Yesterday was Brandon's 37th birthday, so I had to allow myself one day to cheat on my diet. The kids and I made cupcakes for his birthday from scratch using healthy ingredients, instead of a box mix. I really had a tough time the past few weeks craving sweets so I was truly looking forward to this, however I don't think they came out as good as I expected. I am probably my own worst critic when it comes to things I make, but everyone else thought they were good. So here's the recipe:
Chocolate Cake:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup coconut milk
9 eggs
1 1/2 cups Stevia blend ( I used Ideal sugar substitute for baking)
3/4 teaspoon salt (I did not include this)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sifted coconut flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
Melt coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add cocoa powder and coconut milk and mix together. Remove from heat and set aside. In a bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir in cocoa mixture. Combine coconut flour with baking powder and whisk into batter until there are no lumps. Pour batter into a greased 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 min or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. I made about 18 cupcakes with this recipe and baked them for about 25 ish minutes. I actually forgot to set the timer, but did manage to get them out at just the right time. Cool and cover with frosting of your choice.
Frosting:
1 package of sugar -free instant pudding mix (I used an organic pudding mix that you cook, I recommend that you do this the night before if you go this route)
1 3/4 cups coconut milk
1 8 oz package of fat free cream cheese
1 container of lite frozen whipped topping, thawed (I made my whipped cream from scratch)
In a medium bowl, combine the pudding mix and milk. Mix well and let stand until thickened. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add pudding and mix well. Finally, fold in whipped topping.
Whipped cream:
1 cup of whipping cream
2 tablespoons of Ideal Confectionery sugar substitute
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Put whipping cream, two tablespoons of sugar and vanilla in a chilled mixing bowl. Beat on high until soft peaks form. Taste and adjust vanilla and sugar if desired.
After I frosted the cupcakes I topped them with toasted raw coconut flakes. Raw coconut flakes are unsweetened. To toast them I spread them in a single layer and put them in the already warmed oven, from baking the cupcakes, for about 5 minutes.
The cupcakes came out very dense, which is expected of coconut flour, but I felt they didn't have enough chocolate flavor. Next time I think I'll add some chocolate chips or better quality cocoa powder. I just used what I had on hand. The frosting came out very light flavored as well and much more the consistency of melted whipped cream. It didn't seem like a frosting at all, but would probably taste wonderful with a jello or pudding trifle. I think I'll play around with these recipes some until I get a more desired result. I don't feel entirely too bad about the cupcakes, at least they were "healthier" than the alternative.
We also went out to see Tron at the theater and then out to eat at Lone Star Steakhouse. Brandon has been dying for a steak for quite some time now. Poor thing, I've been depriving him of red meat for way too long. We usually eat chicken or ground turkey. I really didn't feel like salad so I ordered the chicken tortilla soup, which was very good. I also ordered the spinach and artichoke dip and chips to split with the kids. It was SOOOO good. Of course, I had two yummy rolls as well and two glasses of lemonade. I haven't the slightest idea about the nutritional facts, but it was my "cheat" day after all. Unfortunately, when I weighed myself this morning I also gained 2 lbs.... UGH!!!
The rest of the week went well. When I went shopping for cupcake ingredients I also bought groceries for next week. On Sunday I start Phase 2 and I get to eat fruits again. Yay! I've planned out my menu for the entire week which will have much more variety than the past two weeks. I even cut up all the fresh fruits and made a fruit salad, then divided it up into individual servings and put them in the freezer. Hopefully it won't take long for me to lose these extra 2 lbs I put on yesterday and I can get back on track.
Chocolate Cake:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup coconut milk
9 eggs
1 1/2 cups Stevia blend ( I used Ideal sugar substitute for baking)
3/4 teaspoon salt (I did not include this)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sifted coconut flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
Melt coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add cocoa powder and coconut milk and mix together. Remove from heat and set aside. In a bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Stir in cocoa mixture. Combine coconut flour with baking powder and whisk into batter until there are no lumps. Pour batter into a greased 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 min or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. I made about 18 cupcakes with this recipe and baked them for about 25 ish minutes. I actually forgot to set the timer, but did manage to get them out at just the right time. Cool and cover with frosting of your choice.
Frosting:
1 package of sugar -free instant pudding mix (I used an organic pudding mix that you cook, I recommend that you do this the night before if you go this route)
1 3/4 cups coconut milk
1 8 oz package of fat free cream cheese
1 container of lite frozen whipped topping, thawed (I made my whipped cream from scratch)
In a medium bowl, combine the pudding mix and milk. Mix well and let stand until thickened. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add pudding and mix well. Finally, fold in whipped topping.
Whipped cream:
1 cup of whipping cream
2 tablespoons of Ideal Confectionery sugar substitute
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Put whipping cream, two tablespoons of sugar and vanilla in a chilled mixing bowl. Beat on high until soft peaks form. Taste and adjust vanilla and sugar if desired.
After I frosted the cupcakes I topped them with toasted raw coconut flakes. Raw coconut flakes are unsweetened. To toast them I spread them in a single layer and put them in the already warmed oven, from baking the cupcakes, for about 5 minutes.
The cupcakes came out very dense, which is expected of coconut flour, but I felt they didn't have enough chocolate flavor. Next time I think I'll add some chocolate chips or better quality cocoa powder. I just used what I had on hand. The frosting came out very light flavored as well and much more the consistency of melted whipped cream. It didn't seem like a frosting at all, but would probably taste wonderful with a jello or pudding trifle. I think I'll play around with these recipes some until I get a more desired result. I don't feel entirely too bad about the cupcakes, at least they were "healthier" than the alternative.
We also went out to see Tron at the theater and then out to eat at Lone Star Steakhouse. Brandon has been dying for a steak for quite some time now. Poor thing, I've been depriving him of red meat for way too long. We usually eat chicken or ground turkey. I really didn't feel like salad so I ordered the chicken tortilla soup, which was very good. I also ordered the spinach and artichoke dip and chips to split with the kids. It was SOOOO good. Of course, I had two yummy rolls as well and two glasses of lemonade. I haven't the slightest idea about the nutritional facts, but it was my "cheat" day after all. Unfortunately, when I weighed myself this morning I also gained 2 lbs.... UGH!!!
The rest of the week went well. When I went shopping for cupcake ingredients I also bought groceries for next week. On Sunday I start Phase 2 and I get to eat fruits again. Yay! I've planned out my menu for the entire week which will have much more variety than the past two weeks. I even cut up all the fresh fruits and made a fruit salad, then divided it up into individual servings and put them in the freezer. Hopefully it won't take long for me to lose these extra 2 lbs I put on yesterday and I can get back on track.
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