The Great Muppet Cupcakes

I love the Muppets. 

All the shows, all the movies, everything. (I have a soft spot for The Great Muppet Caper..."We caught him red-handed!"//"What color were his hands before?")

Muppet-fanatic.

When given the opportunity to bring the Muppets to life in cupcake form to celebrate a friend's birthday, I jumped on it.

 

Hope you enjoyed the eye-candy.

The one where we disregard sugar.

These days, when you walk down the grocery store aisles, boxes and labels scream things like  "LOW FAT", "SUGAR-FREE", "DIET". It's all around us all the time: calorie counting, diets, health fads, no fat, no carbs, no sugar, no nothing.

As an avid baker and consumer of desserts, I have always tended down the path of moderation, sticking to my belief that anything that has had fat or sugar removed from it is not going to be nearly as enjoyable, so why even bother. My philosophy? Better to enjoy the fat and sugar in moderation than not at all.

Anyone who knows me knows that when I bake, I go decadent or I go home.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Case in point.

And generally speaking sugar and butter (lots of butter) are synonymous with decadent.

(This is probably why many of my friends and family blame me for significant weight gain when they hang out with me too often.) (whoops)

BUT that doesn't mean I'm not up for a challenge every now and then. And a challenge, I was met with indeed.

A few weeks ago, I was asked to bake a cake for my cousin's 30th birthday, and was informed that it needed to be diabetes-friendly.

Diabetes-friendly?

You mean...

...no sugar???

I immediately took to the interwebs to find a solution. On principle, I try to avoid using artificial sweeteners, if only for the semi-unpredictable effects on taste and texture. But outside of using splenda or truvia, I was coming up empty handed.

Until it hit me: PALEO.

Paleo diets stay away from all things processed, so if anyone would know how to make a cake without artificial sweeteners or sugar, it would be Paleo.

I immediately went to a great Paleo blog and though she didn't have quite what I was looking for, I eventually ended up here: http://paleospirit.com

And that's how I found the gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free chocolate cake that is probably the healthiest thing to ever be baked in my oven.

Paleo Chocolate Cake
Yields one 8 to 10 inch round or square cake (1 layer)

Here's what you need: 

10 dates, pitted
1 ripe banana (or 1 cup applesauce)
3 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil (I used a stronger one to emphasize the coconut flavor)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Here's what you do:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 or 9 inch square pan or 10 inch round (I used a spring form)

Puree the dates in a food processor or blender. (Be forewarned, they are real sticky and need a lot of encouragement)

Add banana and continue to pulse until pureed and combined with the dates.

Put the fruit purée to the bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs, vanilla, coconut oil and coffee and mix on low-medium speed until well combined.

Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix on low-speed, scraping down the sides, until you have a smooth batter.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.


Regarding the topping:

This cake is delicious just by itself, but it is nice to have a topping. You could use any form of buttercream, ganache, or whipped cream. I made whipped cream (which promptly relieved this dessert of it's dairy-free status) and sprinkled coconut flakes on top. Rumor has it coconut cream is whippable and makes a delightful topping.

The general consensus is that this recipe is not only diabetes-friendly and tolerable for those who are gluten-intolerant,  but also rich and decadent (and absolutely delicious). No sugar?

 Who'd thunk.

Once upon a scone

After an unintentional year long hiatus (whoops!), I am back to bring you more goodies from the White Girl Bakery.

This post is devoted to scones. Yummy, delectable, melt-in-your-mouth, wonderful scones.

I have always had a love-hate relationship with scones, because they tend to be hit or miss when you get them in a coffee shop or restaurant. You could stumble upon a light, flavorful, moist wonderful scone that compliments the steaming tea in your mug...Or you could be stuck with a dry, crumbly, flavorless chunk of something pretending to be a scone that you NEED your steaming mug of tea to wash it down with.

When I first tasted this recipe, I fell in love. And ate about 3 in one sitting. My roommate and I were on a mini-vacation in Philadelphia, visiting my cousin, and we decided to put together an impromptu tea party to enjoy while watching Downton Abbey. The recipe is one that my cousin got from a man named Fred, who I have never met but will forever live in gratitude to.

It's simple, it's easy, and you will find yourself digging deep to find enough self control to not eat them all as soon as they come out of the oven.

Orange Cranberry Scones
(Yields 6 large, 8 medium, or 12 small scones)

Here's what you'll need: 

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar (2 if using plain yogurt)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
Zest of one orange
2 eggs
1/2 cup yogurt (vanilla or honey)
~1/4 cup craisins
milk and sugar to sprinkle on top

Here's what you do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients. (This can be done in a food processor, although I prefer doing it by hand)

In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, yogurt, and orange zest. Combine wet and dry ingredients.

Mix in craisins (I find doing this by hand is easier than with a spoon).

For large or medium sized scones, form all the dough into a disc approximately 1-1.5 inches thick. Score into 6 or 8 wedges respectively. For small scones, divide the dough and form into 2 discs. Score into 6 wedges each. Brush the top with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

All that's left is to invite a friend over, brew your favorite cup of tea, and press play on Downton Abbey.