I always keep these in my freezer, which means I have to bake them often! My fussy husband (originally I accidentally wrote fuzzy, which is also accurate) and son love them, even though my son has otherwise become skeptical of my healthy ‘cakes’. They are also a favourite of my diabetic mother, so I try to keep her freezer stocked with them. Although I have served them with whipped cream in the photo above, they really don’t need any topping at all.
These hazelnut and and orange cakes are an adaptation of Teresa Cutter’s (The Healthy Chef) Lemon Yoghurt Cupcakes. Check out her recipes, she has lots of incredible, healthy sweet treats. I enjoyed the delicate lemon of her cupcakes but wanted something stronger in flavour, which is why I adapted them.
Although the orange in the cupcakes does contain fructose, it is a very small amount – the juice of one small orange, divided by 12 cupcakes.
They do need to be made in muffin/cupcake liners, because they are very soft and will stick. But they freeze marvellously, and just need to be defrosted on the kitchen bench for 15 minutes to be as good as new.
Not the prettiest cupcake, but surprisingly tasty. I don’t think they even need any topping!
Hazelnut Orange Cupcakes
Credit: Adapted from Teresa Cutter’s Lemon Yoghurt Cupcakes
- 1 cup almond meal
- 2 cups hazelnut meal
- 1/2 tsp bicarb soda / baking soda
- 2 eggs
- Zest and juice of a small orange (if using a large orange use around two-thirds of the juice)
- 1/2 cup brown rice syrup (or honey, or a combination of both, but then not fructose-free)
- 1 tsp vanilla powder
- 55ml macadamia or almond oil
- 1/4 cup unsweetened greek yoghurt
1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees, and line a muffin pan with muffin/cupcake papers (makes 12).
2. Combine the almond meal, hazelnut meal and baking soda in a large bowl. Then chuck everything else in! Mix well.
3. Spoon into the muffin tin and bake for 30 minutes. They will spring back slightly when touched but will still feel quite soft.
4. Cool, then eat! To freeze, wait until they are completely cool, then transfer to a large container or zip-lock bag and freeze.
Dreaming of Almonds (and a nicer world) 
Can you tell me what vanilla powder is and where to buy?
Hi Michele,
Vanilla powder is pure vanilla, dried and ground into powder form. I find it to be more potent than vanilla extract (which usually contains alcohol which can dilute the flavour), so I tend to use less of it than I would extract. You can substitute the powder for extract in this recipe – maybe use 1 1/2 tsp of extract.
I buy vanilla powder online from Bulk Whole Foods. They have free shipping once you spend $100, so I buy all my nuts and seeds from them too. The vanilla powder is quite expensive but lasts forever! You may also be able to buy it in your local health food shop.
Thanks,
Erin