It is your birthday. Although you do not know me you are in my thoughts and I am wishing you a joy filled day. I bet you are excited!
Whenever I think of you my mind wanders to thoughts of my Aunty. Like yourself she was blessed with an extra chromosome.
It amazes me that this tiny chromosome is the secret to warm and loving hearts, joyful spirits and genuine souls.
I am also dumbfounded to think that some people see your infectious smile, your gazing eyes and eternally young skin as a disability and a weight to bear. Sadly they must not have had the privilege of experiencing the many lessons you have to teach.
It is through my Aunty that I learnt the true meaning of value, of family, of needing so little. I learnt the power of trust. I learnt to find joy in simply being present. I learnt the importance of appreciation and the importance of friendliness.
I learnt that things do not always need to be quite so hard and that less time can be spent worrying. That sometimes all you really need to do is give or receive a smile. I learnt that many things are fixed with a warm embrace, and even if they cannot be fixed, a genuine hug can never hurt.
I could go on forever. My aunty left this world a short time ago. However, her life lessons still help me through the days. A great deal of wisdom was lying behind those innocent eyes.
My life has been blessed because I have been loved by this special and unique person. By a person who was born with a tiny little extra chromosome that allowed her to see the world much clearer than I can see it myself. By a person who was perfect, just like you.
Happy Birthday. Forever young. x
Jam and ‘Cream’ Cupcakes
cupcakes
1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted
1/4 cup arrowroot (tapioca flour), sifted
4 eggs
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup full fat coconut cream
1/2 teaspoon concentrated natural vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
strawberry jam*
1 punnet of strawberries (250 grams or approximately 1 heaped cup of chopped strawberries)
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 tablespoon honey
Place the ingredients into blender or food processor and blend until smooth and well combined. Pour / spoon the mixture into a container and place in the fridge to thicken.
‘cream’*
1 cup raw macadamias
1/2 teaspoon concentrated natural vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Place the ingredients into your blender or food processor and blend at high speed until you have a lovely, smooth macadamia butter. I leave this a t room temperature as I find it easier to work with when assembling the cupcakes. After that I store the remaining butter in the fridge.
Preheat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line nine holes of a standard muffin tray with cupcake cases.
In a medium sized bowl beat together your honey and coconut oil. Add in the eggs, coconut cream and vanilla. Add the flours and when smooth and well combined gently add the salt and baking powder.
Spoon the mixture evenly into your nine cases.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly before moving from the tray to a cooling rack.
Leave the cakes to cool completely before using a small, sharp knife to remove the tops of the cupcakes and create a small indent in the cake. Fill the cake with a teaspoon of jam and a teaspoon of ‘cream’ (macadamia butter). Gently place the cupcake ‘lid’ back on top.
Eat and enjoy!!!
*you could halve these amounts if you want to as you will have left overs. However, we easily use them up at our place so I consider this a good opportunity to whip up a couple of spreads that we love. Also some blenders / food processors do not blend as well with the lesser amounts.
If you would like to make this nut free you can omit the cream, the jam cupcakes will still be delicious. Alternatively, use coconut cream as outlined in this recipe. However, if you are using coconut cream you will need to keep them refrigerated.