no-sugar-added carrot cupcakes with steamed sweet potato base and whipped palm shortening frosting, AIP elimination-compliant

10 cupcakes, no refined sugar, no honey, no maple syrup anywhere in the batter or the frosting. That is a real thing to pull off in an AIP kitchen, and it asks you to let go of the assumption that a treat has to taste sweet to count as one. The frosting is whipped palm shortening and lemon zest, no sweetener at all. If you are baking this for children used to birthday-cake frosting, or for the part of yourself that still expects a cupcake to taste like dessert, that gap is worth naming honestly before you frost the first one.

The lemon zest and juice that brighten the frosting and the batter carry vitamin C, which supports the collagen your body is laying down as it works to repair a compromised gut lining. It is a small amount, tucked into a dessert rather than a supplement bottle, and that is close to the whole point of eating this way: the medicine is often this ordinary.

Sweet potato and grated carrot carry the real weight here; flour and sugar barely show up. 10 cupcakes made this way carry a plain kind of proof, a whole root vegetable, steamed and pureed, doing everything a cupcake usually needs butter and sugar to do. Notice that before you eat one.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 2 cups orange sweet potato, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups white-fleshed Japanese yam, cubed
• lemon juice, to taste (quantity not specified in source; verify before publishing.)
• 2 tablespoons palm shortening
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (quantity not specified in source)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
• 1/2 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
• lemon zest, to taste (quantity not specified in source)
• 1/4 cup grated carrot
• 1/3 cup raisins (omit for 21-Day Sugar Detox compliance or lower-fructose approaches)

Frosting

• 1/2 cup palm shortening
• lemon zest, to taste (quantity not specified in source)

Method

1. Steam both the orange sweet potato and the white Japanese yam together over boiling water for about 12 minutes, until completely tender when pierced with a fork. Drain thoroughly. Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree with the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of palm shortening until very smooth. Let the puree cool to room temperature before building the batter.
2. Heat your oven to 350 F. Line 10 cups of a muffin tin with paper liners.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda, mace, and shredded coconut until evenly combined. Fold the cooled sweet potato puree into the dry ingredients until a thick, cohesive batter forms. Fold in the lemon zest, grated carrot, and raisins.
4. Pack 1/4 cup of batter into each lined muffin cup. Press the batter down firmly into each cup - this helps the dense mixture hold its shape during baking.
5. Bake for 17 minutes. The tops should feel set and spring back lightly when pressed at the center. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before frosting - the cold firms the cupcake and makes the frosting easier to apply.
6. For the frosting, beat the palm shortening with the lemon zest in a bowl for about 1 minute with a hand mixer, until the texture lightens slightly. The frosting is entirely unsweetened; its appeal comes from the brightness of the lemon zest and the creamy texture of the shortening. Set client expectations accordingly.
7. Frost the chilled cupcakes and bring them to room temperature before serving. Store refrigerated and eat within 2 days.

*A note on texture: these cupcakes are dense by nature. If they come out doughy, the sweet potato likely carried excess moisture. Steam and drain it very thoroughly before pureeing, and press the batter firmly into the cups.*

*Adapted from grazedandenthused.com*