Orange Blossom Cupcakes With Coconut Cardamom Frosting

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings are a musical duo in complete harmony with their instruments, voices, and each other. I’ve been listening to her for years and she was one of my greatest inspirations while I attended college in San Francisco and learned to play guitar. I’ve been singing ‘Miss Ohio’ for years, in my own liberated yet isolated environments and finally the other week, for the first time of sorts, I expanded my Appalachian wings. My friend David Green Truck, who runs the famously popular organic, local, and sustainable Food Truck all over San Diego, and just scored a weekly spot at the Hillcrest Farmer’s Market hosted a “Say Hello to Summer” Backyard Concert. He asked if the wildly creative Jason MacKenzie and I wanted to play a set. Woo hee!!!!! We had so much fun!

Sometimes performing in front of people is like a big fat dose of truth. The precepts of truth telling can be scary. I’ve crossed over many rivers of performance art truth telling over time, but many others places in my life I’m newly traversing hold the vulnerable nature of stage fright! The flip side of that cunning continuum is a sense of finally arriving at the deepest home with sincere and sustainable contentment, and profound gratitude for life’s deliverances.

When we dive in and stop thinking, we allow the heart to be a pulsing, blooming flower. It ripens towards the sun and not only extends its grace towards the songbirds but also deep into the caves of the sea. It expands out and down and also pulls from the tireless well of wisdom within your soul. It conjures up every aspect of you and then rings in the most resonant note-  the key of truth……

So here you are. Are you rollicking in laughter yet? I hope so! It certainly signals a causeless freedom, a boisterous celebration. Nothing short of absolutely wild……

There are those blessed enough to receive your gift- and at the same time, all gifts are something special and nothing special at all in the same. Because every thing that exists in its truest state is a gift in some way- it’s more a tragedy for gifts unborn. Natural is the law of being ‘a gift’. If the horses cry to life awakened just one unique gift that you undoubtedly know is yours, to be- what is it?

My gift back to the bounty of the Earth was indeed a gift back to myself~

Orange grove bound, I chose to bake some Orange Blossom Cupcakes with a cardamom coconut frosting.

I especially enjoyed harvesting the oranges right off the trees…a backyard supermarket.

May you enjoy~

Recipe:

For the cupcakes: (adapted from the Roost Blog) 

• 3 cups almond flour

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 cup warmed coconut oil (DO NOT warm in microwave, I usually boil some water, turn off heat and set a glass bowl with the oil in it and allow to melt)

• 1/2 cup sweetener (I used maple syrup)

• 1/2 TBS orange blossom water (usually in the baking aisle)

• 2 eggs

• zest from 1 orange

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 325F. Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix dry and wet until well incorporated. Line a muffin tin with 10 cupcake liners (I just used ghee) and pour batter in each cup. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Coconut Cream Frosting:

• 1 cup coconut milk

• 1 cup maple syrup, or sweetener of choice (I like Jerusalem Artichoke Syrup, and coconut palm sugar)
  pinch celtic sea salt

• 5 tsp arrowroot powder (helps emulsify)

• 1 tablespoon water

• 1¼ cup coconut oil

Procedure:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat coconut milk, agave and salt, simmer for 10 minutes

2. In a small bowl, combine arrowroot and water to form a smooth paste

3. Pour arrowroot mixture into saucepan

4. Whisk vigorously to combine, then bring to a boil, briefly, until shiny

5. Remove pot from heat and very gradually blend in coconut oil with a hand blender or very slowly in a blender.

6. Allow pot to cool for 10 minutes

7. Place pot in refrigerator for 45-120 minutes, until frosting solidifies and turns white

8. Remove from refrigerator and blend again with a hand blender of in your blender until fluffy. Voila!

Enjoy the decadence and opulence of life’s earthern wonder because there is no lack of abundance or plenty to go around.

Work in the direction of your passion and vision. Play, too. Feel free. Liberate that juicy gift your body has to offer and if you want to get really wild, go moon someone.

Cardamom kisses,

Whitney