A few years ago, gourmet cupcake shops started popping up on every corner in cities all across America.

Apparently, cupcake shops were the new coffee shops. People would stand in line for up to an hour for these babies! Crazy, I know!

Believe it or not, this fad is still going strong so rather than be tempted by the warm, sugary scent wafting out of these shops, I decided to create my own delicious recipe.

Makes 12 servings

CUPCAKE INGREDIENTS 

• 1 c coconut milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• ¼ c maple syrup
• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 c gluten-free flour
• 1/3 c cacao powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt

LIP LICKIN’ FROSTING INGREDIENTS

• ¾ c coconut butter
• 2 c xylitol
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp coconut flakes

DIRECTIONS 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. Start making the cupcakes by adding coconut milk and apple cider vinegar to a medium size bowl and set aside for 3 – 4 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Add to the coconut milk mixture.
4. Sift together flour, cacao powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in medium-size bowl.
5. Pour wet ingredients into the flour mixture, mix well and pour evenly into liners.
6. Bake 18 – 20 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Meanwhile, make frosting by blending xylitol in a Vitamix to turn it into a powder. Pour it into a food processor and add coconut butter, vanilla extract and coconut flakes, processing until smooth.
8. Once cupcakes have baked and cooled, top with icing and enjoy!

SUBSTITUTIONS/ALTERNATIVES 

Use your favorite gluten-free flour for this recipe. I love to use brown rice and sorghum flour but there are several others you can use instead. You can also add a touch of fresh beet to the frosting to make it pink! Get creative and top it with fruit for added health benefits and deliciousness!

TRANSFORMATIONAL NUTRITION BENEFITS

Coconut butter is the perfect choice for shiny sleek hair! It acts as a natural conditioner, moisturizing your tresses from the inside out. It even helps protect your strands from UV rays and reduces dandruff so you always have a good hair day.