Ingredients

For the crust

260 g semi-whole wheat flour
40 g whole rice flour
half a teaspoon whole sea salt
100-120 ml filtered water
120 ml extra virgin olive oil

For the filling (to fill 4-6 baskets)

100 g chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons rice malt syrup
4 tablespoons apricot jam, with no added refined sugar and naturally sweetened with agave syrup or rice malt syrup or dark brown unrefined sugar such as Muscovado
a pinch of whole sea salt
half a teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

For the vanilla cream

200 ml oat milk
50 ml almond cream
seeds from half a vanilla pod
a pinch of whole sea salt
4 tablespoons rice malt syrup
2 tablespoons whole rice flour, sifted
1 tablespoon corn starch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water

Directions

To make the crust, stir the flours and salt together in a large bowl and place them in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Refrigerate the water so that it’s perfectly chilled when you start making the dough. Freeze the olive oil in a proper container (the oil should remain in the freezer for about 30-45 minutes, until very creamy). When all the crust ingredients are chilled, add the olive oil to the dry mixture and work with a fork until the oil has been absorbed by the flour. Keep mixing with the fork, as your hands would be too warm, then add the water little by little, just enough to make a good grainy texture. You might not need all the water indicated, but make sure the dough holds together. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and transfer it in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180° C. Remove the dough (or just some of it) from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface, dust your rolling-pin with flour, roll the dough out to the desired thickness (2-4 mm) and cut into squares. Oil some tiny pie pans or muffin tins and sprinkle with a light coating of flour. Arrange the dough squares in the tins, poke a few holes in the dough with a fork to let the steam escape, trim off any excess round the edges and bake for 10-12. Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes then unmold and set aside until they’re ready to be filled.

To prepare the filling, combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

To make the vanilla cream, warm up the milk over low heat, add the cream, vanilla, salt and malt syrup and stir until combined. Slowly add the sifted rice flour and simmer for 2-3 minutes while mixing. Stir in the corn starch and cook for another couple of minutes until the cream thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To assemble, fill the baskets with the orange and walnut filling and top with some vanilla cream. The vanilla cream is equally delicious served warm or cold. Garnish with grated orange zest, if desired.

The orange flavour and spices make these cupcakes especially Christmassy. This is the first time I try them (and it’s my own recipe) and I’m sure they will definitely become a favourite of mine. Beautifully moist, they confirm, once again, that we don’t necessarily need milk, butter and eggs to make amazing baked goods.

Makes 14-16 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes

1 ½ cup semi-wholemeal wheat flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon whole sea salt
½ cup brown rice malt syrup
1 teaspoon apple vinegar
½ cup fresh orange juice
½ cup plain (unsweetened and unflavoured) soy milk
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons maple syrup (grade C, or B)

For the topping

zest of 2 oranges (it’s important that they are organic), cut into strips
1 cup filtered water
1 tablespoon brown rice syrup

2 cups fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons brown rice malt syrup
3 teaspoons cornstarch (GMO-free), dissolved in 2-3 tablespoons filtered water

maple syrup (grade C, or B), to taste
almond flour, to taste

Directions:

Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Combine all the dry ingredients (except cream of tartar), including the spices, in a bowl, then stir in the wet ingredients and mix until you have reached a smooth texture. The batter should not be too thick, so feel free to add some more soy milk or orange juice if necessary. When you achieve the desired thickness, add the cream of tartar and stir. Spoon the mixture into 12 greaseproof cupcake cases (or paper cases) placed inside a muffin tray. 2 to 4 tablespoons of dough should be enough to fill two-thirds of each cupcake case. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cupcakes are golden. Set aside and leave to cool for 5 minutes then remove from the muffin tray and allow to cool completely on a rack before decorating.

Topping

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the rind from the orange, discarding the pith as it can taste bitter. Slice the rind into more or less thin, 2-3 cm long strips and set aside. In the meantime, combine 1 cup of filtered or mineral water with 1 tablespoon of brown rice malt syrup and heat until the syrup has dissolved. Stir in the orange strips and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until tender. Remove from heat, drain, and let cool.

Pour the orange juice into a pan, add the rice malt syrup and stir over low heat for a couple of minutes or until the syrup has dissolved. Add the cornstarch-water mixture and keep stirring until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.

To assemble

Scoop some orange topping onto the cupcakes and smooth evenly with an icing spatula or knife. Garnish with some orange strips and sprinkle with maple syrup and almond flour.