Rosewater, Honey & Almond Cupcakes with Cashew Cream Frosting

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Vegetarian

Cupcakes are just boring ol’ muffins without a lucious icing, don’t you agree? But said such lucious icings are usually loaded with butter and sugar, which, on occasion, is delightful, but not exactly healthy. So I wanted to master a healthier frosting recipe for everyday use. After all, cake ‘everyday’ sounds pretty sweet, right?! This silky and sweet frosting uses soaked cashews as the ‘butter’ base and is lightly sweetened with Medjool dates & stevia. The sweet exotic flavours of Medjool dates, honey, almond & rosewater pair beautifully in this Middle Eastern-inspired sweet treat.  Enjoy!

Cupcake Ingredients:
2 large eggs, separated

¼ cup grapeseed oil

½ cup of liquid honey

1 tablespoon of rosewater

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 ½ cups of almond flour

½ teaspoon of sea salt

½ teaspoon of baking soda

Cashew Cream Frosting Ingredients
1 cup cashews (soaked for at least for 1/2 an hour)

Juice and zest of 1 large lemon

5 Medjool dates, pitted

7-15 drops stevia (depending on sweetness desired)

Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line 10 muffin trays with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until pale and yellow with a handheld mixer, then whisk the grapeseed oil, honey, rosewater, and lemon juice.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks with a handheld mixer. Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and baking soda, then gently fold into the egg mixture. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups.
5. To prepare the frosting, blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until silky smooth. Frost cupcakes once cooled and decorate with rose petals or lemon zest.

Nutrition Bite: Cashew nuts – Not only do cashews have a lower fat content than most other nuts, approximately 82% of their fat is unsaturated fatty acids, plus about 66% of this unsaturated fatty acid content are heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, similar to those found in olive oil.