Raw Carrot Chocolate Cupcakes with Blueberry Frosting

When I found this recipe on http://fragrantvanillacake.blogspot.com.au it was a layered cake but me myself am a big fan of bite sized treats so I made the cake into cupcakes. What I love about these cupcakes are they don't even look raw. They actually look fluffy and like they have risen in the oven.

Blueberries are one of my all time favourite berries so this recipe really stood out as a favourite. Blueberries are rich in micronutrients containing essential mineral manganese, vitamin C, vitamin K and dietary fibre. Above all of that nutrients they taste absolutely amazing.




I find raw cupcakes very therapeutic to make due to the fact you have to make them look like cupcakes and it takes precision to ice them nicely and correctly to make them look presentable. Frosting cupcakes is one of my favourite things to do ever since I mastered the art of the piping bag. I mastered piping frosting by baking normal cupcakes on a regular basis for friends and family but I never ate my cupcakes I always gave them away because I loved people's emotions and smiles whenever they ate them. Then I discovered raw cupcakes and I ditched the oven and gained a food processor and blender.....best investment ever if I may add.

Another good investment which I found absolutely perfect for raw vegan cupcakes are silicone cupcake liners. Just roll the cupcake dough into a ball then pack it into one of these babies and take the dough out of the liner and voila! Its in the shape of a cupcake....no one will ever know the difference.







Raw Carrot Chocolate Cupcakes with Blueberry Frosting


Cake:
1 1/2 cups carrot pulp
1 cup soft medjool dates, pitted
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 1/4 cups raw coconut flour
1/2 cup raw cacao powder

1 cup water or until mixture comes together as a dough

Frosting:
1 1/2 cups fresh organic blueberries
4 soft medjool dates, pitted (if not soft, soak them in filtered water 30 minutes and drain well)
a pinch sea salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp raw coconut oil, warmed to liquid

blueberries, to decorate


For the cake, combine the carrot pulp, dates, vanilla, and sea salt in a food processor and process until it is well combined and the carrots are very finely chopped.  Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth and well combined. Add the water 1/4 cup at a time, you just want the mixture to come together as a workable dough, make sure you don't add too much that it becomes sticky and unmanageable.  Line up your silicone cupcake moulds and roll balls of mixture which will fill the moulds  Place the balls of mixture into the liners and press down to fill and shape the ball and then peel back the liner from the cupcake and place the cupcakes on a tray ready to be frosted. 

To make the frosting, combine the berries, dates, sea salt and vanilla in the blender and blend until smooth.  Add the coconut oil and process until smooth (if it is clumpy at all, it probably needs to warm up a little, so process until it is not lumpy).  You will be using the frosting right away before it starts to set up.

To frost the cupcakes, spoon the frosting into a piping bag with a star shaped nozzle and pipe from the outer edge inwards toward the middle, finishing off with a quick upwards flick of the piping bag, this makes that peak in the middle of the frosting. Do this to all the cakes then place a blueberry on the top of each frosting peak. Store in the fridge to keep the cake and icing set. Serve and enjoy!!