When I was studying acupuncture at college my sister and her partner made me the most decadent Yin Yang, liqueur infused, white and dark chocolate mud cake for my birthday. It was incredible! So when I knew that two of my Traditional Chinese Medicine Masters course buddies were celebrating their birthdays around the time of our latest on-campus workshop at the University of Western Sydney, I knew just what to make for them – Yin Yang cakes, but this time mini ones, to survive the journey from Brisbane to Campbelltown.

Like everything I bake, these were gluten and dairy-free (with one small exception that is easily removed, the white chocolate chip on top that makes the Yang in the Yin). I won’t pretend that these are in anyway healthy, just a suitable treat for people with dairy and gluten intolerance. They are high in fat and sugar. But they are a birthday treat and the eight or so people who ate them seemed to really enjoy them, so eat one, enjoy it and share the rest.

Yin Yang Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 80g nuttelex or coconut butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour, extra

Icing ingredients

• 1/2 container of tofutti (soy cream cheese)
• 1/4 cup nuttelex or butter alternative
• 1 cup of icing sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/4 cup icing sugar, extra
• 12 dark chocolate chips
• 12 white chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Prepare 12 hole cupcake tray with cupcake papers
3. Mix flour, sugar and sifted baking powder together.
4. Mix in vanilla, nuttelex or coconut butter, eggs and water, beat well.
5. Divide mix into evenly into two separate bowls.
6. Add in sifted cocoa to one bowl and extra flour to the other. Beat each bowl until mixed well.
7. Spoon mix into cupcake tray with chocolate on one half of the cupcake hole and vanilla mix on the other, until all holes are half full.
8. Bake for 15-18 minutes.
9. Allow cupcakes to cool.
10. To make icing: mix tofutti and nuttelex together, then sift in icing sugar and mix well. Divide mixture evenly into two bowls. Sift the cocoa into one bowl and the extra icing sugar into the other. Mix each bowl so ingredients are combined well. To make a thicker icing add more icing sugar.
11. Decorate each cake with white or chocolate icing on the appropriate half of the cupcake in a Yin Yang pattern (as in the photo). Finish the design off with a dark chocolate chip on the white side and a white chocolate chip on the cocoa side. Then refridgerate to set the icing.

To book an appointment at the clinic or further information on Chinese Medicine contact Dr Sarah George (Acupuncture).  Sarah is a practitioner of acupuncture (AHPRA registered), massage therapy and natural health.