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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
My take on a molten chocolate cake… without the… molten. Lol, I really didn’t start out with a molten styled dessert in mind, it was after the fact when I looked at the picture with the cupcake sliced in half.
The center ganache wasn’t about to ooze out anywhere. I think I heard it whisper, “I think I can, I think I can.” But it didn’t. Not even after 8 hours of sitting on the kitchen counter… the ganache held its ground.
Why was this luscious little nugget of joy sitting out on the counter for 8 hours? I was testing how it would hold up to room temperatures. I try to do this with just about everything I make.
Do keep in mind with this recipe, as well as any, your results may vary, from how you made the recipe, the room humidity, and of course the temperature. So with my test, with room air being around 70 degrees (F), it held up perfectly for 8 hours. The frosting did start to darken a little but other than that, no complaints.
This makes it a great treat to make for parties because you can put them out on the table and not fear the meltdown. BUT again, lots of warm bodies in a room will raise the air temp, which can affect your desserts.
Bob enjoyed these so much that he shared them with some guys we had working outside and if I witnessed it right… I think he was even following the cable man, who was fixing our system, with a sample. I got orders to make more. Good thing I know the chef and have the recipe. :)
I cut one in half so you could see the inside. I am not sure why, but it cracks me up… the frosting looks like hair rollers to me, all piled high on the cupcake. haha
For a layer of flavor, I used mesquite powder, which is also known as mesquite flour or mesquite meal. It has a molasses-like taste with a hint of caramel. Not only does it add great flavor to the cupcake, but mesquite flour is also high in protein and soluble fiber. Now granted, I didn’t use an abundant amount, but every little bit in the right direction helps.
Yields 1 1/4 cups batter
Cupcakes:
Chocolate Ganache:
Espresso Buttercream Frosting
Topping:
Cupcakes:
Chocolate ganache:
Espresso Buttercream Frosting:
Assembly:
I wanted to share these two photos with you so that you could see what they looked like
before they got all dolled up.
I just wanted to say ‘thank you’ for sharing you recipes and that I enjoy your style of writing ……..as if you were having a conversation…….so much
Lynne
Thank you Lynne… that means a lot to me that you shared that. It is so wonderful that I can live an extension of me… out to those who read my site. What a blessing to me. Happy Thanksgiving! amie sue
Hi dear,
looks wonderful, will give it a try. How do you get it out from the forms?
thanks
Janet
Good morning Janet,
Thank you…. Regarding the pan that I used. If you skim over the “assembly” section, I posted a link for you all as to what pan I used. Each little “cup” has a removable bottom so I can just push it up and out. Soooo slick. :) Have a wonderful day, amie sue
Dear Ami-Sue, thanks for your reply, I thought so. I used other forms small pie forms with removable buttoms, and it turned out DELICIOUS !!! thank you so much, you are such an inspriration!
Your welcome Janet. :) I hope you give the recipe a try, keep me posted if you do. Blessings! amie sue
Happy Thanksgiving Amie Sue! Thank you for all of the beautiful and delicious options for the holidays! This recipe is so decadent; I can’t wait to try this one and all of the others you posted this week and last. You are simply amazing. Pray that your holiday is just as awesome as you are!
Oh RenB…. thank you so much. You are such a gem and I am so thankful to have you “here”. I appreciate your loving words. Many blessings to you and your loved ones as well. hugs,amiesue
I clicked on the link for the mesquite powder and says unavailable. Is there something else that can be used? Is it mesquite pods that are gathered in the spring from mesquite trees, and the seeds inside ground up to a powder form? I have plenty of those in the spring as I have a HUGE mesquite tree in my front yard.
Love your site and share it often with my diet support group.
Tracy
Good morning Tracy,
You are so right! They are out of stock on the mesquite powder. I added a new one to the site that is available.
Oh those pesky mesquite pods. When we lived in AZ I would walk on a blanket of those in our courtyard. We had a gorgeous mesquite tree there. :) There is a process for milling them in to flour. Here are a few links that talks about them. http://www.lifesagardenaz.com/garden_tips_cat.html?type= and http://frugallysustainable.com/2012/06/foraging-how-to-make-your-own-gluten-free-mesquite-pod-flour/. It really is such a neat product, I hope you give it a try.
Mesquite flour adds a subtle sweetness (and nutty flavor) to a recipe and but it isn’t necessarily meant to be replaced with another sweetener. It has a molasses-like flavor with a hint of caramel. High in protein and soluble fiber. “Because its sugar is in the form of fructose, which does not require insulin for metabolism, mesquite helps maintain a constant blood sugar level for a sustained period of time. With a glycemic index of 25 and a high percentage (25%) of dietary fiber, it digests more slowly than many grains, preventing sharp rises and falls in blood sugar. Mesquite thus supports the diet of diabetics, and helps maintain a healthy insulin system in others.” (sours Superfoods.com)
If often will depend on the recipe as to how to replace it. Many people use carob in its place. But since I already used cacao in the crust I would replace it with raw coconut crystals. That will give the crust a hint more sweetness to balance the bitterness of the cacao and a hint of the deep brown sugar flavor.
