Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Meringue Frosting
Sweet and delicious! These pink-flecked pleasers are best made at the height of strawberry season!
Strawberry Cupcakes
Makes 8
Sweetness: Medium
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 8 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a large bowl, combine the coconut flour, arrowroot powder, salt, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, agave nectar, and vanilla extract. Blend the wet ingredients into the coconut flour mixture with a handheld mixer until thoroughly combined, then fold in the strawberries.
Scoop 1/4 cup of batter into each prepared muffin cup.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 1 hour, then frost and serve.
Strawberry Meringue Frosting
MAKES 3 CUPS
SWEETNESS: HIGH
My younger son eats this straight out of the bowl!
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh strawberries
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the agave nectar to a boil, stirring constantly. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 6 to 10 minutes, watching constantly and stirring occasionally, until the agave nectar darkens slightly from its original amber color, then remove from the heat and set aside.
In a deep bowl, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks using a handheld mixer. Be sure to push the beaters around the bowl to incorporate air into the whites. This step is important; if your egg whites are not whipped to stiff peaks, the recipe won’t work. Stop whipping as soon as the egg whites are stiff; overwhipping will result in egg whites that are dry and grainy. The foam of the whites will be stiff enough to stand up in well-defined, unwavering peaks.
Drizzle the warm agave nectar very slowly into the egg whites, while whipping with a handheld mixer, to keep the peaks stiff. The meringue will become pearlescent and shiny.
Allow to cool to room temperature, then fold the strawberries into the meringue. Use right away.
“Reprinted with permission from Gluten-Free Cupcakes: 50 Irresistible Recipes
Made with Almond and Coconut Flour. Copyright © 2011 by Elana Amsterdam, Celestial Arts,
an imprint of Ten Speed Press, a division of the Crown Publishing Group,
Berkeley, CA. Photo Credit: Annabelle Breakey.”