Birthday Cupcakes

This weekend we had my son's second Birthday party at Sunflower Farm. The day was fantastic, the farm and the animals were wonderful, and the cupcakes were super tasty!



Cakes with pink & blue sprinkles were yellow cake with a hint of cherry. Cakes with yellow and green sprinkles were yellow cake with a hint of orange. Chocolate cakes were chocolate orange with a chocolate butter cream. All the cakes were vegan!

Happy April Fools Day!

Once again I let April 1 sneak up on me and so it was not until about 1:30 PM today that I figured out what to do for an annual "prank." I've been waiting for a good opportunity to make bacon cupcakes. Wait! Before you say "Blech!" I'll have you know this particular cupcake flavor that sounds totally disgusting up front, but which have been getting a lot of "press" lately.

So for dinner tonight I served maple walnut bacon cupcakes. The cupcakes were completely vegan, except for the bacon, which I think added to the foolishness of the cupcakes. We ate the cupcakes as a first course that was followed up with savory crepes filled with kale, shitake mushrooms and vegan hollandaise sauce. Beverage of choice for the night was Guinness (Guinness for Breakfast theme) and oddly enough, a bite of maple walnut bacon cupcake, followed by a swig of Guiness was divine. A perfect pairing...

For those of you who are strict vegans, please forgive our transgression in serving bacon with an otherwise vegan dinner. On the otherhand, perhaps you are one of the many (we should start a club) who is vegan (or vegetarian) but still sneaks in a slice of tasty bacon here or there...

In this picture you see at top vegan cupcakes, vegan iced cupcakes, followed by bacon cupcakes on left and vegan ba'cuns cupcakes on right... I have not yet tried the vegan version; however, I can happily report back that the savory fattiness of the bacon was an absolute delight to eat with the rich creamy maple cream cheeze frosting. Yummy indeed! And definitely something you should try when given the opportunity!

Vegan Bailey's and Cream

I generally do not favor rich beverages mixed with alcohol; however, last week I had a craving for Hot Chocoloate that soon turned into a rare craving for Bailey's and Cream. Generally, the word "cream" does not go over well with the vegan and or lactose intolerant crowd. If I was simply a vegan I might have even indulged in the real thing; however, I am severely lactose intolerant, so that was not an option.

Fortunately, with the help of a little full fat coconut milk and my husband's thorough liquor collection I was able to whip up a little vegan Bailey's and Cream with some real Irish Whiskey. As far as I could tell it tasted like the real thing and made even better cupcakes! The frosting is made from a mix of Earth Balance Margarine, Coconut Oil, Confectioner's Sugar, vanilla and almond flavoring. Together it tastes like a Bailey's Cupcake with a light and airy cream cheese frosting.

In the collage you'll note three different decorating styles. The first I thought I'd try and decorate like Irish Lace. The second is the perfect little home for a "shamrock" and the last two are decorated in a more traditional cupcake style.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day Everyone!
And may the Luck of the Irish be with you always!