‘Who doesn’t love gingerbread!? I’ve made these a few times for the kids at parties and they always go down very well. The date topping is genius, too. When soaked in hot water, the dates soften and can be blended into a purée, which has a smooth, sticky texture and a caramel-like flavour.’ – Joe Wicks
Ingredients:
- 90g wholemeal plain flour
- 30g soft dark brown sugar or
- Coconut sugar
- 25g ground almonds
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1⁄8 tsp ground clove
- 1⁄8 tsp ground nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 90g 0%-fat Greek yoghurt
- 45ml water
- 1 egg
- 1½ Tbsp melted coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp crystallised ginger chunks, to decorate
Date Caramel
- 100g pitted dates
- 60ml milk or non-dairy milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- good pinch of salt
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan and line a standard muffin tin with 6 muffin cases.
- Mix together the flour, sugar, ground almonds, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a separate bowl or jug, combine the yoghurt, water, egg and coconut oil.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir together until just combined. Divide the mixture between the prepared muffin cases.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes until lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, make the caramel. Place the dates into a small jug and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 15 minutes to soak.
- Drain the dates and return to the jug, then add the milk, vanilla and salt. Blend until smooth with a hand blender, or in a food processor or free-standing blender.
- Once you’re ready to serve the cupcakes, frost them with the date caramel and sprinkle on some of the crystallised ginger chunks for decoration.
Recipe extracted from Feel Good Food by Joe Wicks. HarperCollins. RRP $45.
From multi-million bestselling author, Joe Wicks, comes a new cookbook with a focus on eating to feel good, Feel Good Food (HarperCollins, April).
From energy-boosting breakfasts to mood-boosting main meals, what we eat each day has a huge impact on how we feel; it can improve our sleep, increase concentration, reduce our stress-levels and improve our general mental wellbeing.
In Feel Good Food, Joe Wicks has created over 100 tasty and easy meals that are quick to get on the table and will have you and your family feeling your best.