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Raw Chocolate Cupcakes with Nettle Frosting (grain-free & vegan)

June 1, 2016 By Hana 33 Comments

Raw Chocolate Cupcakes with Nettle Frosting (grain-free & vegan)

Ever since posting my Spring Nettle Soup recipe I’ve been thinking about making nettle frosting. The vibrant green colour of nettles is just too beautiful not to try! And so these Raw Chocolate Cupcakes with Nettle Frosting came to Life as a complete experiment and I totally fell in love with these gorgeous mini cakes. I’ve picked the nettle chocolate combination for the colour, not really knowing whether it would work, but the flavours! What a yummy wholesome treat these are.

Raw Chocolate Cupcakes with Nettle Frosting (grain-free & vegan)Raw Chocolate Cupcakes with Nettle Frosting (grain-free & vegan)

At first the frosting looked like oh this was a bad idea, but at the end it all came together just fine. The frosting is not technically raw, I wasn’t completely comfortable using the nettles raw and so I’ve blanched them first. I’ve melted some coconut butter with coconut oil, added some maple syrup and lemon zest and blended everything together with the blanched nettles. First it looked a bit split, but after about 30 minutes in the fridge it all came together beautifully ready to frost the cupcakes. The chocolate rich cupcakes are a mix of walnuts, pumpkin seeds, medjool dates and raw cacao, perfectly complimenting the nettle frosting. There’s a sweet spot for the frosting, don’t let it cool too long, otherwise it’ll be too hard to frost the cupcakes. You can use some cupcake liners for the cupcakes if you prefer. I’ve just pressed the mix straight into the tin and used the edge of a knife to pop them out after about an hour in the fridge. Looking forward to see what you think. Enjoy:) x

Raw Chocolate Cupcakes with Nettle Frosting (grain-free & vegan)Raw Chocolate Cupcakes with Nettle Frosting (grain-free & vegan)

Raw Chocolate Cupcakes with Nettle Frosting (grain-free & vegan)
 
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Author: Hana, Nirvana Cakery
Serves: 12 mini cupcakes
Ingredients
  • Chocolate cupcakes:
  • 100g walnuts (1 cup)
  • 80g pumpkin seeds (1/2 cup)
  • 8 medjool dates, pitted
  • 1tbsp coconut oil
  • 30g raw cacao powder (1/4 cup)
  • 1tsp cinnamon
  • pinch of sea salt

  • Nettle frosting:
  • 200g coconut butter or creamed coconut (1 cup)
  • 2tbsp coconut oil
  • 2tbsp maple syrup
  • ½ lemon, zest
  • 1tbsp lemon juice
  • 30g nettle leaves (2 cups)
Instructions
  1. Place the walnuts and pumpkin seeds into food processor, pulse few times until they broken down to a coarse consistency. Add dates, coconut oil, cacao, cinnamon and sea salt and blend until the mixture comes together. Divide the mix evenly into 12 mini cupcake holes and press tightly down. Place into a fridge for about an hour to firm up.
  2. In a double boiler gently melt coconut butter with coconut oil. Set aside and leave to cool down a bit.
  3. Carefully pick nettle leaves from the stems and wash thoroughly. It's best to use gloves to do that. In a small pot bring water to a boil, add nettles and boil for 2 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain well. Place into blender with 1tbsp of lemon juice and blend until smooth.
  4. Add the melted coconut butter, maple syrup and lemon zest to the nettles and blend until incorporated. Scoop the mix into a bowl and refrigerate for about half hour until firm enough to frost the cupcakes. Don't worry if it looks a bit split at this point, just give it a good stir afterwards.
  5. With an edge of a knife pop the cupcakes out of the tin, smooth out the edge if it gets a bit distorted.
  6. Spoon the mixture into piping bag with a large nozzle and decorate the cupcakes.
  7. Store in a fridge or freezer in an airtight container.
  8. Enjoy!
Notes
There’s a sweet spot for the frosting, don’t let it cool too long, otherwise it’ll be too hard to frost the cupcakes. If it does get too hard, you can soften it in a double boiler.
3.5.3208

