Paleo blackberry spice cupcakes

“Jesus cake” is a recipe that has been in my boyfriend’s family for over 6 generations.  It is a 6 layer blackberry jam spice cake with caramel frosting made every year for Christmas (you know, Jesus’ birthday).  This cake is amazing, so different from anything else I’ve ever eaten.  Great for breakfast as well as dessert, and the farthest thing from paleo.  I first converted this into a paleo recipe at the beginning of the year, and it was spot on!  With all of the controversy over what is and is not a paleo sweetener, I’ve re-made the paleo recipe (below) without any form of sugar.  That’s right, no agave, no honey, no stevia – none of it.  Not the same as the original now, but it doesn’t get any more paleo than this!

Ingredients:

Cake –

15 pitted dates

1 1/2 cups boiling water

6 large eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 1/2 tbl. + 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

12 oz (~2 cups) blackberries

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup coconut flour

1 scoop Jay Robb vanilla egg white protein powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cloves

Frosting –

15 pitted dates

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1/3 cup Thai Kitchen full fat coconut milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. kosher salt
Method:

Cake –

Place dates in a 2 cup (or larger) size Pyrex glass measuring cup.  Boil water and pour over the dates until it reaches the 1 1/2 cup mark.  Let sit for 15 minutes.  Remove and discard 1/4 cup of the water.  Process the remaining liquid and dates in a food processor until it is smooth.  Cook the blackberries with 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp. lemon juice over medium heat for 5 minutes then process in a food processor until smooth.  Whisk together the pureed dates and blackberries with the eggs, applesauce, vanilla, and salt.  Sift in coconut flour, egg white protein, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and mix well.  Distribute evenly into 16 cupcake wrappers in cupcake tins and bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes.

Frosting –

Place dates in a 2 cup (or larger) size Pyrex glass measuring cup.  Boil water and pour over the dates until it reaches the 1 1/2 cup mark.  Let sit for 15 minutes.  Remove and discard all of the water.  Process the dates in a food processor with coconut milk, vanilla, and salt until it is smooth.  When cupcakes are completely cool add frosting.

Paleo baked goods do not contain preservatives, make sure to store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator or freeze them for a later date.

Tags: gluten free, low glycemic, Paleo