Easy Vegan Bunny Rabbit Cupcakes

Our family celebrated Easter a little early this year with some adorable bunny cupcakes. They are easy to make and fun to nosh on.

These were vanilla cupcakes made using a recipe I saw on Finding Vegan for the fluffiest vanilla cupcakes. They were perfectly light a fluffy.

To create these little delights you'll need: 

• Dandies Marshmallows
• Jelly beans
• Mini chocolate chips (large would work too) 
• Jimmy sprinkles.If you like the little mouth and ears, I used blue and pink piped frosting.

Steps to decorate cupcake

1. First slice the marshmallows in half, then stretch them a little to create the ears. 
2. Use an 1M frosting tip to make the bunny head (you could also cut a large hole in the tip of a zip lock bag about a 1/2 inch wide)
3. Attach the ears by pushing into the frosting.
4. Using a little dab of frosting attach a chocolate chip to two jelly beans and place them for eyes.
5. Add another jelly bean for the bunny's nose
6. Select out jimmies to make whiskers and place on the cupcake.
7. If you like the little mouth and ears, pipe them on. I used blue and pink piped frosting.

Fluffy Whipped Vanilla Frosting

1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

2 tsp. vanilla

4-6 Tbsp. non-dairy milk

3 1/2-4 cups powdered sugar

Cream together the margarine, vanilla and shortening. Slowly mix in powdered sugar and non-dairy milk, alternating between the two. Add more powdered sugar or soy milk to obtained desired texture. Once mixed well, beat for about ten minutes until frosting is nice and fluffy. 

Raspberry Chocolate Shortcake with Creme Filling

Back in 2011 I created a Strawberry Shortcake Cupcake recipe. It is one the most popular recipes on my blog. It got me thinking of a new twist, hence I concocted this delicious combination. I can't decide which I like best, but I think the chocolate version may be coming out ahead.

The chocolate and raspberry pair together well, and make a delectable dairy and egg free vegan treat. If you are looking for a recipe to feed to the skeptical, you won't go wrong with this one.

Crazy or Wacky Cake

1.5 cups unbleached flour

1 cups sugar

1 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 heaping cup cocoa

1/2 Tbsp. white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

 1/3 cup vegetable Oil

 1 cup water

Filling:
Soyatoo Whipping Topping.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. Sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, and salt. 
3. Add remaining wet ingredients with dry ones and mix. Do not over mix. 
4. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. 
5. Bake in oven for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. 
6. Once cupcakes are completely cooled, fill cupcakes using a filling tip or cut cone shaped portions out of the top of the cupcake, add filling, and then return top.*
7. Frost with raspberry frosting.

*Note: Be careful to not overfill if using a tip, as it will cause the cupcake to split.

Raspberry Frosting

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup raspberry powder (run through small weave metal colander to remove larger pieces)
1/2 cup margarine
1/3 cup shortening
2-3 tsp. soy, almond, coconut milk
1 tsp. raspberry extract

1. Cream together the margarine and shortening. 
2. Add in strawberry powder, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix well until completely combined, scraping the sides of the bowl in between mixing. 
3. Add almond milk one tablespoon at a time, mixing in between.  
4. Fluff frosting for 10 minutes. 

If you need instructions on making your own raspberry powder for the recipe, click here. The instructions are the same for raspberries as strawberries.

No Bake Chocolate Coconut Almond Cookies

Whenever I am craving a sweet and don't feel like baking, I always seem to revert to my childhood favorite standby of Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal No-Bake cookies. Growing up my mom made these often. The smell of them, brings me right back to a more simple time. 

This is a twist on that homemade classic. They are sweet and substantial, and will tempt you to eat more than you should. I recommend a small batch.

No Bake Chocolate Almond Coconut Cookies

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil (should look like shortening, but not as smooth)

1/4 cup almond milk

1 1/2 heaping Tbsp. cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups oatmeal

1/4 cup almond butter

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup almond meal

1 tsp. almond extract

1. Get out all ingredients and lay out a sheet of wax paper 1 and a half feet long on a pan or counter.
2. On the stove, melt the coconut oil on medium-low heat. 
3. Stir in sugar until it melts into the coconut oil. 
4. Add almond milk and cocoa powder, then bring to a boil for 90 seconds. Do not start timing until it is at a rolling boil. 
5. Remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients: almond butter, shredded coconut, almond meal, and extract. Stir until well mixed.
6. Spoon about 2 tablespoons worth of cookie batter onto the wax paper. 
7. Allow to cool and set approximately one hour.

*If your cookies do not harden, the cookie batter did not boil long enough. I've thrown mine into the oven on 350 for a 3-5 minutes and it helps them to set.

Makes 10 - 12 cookies depending on the size of each cookie

Raspberry Chocolate Lava Volcano Bundt Cake

My son LOVES volcanoes, so he was beyond excited about a raspberry lava volcano chocolate bundt cake. Try saying that three times fast.

It is a simple recipe, which entails using the classic wacky or crazy cake recipe, along with a raspberry drizzle icing. I made my own raspberry powder for it.

If you prepare the wacky cake recipe it will make 4 mini bundt cakes or one large one.

Raspberry Icing

1/2 cup raspberry powder
1 cup powdered sugar
2-4 Tbsp. coconut milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Whisk together all ingredients, until it is creamy and smooth. It should be thin enough to pour onto the cake. About the consistency of thicker syrup.

As you can see, my kids really liked it. Maybe a little too much. I just stopped my son from licking the cake.