Chocolate Chip Banana Cupcakes (Grain-Free & Vegan)

Frosted with Caramelized Banana Frosting

While I found it fairly easy to make a great gluten-free, soy-free vegan cupcake with a few tweaks to the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World Vegan Golden Vanilla Cupcake Recipe. Substituting an all-purpose gluten-free flour and using light coconut milk instead of soy milk made a very convincing cupcake that nobody guessed was gluten-free or vegan. But, these weren't for my battered stomach that is hostile to even gluten-free grains. I also don't do well with cane sugar, which makes me feel dizzy and drunk—but not in a good way. I feel like I'm having an adverse reaction to a medication. While I don't have this reaction to Agave, with all the controversy surrounding Agave, I try to use it sparingly.

In Philadelphia, I checked out the new Gluten-free Vegan Sweet Freedom Bakery where they use coconut sugar to sweeten their baked goods, which supposedly has the same Glycemic index as an apple. I had one of their amazing banana chocolate chip cupcakes (which do use gluten-free grains) but still had a reaction similar to as if I had eaten sugar. But, their cupcake was definitely inspiring. I made these cupcakes and while they use a lot of ingredients everyone from meat, dairy, gluten and sugar eatings agreed they were delicious.

Banana Cupcakes (vegan, grain-free)

Pre-Heat Oven to 350º

Wet Ingredients

1 small banana

3 Tbs. Grapeseed or Olive Oil

2 Tbs. Applesauce

8 Medjool Dates (or 16 California Dates), soaked for 2-4 hours

2/3 C. light coconut milk + 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar, let sit for 5 minutes

1.5 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract (or more vanilla)

Dry Ingredients:

1/3 C. garbanzo bean flour

1/4 C. coconut flour

1/3 C. arrowroot flour

1/3 C. potato starch

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. xantham gum

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 C. mini-dark chocolate chips or chunks

1. In a blender or vita-mix purée first 4 wet ingredients together until smooth.

2. Mix the contents of the blender with the rest of the wet ingredients in a small bowl/

3. Sift dry ingredients in large bowl except for chocolate chips. Whisk together.

4. Stir wet ingredients into dry, do not over mix.

5. Fold in chocolate chips.

6. Spoon 3/4 of the way full into muffin tin lined with cupcake liners.

7. Make for 25 minutes.

8. The cupcakes will rise significantly but then drop a bit as they cool.

9. Frost with your favorite frosting or the Caramelized Banana Frosting (my next post).

Note: the garbanzo bean flour will have a strong flavor that the banana and dates helps to mask. The batter is not good and tastes like a bean. The baked product tastes much better, so don't be alarmed or throw out the batter if you taste it.