Healthy Cupcakes?

One of my cupcake recipe books has a section of "healthy" cupcake recipes.  While they still include butter and sugar, they all have some healthful element added in.  As a vegetarian always looking for new ways to get the protein I need, the recipe including quinoa particularly interested me as it is high in protein and essential amino acids.

Additionally, one of the teachers I work with is on a very restrictive gluten and dairy-free diet.  I have been wanting to try to make a cupcake that I could share with her and not just the other teachers.  While my quinoa cupcake recipe called for white flour, I had some soy flour on hand and have used it in a pinch when baking bread.  I looked up the conversion online - 3/4 soy flour to 1 cup white flour - and got ready to bake.

The original recipe is as follows:

Quinoa-Walnut Cupcakes
2 1/2 C white flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 C butter at room temperature
1 C sugar
3 T maple syrup
3 eggs
1 C cold cooked quinoa*
1 C coarsely chopped walnuts

*To prepare the quinoa you will also need 1 T oil, 1/2 C dry quinoa, and 3/4 C water.

Begin by preparing the quinoa.  In a medium pot, heat the oil for about 1 minute, then add the quinoa and stir for about 1 minute.  Add the water, bring to a boil, then lower heat and cover pot.  Cook over low heat for about 8 minutes until all the water has been absorbed.  Turn off heat and leave covered for about 5 more minutes until transferring to a bowl to cool completely.

When you are ready to begin, preheat oven to 325 degrees and place liners in pan.  For the cupcake batter, first mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.  In a separate bowl then cream the butter, sugar, and maple syrup in a bowl until light and airy.  Then reduce the mixing speed to low and add eggs one at a time until well mixed. Gradually add the dry ingredients previously mixed together until you have a smooth batter.  Then add the cooked quinoa and walnuts, mixing well.  Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Cupcakes should be springy to the touch when done and left to cool for at least 10 minutes on a wire rack.
(Recipe taken from Cupcakes, Cupcakes & More Cupcakes by Lilach German)




Even using the soy flour they turned out quite tasty!  They were sweet with a cornbread-like texture because of the quinoa.  I left the walnuts out as my co-workers daughter has a nut allergy that prevents her from eating nuts.  I also made a maple syrup butter cream for those of us who can have dairy and it went nicely with the coarse cakes.  I highly recommend this recipe for anyone looking for a "healthy" cupcake to enjoy!