For those of you that have children, I am sure you (like me) spend your Saturday’s and Sunday’s at the park or gym, watching children, small and large, playing with balls. Basketballs, soccer balls, footballs, baseballs, and lacrosse balls. Three boys, 3-6 games (depending on Isaac’s travel basketball schedule), spent at the park and gym.
Oh, and then there is the weekly team snack. I have tried to outlaw it, or outlaw certain snack items, but I am often met with the evil eye and that look of “is she crazy or just stupid”. I simply do not understand how so many of these parents think that a bag of pre-packaged chips, a plastic bottle containing colored liquid, or a sandwich filled cookie equates to something they would want their child to put in their body after they just did something wonderful for their body!?
I have learned to keep my mouth shut and instead, hopefully teach by doing. For Levi’s last football game, I was snack mom. Tea cakes have become our latest and greatest and we can’t decide if they are a muffin, a cake, or a cupcake. Really doesn’t matter what they are – they are delicious.
With mini orange and chocolate chip tea cakes in hand, fruit kebabs, and water, not only were the parents “ooing and aahing”, but the kids were asking for seconds. Sometimes with kids it is all about the presentation, and having fruit on a stick was a sure fire winner.
Levi has found his passion, and aside from basketball, this is his new found love. He signed up late and was kind of the outsider. It didn’t take him long to make some new friends, listen to his coach, and prove himself.
With three interceptions, or “picks” he had the most in the entire league. And making touchdown’s was his goal of the week. More than winning the game, I love seeing my kids active, enjoying collaborating and working with a team, and simply being outside. If we, as a family, can inspire just one person to begin to eat unprocessed, then we aer doing our job!
Chocolate Almond + Orange Tea Cakes
Ingredients:
for the tea cakes:
4 ounces | 114 grams | 1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted, organic butter
6 1/2 ounces | 180 grams | 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons maple sugar
2 large, organic eggs
zest of one orange
3 ounces | 80 grams | 1 1/4 + 1 tablespoon greek yogurt
3 ounces | 80 grams | 1/2 cup millet flour
2 1/2 ounces | 70 grams | 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon almond meal
1 ounce | 30 grams | 3 tablespoons sweet rice flour
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons Celtic sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ounces | 56 grams | 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
for the glaze:
6 3/4 ounces | 189 grams | 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed orange juice
Instructions:
for the cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. brush with butter, mini muffin tins and place on two parchment lined jelly roll pans. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients. set aside. In the work bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar until combined. add orange zest. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each egg. Add the vanilla. Add the yogurt and mix until all ingredients are incorporated and you no longer see any white streaks in the batter.
With the mixer on medium speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix well. Using a 2 tablespoon ice cream scooper, place batter into prepared pan. Bake 22-24 minutes or until the tops are a golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes come clean.
Let cool completely on wire racks before glazing.
for the glaze:
Sift confectioners’ sugar into a medium sized bowl. Add milk and maple syrup and whisk to combine (eliminating bumps). Spoon glaze over cooled tea cakes set over a wire rack. Let set completely before eating. Store in fridge for up to 3 days.
Yield: 28 tea cakes
Susan Salzman writes The Urban Baker blog to explore her dedication to good food in the hope of adding beauty to the lives of her family and friends.