…with blood orange honey buttercream. YUM.
participating in mccormick gourmet’s go 4 gourmet contest has been the perfect “external motivation” to create some fun new recipes this fall/winter. i love the combination of orange and chocolate, and when our local natural foods store filled the bins with blood oranges, i knew how i wanted to play.
it’s almost new year’s, and while like most of us, i’m determined to get moving again on health-i-fying, i’m not completely done baking. so i’ve worked some delicious, and health-conscious, ingredients into this cupcake. 🙂
steeping thyme into the quinoa and then again into the frosting gives an almost smoky-savory hint to this rich dessert. the honey in the buttercream adds warmth and depth to the frosting, and the blood orange and orange liqueur add a tart element that brightens the whole thing! (my next goal is to make a frosting entirely with natural sugars.) i used my microplane to top these with shaved orange-essence dark chocolate.
my first batch of quinoa cake didn’t turn out so well – i tried doing a citrus glaze pour-over, and i didn’t blend the quinoa, resulting in a chewy-almost-crunchy cake that stuck to the pan. not-so-yum. these, though, have a bit of texture from the quinoa, but a near-pudding-ey texture that is hard to explain, but got devoured by my kiddos. in fact, i let them have the rest of the batch (the frosting had run out!) for breakfast. herbs and ancient grains, coconut oil and kefir – it’s the breakfast of champions!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (about 3/4 cup uncooked)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 cup buttermilk (I used milk kefir)
- 1 peeled, quartered blood orange
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 3/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- For Frosting:
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 peeled, quartered blood orange
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons orange liqueur
- 1 1/3 cup confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place cooked, cooled quinoa in blender with dried thyme, kefir (or buttermilk), 2 whole eggs, vanilla, coconut oil, and coconut sugar.
- Blend thoroughly.
- Sift in cocoa, baking powder, soda, and salt.
- Blend again thoroughly.
- In a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold in blender mixture.
- Scoop cupcake batter 3/4 full into well-sprayed or paper-lined muffin cups.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until tops spring back when lightly touched.
- For Frosting:
- Place second blood orange, honey, thyme, and liqueur into small saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for five minutes, or until syrup has thickened slightly.
- Strain, and allow to cool.
- Beat butter with confectioner's sugar, adding 1/3 cup at a time until a thick, creamy consistency is reached.
- Slowly stream orange reduction into frosting while beating.
- Pipe onto cupcakes.
want the recipe to print for yourself? here you go.
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