she cooks…he cleans

We had a JAWS (Blu-Ray) viewing party over the weekend, so I made these tiny carrot cakes.  I can’t think of a thing to tie these events together, so I guess I fail at theme parties.

Incredible taste aside, my favorite thing about carrot cake is the interesting texture.  The recipe is so forgiving, you can throw about anything in there and it just works.  This version has pineapple, chopped dates, coconut flakes, and walnuts – which, with the grated carrot, add up to a lot of different textures and flavors bursting out with each bite.  Coconut oil keeps it all moist, and the not-too-sweet buttery frosting is…well, they don’t call it the icing on the cake for nothing!

Ingredients (12 cupcakes):

• 1 cup almond flour (or 1/2 cup almond flour, 1/2 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour)
• 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large carrot, grated (about 1 cup)
• 8 ounces crushed pineapple (without the juice)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (walnut or almond oil also good)
• 1/4 cup chopped dates or raisins
• ~1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a muffin pan with silicone baking cups (or greased paper baking cups).

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (first 7 ingredients).  Add the grated carrot and toss to coat.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the pineapple, eggs, maple syrup, and coconut oil; mix to blend.  Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until ingredients are well blended.  Stir in the nuts and chopped dates.

Divide the batter among the 12 baking cups.  Bake at 350F for 18-22 minutes, until lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the cupcake comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 tablespoons butter (preferably from grass-fed cows)
• 1/4 cup amber maple syrup

Mix ingredients using an electric mixer until well-blended and creamy.

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Movie night! And what a flick indeed! If you haven’t seen Jaws recently, definitely pick it up on Bluray. It looks and sounds incredible, and seeing it again will terrify you all over again. Fun!

Bob Dylan’s newest album- his 35th, releasing tomorrow is 50 years since his recording debut. Amazing, he’s been creating great art as long as I’ve been alive! His latest, Tempest is getting good reviews. We’ll give it a spin and let you know!