Vanilla Marionberry Swirl Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Our 12 year old is soon going to be 13! We needed an extra special GAPS legal treat for her birthday party sleepover and our friend Butter Believer’s Vanilla Grain-Free Birthday Cupcakes looked like just the ticket. She put her berries in the frosting, which she says turned out a little weird, so I decided to swirl in some honey-sweetened marionberry preserves I canned last summer to give these cupcakes a little boost.

I had also recently stumbled upon Modern Alternative Mama’s Buttercream Frosting recipe, which was, when made with honey, GAPS legal and looked delectable! And it was! Yippee!

I have to say, this frosting is, hands down, the BEST GAPS legal sweet I’ve made so far. Thank goodness it’s so labor intensive, or I’d be making it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every day.

These cupcakes also have the best GAPS legal texture we’ve ever achieved! While they did get slightly denser when kept in the fridge for the next day, they kept their fluffiness and weren’t over-sweet or at all grainy. One of our daughter’s guests got the look of Heaven on her face and said “Oh. These are good!” when she took her first bite.

I can’t imagine making the cupcakes or the frosting without my trusty stand mixer. Especially the frosting. I ran that machine for 30 minutes straight on the frosting alone. I’m sure you could do it with a hand mixer or stick blender, but what a pain to have to stand there the whole time! I am curious if it would work in a food processor. I may have to try that next time.

Vanilla Marionberry Swirl Cupcakes

Makes a baker’s dozen (13)

Ingredients

• 6 chicken eggs or 5 duck eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup ghee
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp coconut flour
• 3/4 cup marionberry preserves

Directions

1. Beat eggs, salt, and vanilla until doubled in size and forming soft peaks.


Ready for the Oven

2. Add honey, ghee, and coconut milk and beat until well incorporated.
3. With mixer running on its lowest setting, add coconut flour a spoonful at a time until all is incorporated.
4. Beat for another few minutes, just to make sure there are no chunks of coconut flour.
5. Refrigerate batter for at least 1 hour or up to 24.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
7. Place batter and marionberry preserves in a medium bowl. Using a butter knife, cut the preserves into the batter using long, straight strokes of the knife. Don’t overmix, or there won’t be a swirl!
8. Bake 20-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
9. Let cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream Frosting

Makes about 5 cups (enough for a double batch of cupcakes)

Ingredients

• 2 chicken eggs + 2 egg yolks at room temperature
• pinch salt
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 lb unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 Tbsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

Directions

1. Beat eggs and yolks until quadrupled in volume, gelatinous, and forming soft peaks.
2. While the eggs are beating, heat honey to 240 degrees F in a small saucepan over medium high heat.
3. With mixer running on its lowest setting, dribble the honey very slowly down the side of the mixing bowl into to the eggs. Running the honey down the side of the mixing bowl cools it slightly and keeps it from cooking the eggs.
4. Continue to beat the egg and honey mixture until it has cooled completely. Patience is a virtue – this took about 10 minutes.
5. With the mixer on a medium setting, add the butter a spoonful at a time. The eggs will deflate and the frosting will turn into an ugly, soupy messy. Keep going! As you’re adding the last of the butter, it will come together beautifully!
6. Add the vanilla and beat well to incorporate.
7. At this point, take out half of the frosting and set aside for vanilla frosting.
8. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining frosting and beat until fully incorporated. Add more cocoa powder if you desire a more chocolatey frosting!
9. Refrigerate or freeze any leftover frosting promptly.

Using a Real Vanilla Bean

This post is part of Traditional Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Gluten Free Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Creative Juice Thursday, Berries: Seasonal Recipe Round-up, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.

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