Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Delicious Apple Cake and Apple Muffins Recipes to Look Out For

Fall is a beautiful time of year to enjoy the leaves changing color, and apple picking season. Apple Day is an annual apple celebration held at orchards in October. The first event was held on Oct. 21, 1990; however, apple events are now held throughout the month of October.
                 
Apple Cake
Want a guilt-free apple cake? Try the following gluten-free, and vegan apple cake recipe:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of brown rice flour, 1 tbsp. of quinoa flour, 3 tbsp. of tapioca flour, 1/4 cup and 3 tbsp. of organic cane sugar, 1/4 tsp. of baking soda, 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. of xanthan gum, 1/4 tsp. of Celtic sea salt, 3 tbsp. of grapeseed oil, 2 tbsp. of vanilla rice milk mixed with a little vinegar, 1 tsp. of ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp. of warm water, 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract, 1 small apple, coarsely grated, makes about 3/4 cup, 3 tbsp. of chopped pecans.

Frosting:
3 tbsp. of vegan margarine or ghee, 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar, 1 tsp. of brown sugar, 1 tbsp. of maple syrup.

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Grease two small cans, lightly dust with brown rice flour, and place on a baking sheet for easy handling. Place the flaxseed mixture, oil, vanilla, and rice milk mixture in a small bowl, and whisk well.

Combine the cane sugar, baking soda, salt, flours, cinnamon, and xanthan gum in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients, and mix until everything is moist. Stir in the pecans and apple.

Divide the batter between the two pans, smooth the tops with the back of a teaspoon, and bake the cakes for about 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes at clean

Remove baking sheet from the oven, and transfer to a wire rack for 10 minutes to cool. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cans, invert them to release the cakes, and cool completely.

Prepare the frosting, by mixing the icing sugar and vegan margarine, then add the brown sugar and maple syrup and whisk well. Frost your cakes.

Apple Muffins
Here is a recipe for paleo apple muffins, with coconut butter frosting:

Ingredients:
3 eggs, 1/3 cup of honey, 1 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon,  1/2 tsp. of ginger, 1/4 tsp. of cloves, 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. of grey Celtic sea salt, 3 tsps. of baking powder, Coconut butter plus 1/2 cup for frosting, 2 cups of chopped apple, 1/2 cup of honey, 1/2 cup of water, 1 tsp. of vanilla extract.

Directions:
To make coconut butter, put as much shredded coconut as desired into a high-speed blender, and add a few tablespoons of coconut oil until it starts to thicken. The longer you blend, the smoother the butter will be.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whisk together eggs, spices, salt, honey, and baking powder. Stir in coconut butter until thoroughly combined. Add the apples, stir, and put into muffin tins. You can fill in more than regular muffins since these don’t rise as much. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until it is golden brown. Take from the oven and allow to cool.

In a food processor, or blender, you will blend together a half cup of coconut butter with vanilla, honey, and water, until it reaches a desired consistency. Spread it on the muffins or eat them plain.