Inebriated, Yet Sweet Heroism

Methinks I am one of the slower foodies on the uptake these days! I just stumbled onto the Cupcake Hero Event at Quirky Cupcake, and co-hosted this time around by Tempered Woman, and was somewhat posessed to make something!!

I tend to make it a habit when I go to any one of my myriad appointments to take a little token of the culinary nature along with me. I mean, who doesn't love goodies appearing in the middle of the day? Seeing my wonderful (and very understanding, all things considered!) physician is on my to-do list for tomorrow morning, and so I was looking for something delicious that I could bring her and the staff, seeing as they now know me by name, on sight, when I walk in the door! Mom's still sick too, so maybe I'll save one of these as a pick-me-up for her when she's feeling better.

The theme for this edition of Cupcake Hero is liquor, and these quaint, light pink cupcakes are touched with a wee bit of Grand Marnier! Strawberry jam also finds a home in these low-fat, whole grain treats, and they are made wonderfully tender with a bit of ricotta cheese. It's like your favourite summer cocktail all in a delicious bite!

Strawberry Cocktail Cakes
Makes 6
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cup raw sugar
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 tbsp full-fat ricotta cheese
1 tbsp strawberry jam
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp Grand Marnier
2 tbsp water

1. Preheat oven to 400F, and grease 6 muffin cups.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch and sugar.
3. Seperately, blend together nectar, ricotta, jam, orange juice, liqueur and water.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until blended. Some lumps are OK.
5. Disperse batter into tins and bake 17-18 minutes.
6. Glaze with an orange juice and powdered sugar glaze if desired.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 119.3
Total Fat: 0.7 g
Cholesterol: 1.3 mg
Sodium: 37.4 mg
Total Carbs: 24.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.8 g
Protein: 2.5 g