 

Raw Chocolate Cupcakes with Nettle Frosting (grain-free & vegan)

Filed Under: All, Cakes, Cupcakes and Muffins, Dairy free, Dessert, Gluten free, Grain free, Vegan

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Comments

  1. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

    June 1, 2016 at 2:56 pm

    The frosting sounds incredible! These look like little forests <3 Beautiful bites of nature ;)

    Reply
    • Hana says

      June 1, 2016 at 6:44 pm

      Thank you Rebecca for this lovely comment! I wanted them to look very green and natural, I suppose they do look like little trees:) x

      Reply
      • Ana says

        April 7, 2017 at 2:38 pm

        Where do you get the nettle leaves from?

        Reply
        • Hana says

          April 7, 2017 at 11:09 pm

          Hi Ana, I get nettle from my local Farmers market and they are just back in season. If you live in countryside, nettle grows wild pretty much anywhere.

          Reply
  2. Michelle @ The Last Food Blog says

    June 1, 2016 at 4:19 pm

    Wow, these look incredible Hana! Beautiful colours and photos x

    Reply
    • Hana says

      June 1, 2016 at 6:46 pm

      Thank you so much Michelle! I’ve had so much fun making and photographing these little beauties:) x

      Reply
  3. Sasha @ Eat Love Eat says

    June 1, 2016 at 9:00 pm

    Beautiful! And so creative! I have no idea what nettles taste like but from the look of these it can only be good :)

    Reply
    • Hana says

      June 1, 2016 at 10:09 pm

      Thank you so much Sasha! Funny enough I can’t even taste the nettles in the frosting, you get more of a chocolate flavour coming through and lemon in the frosting. x

      Reply
  4. The Girl In The Purple Sweater says

    June 6, 2016 at 11:40 am

    What a great idea! And the photos are wonderful too!

    Reply
    • Hana says

      June 6, 2016 at 6:20 pm

      Thank you so much!!!

      Reply
  5. Natalia says

    June 12, 2016 at 5:29 pm

    This sounds divine!

    Reply
    • Hana says

      June 12, 2016 at 8:01 pm

      Thank you so much Natalia! I utterly loved these cupcakes:)

      Reply
  6. Timothy Garcia says

    June 20, 2016 at 5:32 pm

    I have a lot of allergies and it’s very difficult to find a cupcake that I can eat and tastes good! I’m SOOO excited to make these this weekend with my kids. Thanks for sharing :)

    Reply
    • frankie says

      April 5, 2017 at 12:38 am

      and speaking of nettles if you have pollen allergies you ought to eat more nettles. Nettles is always in tincture blends for grass and pollen allergies. I just picked up some dried nettles to make tea for my child (who loves cupcakes). This would be a win win! Thanks Hana:)

      Reply
      • Hana says

        April 5, 2017 at 7:58 pm

        You’re so welcome Frankie! And thank you so much for your comment, hope you both enjoy these :)

        Reply
  7. Nancy says

    April 1, 2017 at 7:06 pm

    Can’t wait to try these! Beautiful! Wondering if I could substitute raw honey for the maple syrup???

    Reply
    • Hana says

      April 1, 2017 at 7:21 pm

      Thank you so much Nancy! Yes, raw honey will be great too :)

      Reply
      • Amra says

        April 14, 2017 at 5:16 pm

        Hi can I just know what is coconut (1 cup) and what is coconut creamed?

        Reply
        • Hana says

          April 14, 2017 at 9:25 pm

          Hi Amra, I’ve used coconut butter in the recipe, which is the same thing as creamed coconut, they just come in different packaging. Sometimes it’s also referred to as coconut manna. You can make your own by blending shredded coconut too.

