Happy Birthday to James! He turns 1 today. He has been such a blessing to our family with his sweet spirit and amiable personality. We decided to make him vanilla cupcakes, nourishing real food style with cream cheese frosting. For birthdays I typically use organic coconut flour with raw honey, but since I am out for the month, sprouted flour will be just fine. I also wait until baby is about 18 months old before introducing honey, so this recipe uses sucanat instead. In general, I try to use a lot less sugar than most recipes – even the “real food” ones. as to assist my children in developing a healthy palate for what sweet is sufficient for a body to handle efficiently and without recourse. Treats are just that – a treat and shouldn’t be the main event, nor should anyone be in a coma or hyper-active after enjoying. This way we can enjoy our treats daily – whether it’s a cookie after lunch, or homemade ice cream after dinner – and still be uncompromisingly nourished.

Nourished Style Vanilla Cupcakes

makes about 26 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup organic butter
• 1 tsp real salt
• 1 TB GMO free baking powder
• 4 pastured eggs
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 2/3 cup filtered water (or raw milk, or coconut milk)
• 2 cups sucanat
• dash of stevia
• 1 tsp vanilla bean powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• about 4 cups sprouted flour (each flour has its own texture and requires slightly different amounts of hydration, so just watch for a good cake batter consistency as you mix)

Method:

1. Add ingredients to Blendtec (Vitamix) with wet ingredients first then dry.
2. If not using a blender, melt oils and add all ingredients to a mixer and mix well.
3. Bake in a pre-heated oven of 365 for 20-25 minutes (if you want them to rise, and 325 if you want them flat for frosting).
4. Remove and allow to cool fully before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 cup palm shortening
• 1 cup powdered sucanat (I powder it in my Magic Bullet – 1 cup at a time)
• dash of stevia
• dash of pink salt
• scant tsp of vanilla bean powder (I got mine from our Frontier buying club)
• 2-4 TB goat milk, or any raw organic milk (using goat for the baby)

Method:

1. Powder sucanat in Blendtec or Bullet – add 1 cup and let it run for 60 sec.
2. Mix cream cheese and shortening.
3. Add salt, stevia, and vanilla.
4. Alternatively add milk and sugar until well combined.
5. Allow to whip up at a higher speed until nice and fluffy.
6. Keep refridgerated until ready to frost cupcakes.