Why I love cupcakes – but could do with a little less
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Happily I’ve found that I can still bake cupcakes! There are lots of healthier alternatives, and more natural versions of some of the ingredients I had been using.
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- Why I love cupcakes – but could do with a little less
I love cupcakes! Really - what’s not to love? They’re perfect little portions of deliciousness in a pretty wrapper with icing on top! Yum!
But I’ve recently come to realise that I could do with a little less of these little sugar bombs - and so could my family & friends!
You see I used to be the friend, you know the one – ‘that friend’ that used to give friends chocolate to celebrate, to sympathise, to commemorate and to commiserate (any excuse really!) Then I discovered that I loved baking cupcakes, and that I was reasonably good at it. So chocolate was replaced with cupcakes. I’d deliver cupcakes for birthdays, anniversaries, to celebrate new jobs, to celebrate leaving crappy old jobs, for baby showers, kitchen teas – you name it & I’d take cupcakes!
And I really enjoyed making cupcakes for my niece and nephews, little eyes lighting up when I’d walk in with the cupcake carrier full of goodies it would make my day! Friends kids parties always meant some baking – and I’d turn out brightly coloured, sugar filled trays of treats that the kids loved. To any Mum or friend that said ‘No not for me’, or ‘No not for little Johnny’, I used to always say ‘It’s just one ,and it’s a birthday. Go on!’ Yes, I admit it, I am guilty of being a white- sugar,-artificial-colour-pushing naturopath.
Then I had a little person of my own, and a couple of family members who have recently developed some serious health conditions. So I’ve been looking for healthier alternatives to my sugar filled, artificially coloured treats.
Happily I’ve found that I can still bake cupcakes! There are lots of healthier alternatives, and more natural versions of some of the ingredients I had been using.
There is a great range of naturally derived food colourings that are easy to find – and I think they make my cupcakes look just as pretty as some of those artificial colours I used to use.
I’ve also found that stevia can be a great alternative in baking to white sugar as can pureed fruit, or dried fruit (depending on what you’re making). There’s also a huge range of other natural sweeteners like honey, coconut sugar, sucanat, agave syrup, maple syrup, xylitol, molasses and brown rice syrup that I’ve started to experiment with.
While I haven’t perfected using all these ingredients yet, I feel better knowing that I’m giving my family and friends a little less junk and a little more natural goodness while we celebrate all those special moments.
But I’ve recently come to realise that I could do with a little less of these little sugar bombs - and so could my family & friends!
You see I used to be the friend, you know the one – ‘that friend’ that used to give friends chocolate to celebrate, to sympathise, to commemorate and to commiserate (any excuse really!) Then I discovered that I loved baking cupcakes, and that I was reasonably good at it. So chocolate was replaced with cupcakes. I’d deliver cupcakes for birthdays, anniversaries, to celebrate new jobs, to celebrate leaving crappy old jobs, for baby showers, kitchen teas – you name it & I’d take cupcakes!
And I really enjoyed making cupcakes for my niece and nephews, little eyes lighting up when I’d walk in with the cupcake carrier full of goodies it would make my day! Friends kids parties always meant some baking – and I’d turn out brightly coloured, sugar filled trays of treats that the kids loved. To any Mum or friend that said ‘No not for me’, or ‘No not for little Johnny’, I used to always say ‘It’s just one ,and it’s a birthday. Go on!’ Yes, I admit it, I am guilty of being a white- sugar,-artificial-colour-pushing naturopath.
Then I had a little person of my own, and a couple of family members who have recently developed some serious health conditions. So I’ve been looking for healthier alternatives to my sugar filled, artificially coloured treats.
Happily I’ve found that I can still bake cupcakes! There are lots of healthier alternatives, and more natural versions of some of the ingredients I had been using.
There is a great range of naturally derived food colourings that are easy to find – and I think they make my cupcakes look just as pretty as some of those artificial colours I used to use.
I’ve also found that stevia can be a great alternative in baking to white sugar as can pureed fruit, or dried fruit (depending on what you’re making). There’s also a huge range of other natural sweeteners like honey, coconut sugar, sucanat, agave syrup, maple syrup, xylitol, molasses and brown rice syrup that I’ve started to experiment with.
While I haven’t perfected using all these ingredients yet, I feel better knowing that I’m giving my family and friends a little less junk and a little more natural goodness while we celebrate all those special moments.
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