          Reply
  8. Aicha says

    April 1, 2017 at 9:31 pm

    Hello,

    Thank you very much for this beautiful recipe. I live in Southern Spain and have no idea where I could find 30 grams of fresh Nettle leaves. Due to the strong influence of Moroccan cuisine here, there is an abundance of fresh mint. Do you think I could substitute the nettle leaves for fresh mint?

    thank you very much,
    aicha :)

    Reply
    • Hana says

      April 1, 2017 at 10:01 pm

      Hi Aicha, you’re so welcome! I think fresh mint could work really well too, I would give it a try. Just blend it first before adding to the coconut butter. Other option could be spinach :)

      Reply
  9. Hannah says

    April 2, 2017 at 12:21 am

    Would dried nettle leaves work in place of fresh?

    Reply
    • Hana says

      April 2, 2017 at 9:00 pm

      Hi Hannah, I don’t think dried nettles would work in here, fresh nettles have lovely vibrant green colour that is perfect for these. You could try spinach or a green powder like matcha or wheatgrass could also work.

      Reply
  10. Roberta says

    April 2, 2017 at 12:54 am

    They look so yummy & picturesque! Since nettles arent available at the moment I am thinking maybe a bit of Peppermint Essential Oil in the frosting & a bit of freshly ground up mint from my garden for that beautiful color of green.

    Reply
    • Hana says

      April 2, 2017 at 9:07 pm

      Thank you so much Roberta! Nettles are back in season in the UK at the moment, I bought some past couple of weekends at my local Farmers Market, but you could definitely try fresh mint too :)

      Reply
  11. Mandy says

    April 4, 2017 at 1:22 am

    Would dried nettles work too? I’m thinking it might not be as nicely flecked as in your photos, but I was wondering if it would turn out too soggy, or if you’ve any thoughts on this? I’ve a bag of them in my cupboard and my sweet tooth is thinking I should put them into this recipe instead of the delicious nettle lasagne I did last time. :)

    Reply
    • Hana says

      April 4, 2017 at 8:43 pm

      Hi Mandy, I’m not sure if they would as I haven’t tried. The fresh nettles are great for the bright colour, which will be difficult to achieve with dried ones, however you could always try :) They won’t get too soggy with the fresh ones as the coconut butter is so solid, it needs something to thin it out. Nettle lasagna sounds amazing!

      Reply
  12. Michalina says

    April 4, 2017 at 6:23 pm

    Wonderful idea! I wonder how to substitute a coconut butter?

    Reply
    • Hana says

      April 4, 2017 at 8:45 pm

      Thank you Michalina! You could use a mix of soaked cashews and coconut oil instead.

      Reply
  13. Tina says

    March 24, 2018 at 3:02 pm

    Hi Hana,

    This recipe sounds delicious, do you think it could be done as a tart ? How long would you leave it in the fridge to set ?

    Tried and love the nettle soup recipe !

    Tina

    Reply
    • Hana says

      March 25, 2018 at 9:16 pm

      Hi Tina, yes, you can definitely make it as a tart. Make the tart crust with the base and use the frosting as filling. You can loosen the filling a bit more with another 60ml of water or plant milk to make it more creamy. Hope you like it :)

      Reply
  14. Kate says

    September 7, 2019 at 7:00 am

    Delicious! Wondering if blanched then frozen nettles would work? They probably wouldn’t be the same color beautiful green… but I wonder! Thoughts?

    Reply
    • Hana says

      September 8, 2019 at 7:44 pm

      Thank you Kate. I’ve only ever frozen fresh nettles, but they didn’t do too well in the freezer, so blanching them first would definitely be better. It should work in the recipe, but you have to try it to see how the colour develops. Please let me know if you do try it :)

      Reply

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Hello and a warm welcome to Nirvana Cakery! My name is Hana and I am a mum in my mid-forties. I am here to bring you wholesome plant-based inspiration. Read my story.

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Hana | Nirvana Cakery
Blood Orange Wild Blueberry Cheesecake to bring so Blood Orange Wild Blueberry Cheesecake to bring some colour to your day! 🌱 You can find the recipe on the blog from last January.

