For the cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Grease and flour the cupcake pan.
Silicon baking pans usually don’t need to be greased. However, the combination of a metal baking pan and paper liners usually contains fewer harmful substances.
Add the apple cider vinegar to the almond milk and let rest for 10 minutes.
Let the chia seeds soak in the water for 5 minutes and then combine with the oil and add to the apple cider vinegar and almond milk mixture, along with the maple syrup and orange juice. Mix well.
Combine the whole wheat flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In the original recipe, the author uses whole grain spelt flour and weinstein baking powder, which we have replaced with whole wheat flour and baking powder.
Use a spoon to combine the flour mixture with the liquids. Stir in the cocoa, nuts, and vanilla.
You can either grind the nuts using a food processor, or wrap them in a towel or place in a bag and crush them using a rolling pin. The original recipe calls for ½ teaspoon of vanilla for 4 servings, which we have replaced with the equivalent amount of natural vanilla extract.
Fill the dough into the prepared cupcake pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan. Use a knife to go along the edges so that the cupcakes release from the sides and then remove the cupcakes from the pan.
For the fruit garnish
Peel the persimmons and then puree. Cut the peeled kiwi into slices. Arrange the Chocolate Chia Cupcakes on a plate along with the persimmon puree and kiwi slices.
Detailed Nutritional Information per Person for this Recipe
The majority of the nutritional information comes from the USDA (US Department of Agriculture). This means that the information for natural products is often incomplete or only given within broader categories, whereas in most cases products made from these have more complete information displayed.
If we take flaxseed, for example, the important essential amino acid ALA (omega-3) is only included in an overarching category whereas for flaxseed oil ALA is listed specifically. In time, we will be able to change this, but it will require a lot of work. An “i” appears behind ingredients that have been adjusted and an explanation appears when you hover over this symbol.
For Erb Muesli, the original calculations resulted in 48 % of the daily requirement of ALA — but with the correction, we see that the muesli actually covers >100 % of the necessary recommendation for the omega-3 fatty acid ALA. Our goal is to eventually be able to compare the nutritional value of our recipes with those that are used in conventional western lifestyles.
These Chocolate Chia Cupcakes are a wonderful combination of healthy and delicious ingredients. The fruit gives these cupcakes a sweet flavor.
Cupcake pan: You will need a cupcake pan for this recipe. If you decide to use a silicon pan instead of the combination of a metal baking pan and paper liners, you need to be careful about the quality of the pan. Many silicone baking pans release silicone into the environment at temperatures as low as 150 ° C. If you do use a silicone baking pan, it is best to heat it for 3 to 4 hours at about 200 ° C before using in order to remove some of the harmful substances.
Effects of chia seeds: Chia seeds are said to be able to bind and remove acids and toxins from the body, but this has not been fully substantiated. In any case, since they expand and absorb water, they act in a similar manner as does dietary fiber, which can lead to a feeling of fullness or cause constipation. The nutritional content and effect they have on digestion is comparable to that of flaxseeds.
Tips
Hazelnuts: You can either buy ground hazelnuts or grind them yourself using a food processor or coffee grinder. If you don’t have either of these kitchen appliances, you can wrap them in a towel or put them in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
Persimmon varieties: Persimmons are usually divided into two groups: nonastringent and astringent. In the latter group, the facial nerve is stimulated when the fruit comes into contact with the mucous membrane. This trigeminal effect produces a dry and puckering feeling in the mouth and pharynx. There are persimmon varieties that are not astringent even when unripe, and other varieties that you need to be careful how ripe they are if you want to use them for the cupcakes.
Alternate preparation
Baking powder: We have replaced the weinstein baking powder used by the author in the original recipe with ordinary baking powder that most everyone has on hand in their kitchen. They both have the same effect. The difference is that weinstein baking powder does not contain any phosphate. Weinstein baking powder is a combination of cream of tartar and sodium bicarbonate. Potassium bitartrate crystallizes during the fermentation process when wine and grape juice are stored in wine casks.
Whole wheat flour: Instead of whole wheat flour, you can use whole grain spelt flour, as recommended by the author, or another flour of your preference.
Nut varieties: You can use almonds or walnuts in place of the hazelnuts if you prefer one of these varieties or don’t have hazelnuts on hand.
Sweeteners: These cupcakes are not very sweet for a reason. The fruit garnish serves as the sweetener. If you want them to be sweeter, you can increase the amount of maple syrup.
Persimmons: No specific size or weight is given for the persimmons called for in this recipe, and you can also decide if you want to use one or two persimmons. The characteristics of persimmons vary widely from variety to variety. For example, American persimmons (Diospyros virginiana) are usually only one-fifth the size of the more well-known Japanese persimmons (Diospyros kaki). You should therefore simply decide on how much you prefer to use.
Vanilla: For the recipe, you can use a different type of vanilla than in the original recipe. The most popular kind used in Europe is vanilla sugar, which should not be confused with the cheaper vanillin sugar. The latter contains only sugar and vanillin, which can be produced artificially. About ½ teaspoon of vanilla sugar for 4 servings is equivalent to the amount of natural vanilla extract we use in the recipe.
