Donuts, Cakes, Moringa Truffles, and a Coincidental Valentine's Day
and YES, SOMETIMES ONE BATTER CAN FIT ALL
(I used to spell it "doughnut", but got overruled too many times to keep up that lonely game)
If you've been following along on my Instagram, you know last week for us was donut dense. Eric bought me my first donut baking pan while I was out of town, and I was inspired to go wild and fill those molded holes the moment I cradled the small pan in my arms after I got back. And a little wild, I did go.
I spent last week encouraging lots of donut baking on all different channels. You can check out my LOVE donuts and chocolate banana donuts plasted in different sections of the interwebs here: People have made them and seem to really enjoy them.
Chocolate Banana Bread Donuts:
Facebook LIVE: LOVE DONUTS:
I'm sharing the recipe for them below here too!
But now I want to offer something even lighter on the tummy, something still chocolate themed, but simpler, basically raw, so there's no real time in the kitchen or near an oven. This way you have a spectrum of dessert options to sift through this Valentine's Day. Like I've admitted before, holidays seem to creep up so masterfully on me, and sometimes I jump right in front with the perfect, festive recipe, literally, sometimes just hours before the big day. And this time, thank goodness, is no different.
Today, I'm here, talking moringa and truffles. I used to make truffles in undergrad all the time. It was my "diet" dessert. Except I'd inhale 10-15 at I time, so I'm not sure how effective diets were for me back in those days. But we can all agree they are much better than eating a dozen buttery cookies, and that was the single thing that made me love them. I used to make my truffle dough by melting dark chocolate (that was before I learned of the magic of cacao powder), and mixing in oats and coconut flakes. I forgot how much I enjoy snacking on these things, and so it's fun to keep a recipe like this in the archives. I'm happy I'm finally getting around to it. This version is gluten free--I've scratched the oats, and replaced it with almond flour, But the recipe is so versatile, you can add anything-- chopped nuts, cacao nibs, dried fruit, and the list continues on for miles and mileeessss.
Here's how I made them this time:
1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
1 cup cacao powder or cocoa powder
3 cups almond flour or almond meal
maple syrup or agave, to taste, about 3-4 Tbsp
2 tsp vanilla extract
Sea salt to taste, optional
Coating:
t tbsp unrefined coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp maple syrup or agave
4 tbsp moringa powder
Cacao powder for rolling
In a large bowl combine the melted coconut oil, cacao powder, almond flour or meal, maple syrup or agave to taste, vanilla, and sea salt to taste. Grab a small handful of the mixture in your hands, compress, and roll together into a ball. Set the truffles in the fridge or freezer to harden (about 1 hour in the freezer and 3 hours in the fridge.) In a medium bowl, combine the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and moringa powder together and whisk until smooth. Dip the hardened truffles into the moringa and coconut mixture, place on a sheet tray and place back into the fridge or freezer to harden. Some of the truffles can be tossed in cacao powder for an alternative coating. Serve cold.
Side story: I usually don't promote medicinal products or superfoods that magically become trendy because 1) everybody's body is different and 2) I'm no doctor. BUT I just want the opportunity to shine some light on moringa as an avid matcha powder user. I spent a second comparing the two (matcha and moringa's) nutritional labels in the store, and found that moringa far exceeds the benefits of matcha.
The back read:
14 X MORE CALCIUM THAN MILK
9 X MORE IRON THAN SPINACH
4 X MORE POTASSIUM THAN BANANAS
4 X MORE FIBER THAN OATS
2 X MORE PROTEIN THAN YOGURT
2 X MORE VITAMIN A THAN CARROTS
Then I did some skeptical googling and read that moringa has been proven to fight inflammation, promote weight loss, clear brain fog..... and the list just wouldn't stop. But you can't believe everything you read, so I bought the matcha-looking green powder home to try it out for myself. I made a latte with it, naturally. And BAM! It started responding to my body like caffeine does without the crash; I had a bolt of energy, and I instantly needed to use the bathroom. ha! Which makes sense since it is supposed to promote digestive function and balance as well. I haven't been using it as often though because it has a strong taste, but I decided I wanted to pair it with my truffles to just add an extra boost of vitamins nutrients. I used it as a coating, so the flavor doesn't overpower than star player in every truffle--the truffles taste delicious on their own by the way, and I just alternated between a coconut moringa shell and a cacao powder for color and variety.
And here are two Decadent Chocolate Donut recipes I'd encourage you to try, along with a delicious and decadent Tahini Espresso Icing that probably deserves it's own spotlight post, but until then, it's just going to go here under these moringa truffles. Enjoy!
Batter that does double-duty as a cake and donut batter:
Banana Bread Chocolate Donuts or Cake
1.5 cups flour (I used 1 cup white whole wheat and 1/2 cup unbleached AP flour)1 tsp baking soda2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp sea salt1 Tbsp cinnamon1/2 cup applesauce2/3 cup plant-based milk2 tbsp apple cider vinegar2 overripe bananas, blended into a smooth paste3/4 cup sugar in the raw or other granulated sugar1/4 cup melted coconut oil
Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, (Cacao powder-if using), cinnamon, and salt. Set asideIn a separate bowl, beat together the milk, applesauce, apple cider vinegar, blended bananas, sugar, and melted coconut oil. Fold in the dry ingredients.Oil the donut pan with more coconut oil, and fill pan with the batter (don't overfill) and bake in a 350 degree oven until puffed and completely cooked through.
And here's a Chocolate Donut Recipe
Wet Ingredients:1/2 cup milk1/2 cup regular, unsweetened apple sauce1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar3/4 cup organic pure cane sugar3 tbsp unrefined coconut oil, melted1/2 cup choc chips, melted2 tsp Vanilla
Dry Ingredients:1/2 tsp salt1 tsp baking soda1/3 cup cacao powder, or cocoa powder1 1/4 cup unbleached AP flour (or white whole wheat flour)
White Chocolate Molding Clay:1 bag White Chocolate Chips, 12 ounces1/4 cup honeyRed food coloring or concentrated beet juice for color
Chocolate Icing:Cacao powder, or cocoa powder ~1 cupMelted, unrefined coconut oil ~ 3 tbspAgave to taste
Whisk together the wet ingredients until completely smooth.In a separate bowl stir together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until completely combined.Bake at 350 until puffed and cooked through.
Tahini Espresso Icing:
Blend 1/4 cup tahini paste with 1/4 cup real maple syrup and 1 tbsp espresso powder until creamy (I blended mine until the blade started heating and melting the tahini) Spread over freshly baked, and warm cake/donuts. Serve warm!
