the walnut, desiccated coconut and coconut oil (liquid) using fingers just like mixing butter with flour to make a crumble. You could also use the back of a spoon to press them together so that they can form a ball when pressed together.
- Spoon out the mixture and evenly divide into the 6 cups of a muffin tray and press with your fingers or back of a spoon.
- Freeze the base while you make the layers.
- Red currant cashew layer: Soak the cashew nuts overnight. Drain the liquid and blend the cashew nuts along with 1 tbsp of orange juice, maple syrup (50 ml), coconut cream and coconut oil till you get a creamy consistency. In an open pan combine rest of orange juice, maple syrup, and red currant.
- Let it reduce and thicken. Once cooled mix with cashew mixture till well combined Evenly divide the cashew mixture over the walnut base.
- Place a plastic wrap to avoid ice crystals Freeze for at least 2-3 hours
- Top Layer: Whip the coconut cream with the rest of the ingredient and place in a piping bag. Leave the piping bag in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. When the cakes are ready just take them out of the molds and pipe out the coconut cream over them. Enjoy
Note: Red Currants can be tart so taste the sauce before adding it to the cashew mixture. Add more maple syrup if you need. Place two pieces of paper in each muffin cup in a criss-cross pattern before putting the cake. This is a trick I learned from chef Kiran Jethwa in the ‘Fearless Chef’. This helps in lifting the cake out of the molds without spoiling then.
Magic Ingredient 