Have a wonderful Sunday beautiful! 
Much love Hana xx 
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#gaialove #sacredfood #plantbasedalchemy #rawvegan #vegancheesecake #plantbasedmovement #plantbaseddessert #bloodorange #wildblueberry #vegandessert #grainfree #glutenfreevegan #plantbased #veganfoodshare #bestofvegan #feedfeed #feedfeedvegan #letscookvegan #veganfoodspot #lifeandthyme #thrivemags #thekitchn #plantpowered #foodblogger #foodstyling #nirvanacakery #foodforthesoul #veganuary #forksoverknives
Happy New Year beautiful! ✨ I’m feeling that Happy New Year beautiful! ✨

I’m feeling that this is the year we all need to ease into. Use this sacred pause we’re in until the 5th of January to really go within and listen deeply to what are you being called to birth this year. Forget creating goals from your ego. What are those whispers of your soul calling you to? Is it time to take the lead in your life? ✨

If this year is a continuation of 2020 we will need more conscious embodied leaders taking charge to create the change our planet needs. It’s us who create the future. ✨

Now that many of us are awake we need conscious women and men to walk together hand in hand! We’ve got this! 

✨🕊✨

Sending so much Love Hana xx
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Merry Christmas beautiful ones!!! ✨ May it be f Merry Christmas beautiful ones!!! ✨

May it be filled with eternal Love, Joy, Abundance & Peace 🕊

Love & Magick Hana xx ✨

Gingerbread cupcakes with white chocolate frosting on the blog from last Christmas ✨
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#merrychristmas #christmasrecipes #plantbasedchristmas #plantbasedcake #glutenfreevegan #plantbased #veganfoodshare #bestofvegan #feedfeed #feedfeedvegan #letscookvegan #veganfoodspot #lifeandthyme #thrivemags #thekitchn #plantpowered #wholefoodbaking #foodblogger #foodstyling #nirvanacakery #foodforthesoul #beautifulcuisines #cupcakeproject #veganbaking #thebakefeed #feedfeedglutenfree #feedfeedbaking
White Yule Log from last year ❄️ Chocolate spo White Yule Log from last year ❄️ Chocolate sponge cake with white chocolate frosting, all gluten-free & vegan! You can find the recipe on my blog in the Christmas round up post for easy access.🎄

What dessert are you making this year? To be honest I’ve got my gingerbread cookies stored in fridge, the leftover chocolate cranberry orange cake in freezer so I’m quite sorted! But still pondering whether to make the gingerbread cheesecake. And just have written a new recipe for a lentil nut roast which I’m really looking forward to making on Christmas Day. 🎄
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Sending much Love & Magick Hxx 💫
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#yulelog #christmasrecipes #chocolatecake #christmascake #plantbasedcake #glutenfreevegan #plantbased #veganfoodshare #bestofvegan #feedfeed #feedfeedvegan #letscookvegan #veganfoodspot #lifeandthyme #thrivemags #thekitchn #plantpowered #wholefoodbaking #foodblogger #foodstyling #nirvanacakery #foodforthesoul #beautifulcuisines #cupcakeproject #veganbaking #thebakefeed #feedfeedglutenfree #feedfeedbaking #countrylivingmag
Chocolate Cranberry Orange Cake 🌱 @amoredimona Chocolate Cranberry Orange Cake 🌱 @amoredimona has challenged me to create vegan, grain-free and nut-free chocolate recipe and so I took on the challenge with this layer cake. And I have finally experienced with cassava and tigernut flours, something I’ve been wanting to do for ages. If you fancy some grain-free baking check out the recipe on the blog. 😉

Have a wonderful weekend beautiful! ✨

Sending much love Hxx 🕊
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Hello beautiful! The two new promised recipes are Hello beautiful! The two new promised recipes are on the blog. Gingerbread Cookies and Baked Gingerbread Cheesecake with my favourite almond chickpea crust. Simple, wholesome, delicious. ✨

I have also updated my Christmas recipe collection so you can browse through them all under one post if you’d love some inspiration. ✨

Sending much love! Hana xx
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