Chocolate Quinoa Cupcakes with Raspberry Cream Cheese Icing

Chocolate Quinoa Cupcakes with Raspberry Cream Cheese Icing

It’s berry season again and we’ve found a new local berry farm with an amazing range of delightful berries.  It’s Raven’s Creek Farm in Moriac and while they mainly have raspberries they also have loganberries, silvanberries, blackberries, youngberries and more!  They’re easy to pick and it’s makes a fun day out for the kids especially with the gorgeous little cafe which has great coffee, sweet and savoury treats and a produce store.  It’s only around 15 minutes from our home so I can see we’re going to enjoy the season!

the kids loved the raspberries best...

So with fresh berries galore and some free range roadside eggs I had a great idea to trying my new recipe discovery... Chocolate quinoa cake.  And with a 2 year old morning tea birthday party tomorrow I thought I’d turn them into Chocolate Quinoa cupcakes topped with raspberry cream cheese icing and a pretty raspberry on top.  Simply delightful.

a mixture of fresh berries...

Chocolate Quinoa Cupcakes with Raspberry Cream Cheese Icing

2/3 cup quinoa (well rinsed to remove bitterness)

1 ½ cups of water

100g raw or rapadura sugar

120g butter or coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla essence

4 free range eggs

80g milk or coconut milk

80g cocoa powder

1 ½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

• Rinse quinoa well to remove bitterness.  I’m using the lovely Mt Zero Australian Organic Quinoa at the moment.
• Place quinoa and water in a saucepan and bring to boil.  Then reduce to a simmer for around 15 minutes until the tails have fallen off and remove from heat to cool.  (or steam in your Thermomix)
• Grease muffin tins or use silicon moulds.  ( I found this mix made 12 medium and 12 mini cupcakes so I’m guessing it would make about 12 large ones)
• Preheat oven to 180° C
• Place sugar, butter and vanilla in Thermomix bowl and cream for 10 seconds on speed 6
• Add eggs and milk and mix for a further 10 seconds on speed 4
• Add cooled quinoa, cocoa, baking powder and salt and mix for a final 20 seconds on speed 4 scraping down if needed
• Spoon into tins and bake for 20 minutes for smaller cupcakes or 30 minutes for larger (or until they spring back when touched)

Raspberry Cream Cheese Icing

200g cream cheese

50g butter

Punnet of fresh or frozen raspberries

• Place all ingredients in Thermomix and blend or 10 seconds on speed 4
• Allow to cool in fridge for around 10 minutes before spreading over cooled cupcakes and decorating with a fresh raspberry on top

Healthy Wholesome Muesli

For the first time since having my 2^nd child (over a year ago) I had the day at home to myself.  Veggie daddy took the kids to the inlaws for the entire afternoon.  I spent the morning baking cheese and pesto scrolls, cutting up fruit, packing homemade banana biscuits and other snacks to keep their tummies happy not to mention spare clothes and nappies.

I had a list of things to do while they were gone but my main purpose of staying home was to get some posts written for you all to read… Well they’ll be home soon and I haven’t written much, but I have done plently of baking!

I have to admit that I struggled being on my own in the peace and quiet of home.  It was different than being at work which has a sense of purpose and I know the kids are home happily playing with Grandma or daddy.  But I managed to get those jobs done that can be more challenging with the kids, wash the floor, dusted their rooms, even went for a quick run.  But most importantly I cooked.  I made some gourmet muesli, high protein nut butter, prepared jars for my curing olives (didn’t get around to filling the jars), then finally dinner for tonight, a hearty vege shepherdless pie.

So lets start with the muesli first...

For many years I tried different types of gourmet muesli.  Sure most are delicious but they’re not something that can be eaten daily as often have added sugar or fats (and often cost the earth!).  Finding that perfect combination of grains, fruits and nuts which you won’t get bored with is the next challenge, not to mention the cost.  So in the past few years I’ve been making my own gourmet muesli.  The blend varies depending on what I have or feel like.  And if you like you could add coconut butter or honey before toasting to increase crunchiness or sweetness but I prefer without.

The muesli I made today was something like this…

Healthy Wholesome Muesli

3 cups rolled oats

½ cup amaranth flakes
½ cup quinoa flakes
½ cup chopped nuts (eg; almonds, hazelnuts)
½ cup shredded coconut
1 tbls cinnamon
½ cup seeds (eg; sunflower, pepitas)
1 cup chopped dried fruit (eg fresh dates, inca berries, goji berries, cranberries)

• Preheat oven to 180°
• Spread oats and cinnamon on a tray (drizzle with melted coconut butter or honey if desired) and bake for 10 mins
• Spread nuts, seeds and coconut on another tray and bake 5 mins (be careful not to burn coconut which I was close to today – but I actually like it well toasted)
• Cool before transferring to an airtight container to store

Serve with fruit, yoghurt and choice of milk.

Also great soaked overnight in apple juice Bircher style which makes the grains easier to digest.

Enjoy!