Mint Chocolate Cupcakes...

Do you like After Eights? Yeah they're pretty good... This recipe tastes even better, combining rich dark chocolate cake and velvety mint icing to form the most delicious combination.. Best of all? It's grain free and packed with lots of ingredients that actually benefit your health rather than making you feel bloated, sluggish or just work against your health and fitness goals...

For the chocolate cupcakes: 

• 150g dark chocolate (minimum 81% cocoa solids)
• 6 eggs, separated
• 3 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 60g ground almonds
• 2 tsp GF baking powder

Preheat oven to 150d (fan). 

Start by melting the chocolate over a low heat. Set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks with vanilla & honey until doubled in volume.

Fold in cocoa, ground almonds, baking powder and dark chocolate gently.

Whisk egg whites until they form stiff, opaque peaks.

Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture gradually. Adding it in 3 parts makes it much easier to combine without knocking out all the air.

Pour the mixture into lined cupcake tray and bake for 12 minutes (it took exactly 12 minutes imy oven, but since oven temps vary significantly, keep an eye on the cupcakes to prevent burning).

Set aside to cool.

For the mint icing:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 100g mascarpone 
• 1 tbsp Irish honey
• 2 tsp natural mint extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 25g dark chocolate, melted

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. 

Pipe generous rosettes of icing onto each cupcake & drizzle with melted chocolate. 

Nutella Cupcakes...

You're going to notice over the next little while that I kind of LOVED the homemade healthier version of Nutella .... Being honest, I needed to come up with some recipes to use it up or else I'd definitely eat it all myself with a spoon!

These Nutella Cupcakes are gorgeous!! They're rich and chocolatey, with just the right amount of sweetness in the icing. They're the perfect treat to really spoil yourself, or if you're looking for a recipe to show a friend that treats don't need to be loaded with unpronounceable ingredients, this is it!!! Spongy chocolate cupcakes with a creamy Nutella centre, topped with sweet chocolate icing and a crunchy hazelnut... Now seriously, who wouldn't want to eat that? 

For the cupcakes:

• 150g butter
• 2 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 160g ground almonds 
• 1 tsp GF baking powder
• 30g unsweetened cocoa powder 
• homemade Nutella 

Preheat oven to 160d. 

Mix the melted butter, honey and vanilla together until well combined. Add the egg yolks and beat well. 

Stir in the ground almonds, baking powder and cocoa. 

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. 

Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture gently. 

Place 1 tbsp of the cupcake mixture into the base of 12 cupcake cases. 

Spoon 1 tsp of the Nutella into the centre of each cupcake and top with the remaining cupcake mixture to cover the Nutella fully. 

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes until risen and firm.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack. 

For the icing: 

• 200g cooked sweet potato 
• 60g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 15g coconut oil 
• coconut milk/full fat cows milk

Peel, chop & boil the sweet potato until softened. 

Add the warm sweet potato, cocoa, vanilla and coconut oil to a food processor and pulse until smooth. 

You may need to add some coconut milk/cows milk to thin out the icing if you find it's too thick. 

Pipe the icing onto the cupcakes and top with a hazelnut. I drizzled the cupcakes with a little melted dark chocolate to make them extra delish :)