Espresso Cupcakes

When I say Espresso Infused Salt… what do you think of?

I asked myself that question when I saw Espresso Infused Sea Salt at this beautiful tea and spice shop in Stillwater Minnesota. We went to pick up some organic loose leaf tea and I HAD to purchase the salt too. It’s called Spice and Tea Co. and they are quite amazing. I got to meet the owner of this shop and she let me try roasted garlic and gave me a sample bag of her toasted amaranth she just recently bought home from Guatemala. (Which I am still thinking of how to use that in a recipe). Overall it was a wonderful shopping experience and I got a recipe idea from being there.

So to answer my above question…I thought… how about Espresso Cupcakes topped with the Espresso Infused Sea Salt? That shopping trip birthed this deliciously decadent recipe.

These would be considered a “splurge” cupcake. Or a splurge by my standards. It has some dates and a little sour cream in the batter, along with a cream cheese frosting. So it has some ingredients that I don’t always use in my cooking, but it is so worth it for these cupcakes. If you purchase the Infused Salt, then you have to go all out for the recipe. And don’t worry, you don’t have to have the special ingredient to make this recipe.

SUBSTITUTIONS:
Dates: If you don’t use dates, you can just omit them, nothing else to add or subtract from the recipe. There aren’t enough dates to really matter. They just add another level of sweetness to the recipe.
Coffee: You can use espresso or coffee for this recipe. If you really don’t want to use coffee, then you can substitute more coconut milk. (Although it will definitely make them just Chocolate Cupcakes)
Honey: Add 1 more teaspoon of stevia OR 1/4 cup of xylitol. This will change the texture of the muffins a bit, although they will still be very good.

Ingredients

6 Dates

1/2 cup coconut milk

3 eggs

1/4 cup raw honey

1/2 cup Prepared Coffee (or Espresso)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon Stevia

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tin with paper liners
• Using a food processor, pulse the dates until they form a paste
• Add in the coconut milk, eggs and honey and process until combined (you want the eggs beat well)
• Pour in the coffee about 2 Tablespoons at a time and food process in between. You don’t want the coffee to cook the eggs at all. Pour in the vanilla last and pulse once to incorporate that
• In a medium bowl add the dry ingredients: almond flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and stevia
• Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix with a hand mixer until the batter is smooth. Add the sour cream and combine. The batter will be more quite runny still. Let it sit for a couple minutes to let the coconut flour absorb some of the moisture
• Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, fill the muffin tins 3/4 of the way
• Bake for 28-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean
• Makes 12 cupcakes

 

Buttered Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 stick organic butter, room temperature

4 ounces organic cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoon stevia (or to taste)

3 Tablespoons prepared coffee or Espresso

Espresso Infused Salt, to top the cupcakes (optional, but delicious!)

• In a small bowl combine butter, cream cheese and stevia and beat with a hand mixer until combined until smooth
• Add in the coffee and immediately mix to combine. You want the warmth of the coffee to make a very smooth frosting.
• Frost the cooled cupcakes immediately after the frosting is made
• Top with the Espresso Infused Salt and Serve (you will probably have some extra frosting, or generously apply the frosting to the cupcakes!)
• Refrigerate the cupcakes to store…

PS. They are amazing straight out of the refrigerator. We found that out quickly!