Happy Valentines Day everyone!!! That's right, you know it's coming, so whether you love it or love to hate it, there is no escaping 14th of February :)

With my Valentine in Machu Picchu

I just love this day! I love all the tacky decorations and chubby cupids and silly hearts and the commercial hype this day brings. So whether your Valentine is your significant other or a friend or a cat, there is always a reason to feel the looooove... especially with a brand new recipe that I have to share with you today!!!




For the essentials
Blender
Piping bag
8 Medium baking cases
Juicer (optional)

For the Cupcakes
1 x Cup Almond pulp/meal (what is left after making almond milk)
1/2 x Cup Hazelnuts (soaked overnight)
2 x heaped Tbsp Cacao Powder
10 x Pitted Dates (soaked 1 hr-overnight)
1 x Avocado, meat only
2 x heaped Tbsp Coconut butter/oil
2 x heaped Tbsp Raw Honey

- In a blender, put all ingredients apart from the first three
- Blend until creamy, use a tamper or just pulse if you have a standard blender
- Add cacao powder and pulse again
- Either add in the hazelnuts and almond meal to the blender or fold them in with the blended ingredients manually in a separate bowl
-[Tip: you should get a thick dry mousse type of mixture, roll it in your hands, pop into a baking case and gently press it down so it forms a flat surface and looks like a baked muffin]
-Transfer to the fridge while preparing the frosting

For the Red Frosting
1 x Cup Cashews (soaked 1hr- overnight)
10 x Pitted Dates (soaked 1hr- overnight)
2 x Tbsp Coconut butter/oil
1/4 x Cup Beetroot juice (see Tip below)

[Tip: to make the red colouring, juice 1 beetroot or if you either don't have a juicer or like me and want to avoid more cleaning up- just blend enough chopped beetroot (about 2-3) to cover the blade of the blender and then strain]
-Put all ingredients into a blender
-Blend until creamy, either using a tamper or pulsing if you have a standard blender
-If the mixture is too warm from the blade, let it sit to cool down, before piping
-Transfer the mixture into a piping bag with a medium sized nozzle and pipe in a spiral motion inwards
-Transfer into the fridge while preparing the heart shape

For the Chocolate hearts
Use my Basic Dark Chocolate Recipe

[Tip: To achieve solid heart shapes like mine, so they don't run or break easily, add more Cacao Powder to the recipe]
- Prepare a board with tin foil or baking paper over it
- Transfer all the chocolate into a piping bag with the smallest nozzle
- Draw heat shapes with a long end, so you can easily stick it into the cupcake later
- Transfer to the fridge for 10 minutes, then firmly press the shapes into each ready cupcake


So how do you like them?

Now is probably a good time to let you know that I am working on my next book, that will be all about chocolate and full of my best and favourite recipes, that I have been compiling over the last couple of years!

What chocolate flavour/recipe/type do you absolutely love?

Let me know in the comments below and if I haven't already got it on my list, but choose to include in the book, I will email you the book as soon as its ready in April!

Go on, tell me below...





UPDATE: The eBook I mentioned above is now out! Check out 'Seduced- Raw Chocolate Recipes to get very excited for'>>