I hope this helps. Enjoy and have a blessed day, amie sue
Thank you so much for the information on the mesquite pods. I will probably venture to make my own next spring/summer (before the bean beetles and monsoons get to them). On another note, have you ever done anything with prickly pear seeds? We picked some this fall, pureed them and then I dehydrated and ground the seeds into a flour like consistency. Sitting in my pantry now, with no idea how to use it.
Thanks,
Tracy
Good evening Tracy,
Prickly pear seeds?! OH dear, no I don’t know anything about them. For the relatively short time that I lived in Tucson, I only used the prickly pears a few times in recipes, but never did anything special with the seeds. Sorry. Have a great evening, amie sue
These look absolutely amazing! Wow :) It’s interesting – how did you remove them from the pan?
Good morning Ernanda,
Thank you! In the “assembly” section of the recipe, I provided a link for the pan that I used. The bottoms of each little cup push out. LOVE this pan. So all I do is put pressure under each little cake and push it up and out. So easy! Norpro Nonstick Small Cheesecake Pan
Happy Thanksgiving and many blessings, amie sue
Thank you for explaining! Happy Thanksgiving to you too :)
Your welcome :)
Haven’t tried these yet… but they look soooo yummy!… I just wanted to send you and Bob blessings and joy for Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving, Dear Amie Sue: hope you’re having a great day Delightful and Delectable as your recipes make us feel! I sure will try to make this cupcake…! Marie
Thank you Marie and a Happy Thanksgiving to you as well! Have a wonderful weekend! amie sue
Dear Amie-sue, I absolutely adore your site the layout the photography and it goes without saying the recopies, absolutely outstanding, professional and polished, I have tried a few recipes but unfortunately I’m having problems with the weights and measures, I live in the UK and we don’t use cups here and although I have tried looking on-line for a conversion table i.e. cups to ounces “metric” they all seem to differ, which leaves me scratching my head and having to guess, hence my not so perfect results so far, I wanted to try this recipe out but “guess the quantity” is quite nerve wracking, please please can you help and give me an accurate conversion table, so that I can at least try to do your amazing recopies some justice, many thanks and kind regards, Mia .
Good morning Mia,
I am sorry for the delay in responding to you. My parents came in yesterday for the holidays. :) I will do some looking around on the net to see about a conversion. There is one on my site at the bottom of the recipes but other than that, I don’t tinker with them. If I find something better, I will let you know. Have a blessed and merry day! amie sue
Amie Sue…just made these…delish…again.of course overprocessed nuts…more brownie like. Good thing I have extra ganache and frosting…more to make tomorrow! :-) ..and yes there is a thin mint challenge extended to you…not sure I know a better candidate! I will let you know about the carmel delights when cookies come in :-)
Well Sharon, there is the beauty of raw… you can pretty much save every recipe and transform it into something else. hehe Thin mints… I will see if I can find some time to work on that for you :) Sweet dreams, amie sue
Hello Amie Sue – just made these for Easter – another great success among my sweet tooth folks! Thank you :)
Ah wonderful Linda. So happy to hear that they were part of your Easter celebration. :) Have a blessed evening, amie sue
Hi Amie Sue…
This is from your “friends” in Maine again. Two weeks ago we had annual girls weekend in Northport Maine…we also had you there in “spirit” because we still ask…”what would Amie Sue do?”…when we are talking about raw creations…these cupcakes and the key lime pie were hits….no surprise. One of the ladies and I are going to a raw dinner for charity tonight that is put on by Matthew Kenney’s graduating class in Belfast…so again, thinking of you,thanking you for all you give….have a blessed day!
Sharon
Ps…remember…always an invitation if you get to Maine.
Good morning my Maine friends! My goodness, has it already been a year since you all last gathered? Sounds like you once again had a blessed time. :) Thanks for keeping me with you in spirit, that is really special and I feel honored.
Is the cottage a rental Sharon? I am looking for a peaceful, distraction free place to stay for a few weeks to work on some internal healing.
I hope you have a blessed day and so wonderful to hear from you again. Blessings and joy, amie sue :)
Not technically, but will ask the owner. She may be interested. If not, I would be happy to help you find such a place if you are interested in this area . Send me an e-mail if you want with details about what you are looking for.
Gotcha Sharon :) Thank you. I hope you having a wonderful day when this message reaches you. Blessings, amie sue