Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twelve 2½-inch muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside six nice strawberries for garnish.
2. In a blender puree the remaining strawberries. Strain puree through a fine-mesh sieve; discard seeds.
3. For frosting, place 1 cup of the strawberry puree in a small saucepan. Add ¼ cup of the maple syrup, the lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Cook over low 8 to 10 minutes or until sauce is reduced by a third, stirring occasionally. Transfer sauce to a bowl; whisk in almond flour. Let stand 30 minutes. Place in a blender; cover and blend until creamy. Return to bowl; cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, for cupcakes, in a large bowl stir together milk, flaxseed meal, and vinegar. Let stand 10 minutes. In a second bowl whisk together the next four ingredients (through baking soda) and a pinch of salt. Add almond butter, vanilla, the remaining ¾ cup maple syrup, and the remaining strawberry puree to the milk mixture; mix well. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture. Stir gently until well combined.
5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack; cool completely.
6. Spread frosting onto cupcakes. Slice reserved strawberries. Top cupcakes with strawberry slices. Refrigerate cupcakes until ready to serve.