Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Almond Butter Frosting

Hey guys!

My birthday was this week and of course I created myself some extra delicious cupcakes to celebrate!

I turned the big 2-0 this week!
I know oh my gosh, I'm so old
I feel sad to leave 19 behind as 9 and 19 are my favorite numbers.

I can't believe I have been on this planet for two whole decades. I certainly don't feel that old and I'm blessed to have had a good life for the most part.



This year has been full of so many exciting things for me. I have made many new friends, joined and became an exec for a couple uni clubs, worked at an amazing part-time job, learned new and exciting things in my classes, and have grown to be a better and more confident person.

Of course this year did have its downsides. Due to all of the exciting things I've been involved in, I found myself extremely busy and stressed. Sleep was neglected, I was eating poorly, gained weight, my stress levels were through the roof, and at one point I was a very unhappy person.

Sorry about the bad photos. I was too eager to eat my cupcakes to care about lighting!

Thankfully, since my classes have ended I came to realize this and have been working to fix it. So far I feel that I have been doing a good job but I still have a way to go. My goal for this year is to make sure this doesn't happen again which may require letting go of some things.

I have a lot to look forward this year, including a trip I will be leaving for tomorrow! I promise to let you know about it when I come back.

Until then I hope you enjoy these delicious cupcakes.
I modified the cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes take over the World and the frosting was largely adapted from the recipe here.
I found an almond cashew butter at my local grocer and decided to try that in the frosting but you can of course use any nut butter.
Hope you enjoy this recipe and that you are having a very merry un-birthday if it isn't you aren't celebrating your own birthday today!


Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Almond Butter Frosting
12

2/3 cup chocolate soy milk*

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

2/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup canola oil

1  tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup spelt flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 F

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and vinegar, then set aside

3. Add maple syrup, oil, and vanilla and then beat till foamy

4. Sift in  flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir batter until smooth

5. Bake 20-22 min until a tooth pick comes out clean

6. Cool for about an hour before adding frosting as well as to let develop flavour and texture develop

*you can of course use regular soy milk or any other nondairy milk

Almond-Cashew Butter Frosting

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp soy milk powder

2 tbsp coconut flour

1/4 cup almond milk

3 tbsp maple syrup (or to taste)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp melted coconut oil

1 tbsp canola oil

1/2-3/4 cup almond cashew butter

1. In a blender or bowl with a spoon, mix all ingredients until smooth

2. Taste and add more sweetener, liquid, soy milk powder, or nut butter to get the texture and taste to your liking

3. Frost on cooled cupcakes

How do you keep yourself healthy and stress free when life gets hectic?