Taste

This blueberry cornmeal coffee cake was as good as the one which I had baked earlier with all purpose flour. This time I did have the almond extract and it definitely gave a nice flavor to the cake. As I have mentioned in my earlier post, this cake is very light, so handle with care while removing it from the pan. I thought that using cornmeal would give a harder texture than using all purpose flour alone, but it was light only. The sweetness was just right. So if you have a sweet tooth you can add another 2-3 tablespoons of sugar. We liked it just the way it was.

My Notes1 Butter and buttermilk was used in the original recipe which I have substituted with vegetable oil spread and soy yogurt to make it vegan.

2 I used Bob’s Red Mill brand of medium grind whole corn meal. I test baked something with the cornmeal just like that and saw that the corn did not cook completely. It was gritty. So either find fine grind whole cornmeal or process in a food processor/blender thoroughly if using the medium grind. I see that even coarse grind is available, I would suggest not to get that unless you have a food mill or a very efficient food processor, because the medium one itself took a lot of time for me to get a fine texture.

Procedure 1 Preheat oven to 350F/ and line a muffin tin with paper liners.

2 Melt the butter and chocolate chips together. I did this in the microwave oven, first for 15 seconds, stirred it once and heated it again for 20 seconds. Microwave oven times may differ so use caution while melting the mixture.

3 Remove from heat and let it cool for sometime.

4 In another bowl, stir together the pureed prune, vanilla, purple puree, sugar and 1 tablespoon water.

5 Combine this purple mixture with the melted and cooled chocolate mixture.

6 In another mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Add this to the chocolate mixture and blend thoroughly.

7 Scoop out the dough and fill it in the muffin cups almost to the top. (I used an ice cream scoop, which measures 3 tablespoons)

8 Bake 23 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Mine was done exactly at 23 minutes, but anyway I baked it for another 1 minute, just to be sure.

9 Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack before frosting. Frosting is optional, you may simply dust it with some powdered sugar or leave it plain.

My Notes 1 For the prune puree I used Beech Nut brand, baby food. It’s a small 2.5oz jar of pureed prunes. It measures exactly 1/4 cup. Alternatively you may buy prunes, soak them in hot water and grind them into a smooth paste and measure 1/4 cup of the paste. We were not able to taste the prunes in the cupcakes.

2 I strongly recommend eating these cupcakes the day after baking. It is unbelievably good the next day. When I tasted on the same day the taste was definitely good, but since I had used the Earth Balance blend, that flavor was definitely dominating. Actually we (couple of testers) did not taste the blueberries or spinach. I was so sure that it was the Earth Balance because I had a similar experience with the Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. But we were in for a big surprise the next day because the cupcakes tasted very normal, like any other regular cupcake.

3 Also when tasted on the day of baking, we were able to tell that it was made of whole wheat flour, but not on the second day. The only thing which was different is the texture. I guess that’s because of the blueberries. I did grind it smooth, but I guess I should have processed it for some more time in the food processor.

4 My son ate half a cupcake on the first day. But when offered another piece after sometime he told me that he didn’t like it. I iced the cupcakes the following day, while he was in school. They were ready when he came back and he had totally forgotten that it was the same cupcakes which I had offered him yesterday. He was clearly attracted by the icing and the sprinkles and he ate 1 cupcake without complaining. To my surprise he liked it the next day and also the day after. I also tested it with another kid who is 5 and also a picky eater. He usually doesn’t eat anything including junk food like cupcakes and cookies. To his mother’s surprise he also ate it. So I guess this cupcake recipe is definitely a keeper.

5 Alternatively this batter can also be baked in mini-bundt pans and vola you have your baked donuts. For donuts, bake 12 to 14 minutes until the tops spring back when pressed lightly. Loosed the edges with a knife and turn the donuts out over a plate. I have not tried this.

6 These cupcakes are vegan if you leave out the icing.

Blueberry Juice Ingredients:
Blueberries, fresh or frozen – 2 and 1/2 cups (no syrup or sugar added)
Water – 2 cups
Sugar – 1 tablespoon

Yield: 2 and 1/2 cups of Blueberry Juice

Procedure:
1 Boil together the berries, water and sugar.

2 Turn heat to low and simmer for another 10 minutes.

3 The original recipe instructs to mash the berries with the back of a spoon or a potato masher to release their juices. But I felt that this trick did not work for me. So I used an immersion blender to blend the berries at high speed until smooth.

4 Strain the mixture using a fine mesh strainer until all the liquid is released. Save the pulp for smoothies.

This juice can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, or can be frozen in small portions in sealed plastic bags or containers.

My Notes 1 In the original recipe for Blueberry Milk, only milk and the juice were mixed. But when I tasted it was definitely not sweet enough to persuade my son to drink it. So I decided to add some maple syrup.

2 Using this blueberry juice, blueberry cola can be prepared by mixing equal portion of the juice and sparkling water. I made this too and it tasted awesome. We should definitely avoid giving carbonated drinks to children of all ages. But in this era of rigorous marketing and ads all around the place for Coke and Pepsi, it’s difficult to make the kids understand the effects of soda. So why not give them a cola which at least is not artificially flavored!

3 Cherry and Strawberry juice can also be prepared in the above method and similarly flavored milk and cola can be made using the juice. But try to buy organic cherries and strawberries, because these fruits are on the “dirty dozen” list (Apple, Cherry, Grapes, Nectarine, Peaches, Pear, Raspberry, Strawberry, Bell Pepper, Celery, Potato and Spinach) , produce most contaminated with pesticide residues.

These juices can be poured in ice pop molds and be frozen for a naturally flavored popsicle.