When we lived in Israel, we were very fortunate to be surrounded by citrus orchards, and now, here in Portugal, we have our line of orange and lemon trees that extend down the driveway. The trees are abundant each winter, and I struggle to use all those oranges. I managed to boil and freeze a dozen for this recipe, and twice weekly, I fill a basket full to last us through with freshly squeezed juices in the mornings. After yoga practice, I peel and chop bowls full to offer to the class. I have also been making big pots of marmalade jam to last us through the year. Scooping it up and serving it on homemade bread to warm and brighten these damp, chilly days.
But still, so many end up on the ground…
~ orange blossoms
These are deliciously flavoured orange vegan cupcakes.
The boiled whole orange, blended with the wet ingredients, gives these cupcakes a clean, vibrant, and refreshing flavour. The coconut gives them a crusty outside and moist, light crumb inside. I love to serve them with a dollop of thick Greek yoghurt drizzled with honey for a sweeter cake.
I have made this as a cake and drizzled it lavishly with vegan lemon-zested frosting – the recipe is below. Or, for a more festive occasion, this pomegranate jewel cake.
citrus coconut cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes (I use these sized baking cups.)
Recipe was adapted from Amy Chaplin’s ‘At Home in the Wholefood Kitchen. ‘
ingredients
1¾ cups/215g whole-spelt flour
1½ tsp aluminium-free baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
1¼ cups/100g, dried unsweetened, shredded coconut – divided
1 medium navel/Valencia orange, boiled
1 cup/280g maple syrup (replace with 1 cup/180g brown sugar plus 1 cup/245g almond milk)
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp/50g extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
½ tsp rock salt
1 Tbsp vanilla essence
strips of lemon & orange zest to garnish, optional
prepare the orange
- Place a whole orange in a medium pot, cover with water, and bring up to boil over high heat. Cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 – 50 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside to cool. You can also boil a few oranges in advance and freeze them for up to three months.
prepare the cake
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a muffin tray with 12 paper liners and set aside.
- Grind ¾ cup of coconut in a food processor for 1 minute. Add the flour, baking powder, and soda, and blend to combine. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the remaining dried coconut. Set aside.
- Cut the boiled orange into quarters, remove any seeds, and cut each piece in half. Then, place in the food processor. Add the maple syrup, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and vanilla—blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Pour into the flour mixture, and use a spatula to stir until just combined; do not overmix.
- Distribute batter among lined muffin tray, filling them almost to the top.
- Place in oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Set aside to cool for a few minutes in the tray, then remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve with thick Greek yoghurt or coconut cream drizzled with honey, garnished with strips of citrus zest, or covered with lemon-zested frosting (below).
lemon-zested vegan frosting
ingredients
1 x 400ml unsweetened full-fat coconut milk
3 Tbsp agar flakes
6 Tbsp maple syrup
⅛ tsp turmeric powder
pinch rock salt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp lime juice
3 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
preparation
- Add coconut milk, agar flakes, maple syrup, turmeric, and salt to a medium saucepan; whisk to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat, whisking every minute or so. Cover and reduce heat to low—simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, whisking every 5 minutes or until agar is completely dissolved.
- Remove from heat and whisk in the lemon, lime, and orange juices. Pour into a wide bowl; once the mixture stops steaming, place it in the fridge until completely hard, about 1 hour.
- Remove the frosting from the fridge and cut it into chunks. Place the chunks in a food processor and add the vanilla. Blend until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Place in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use; it will continue to thicken as it cools.
Goodness shared from Stacey
