Vegan Heart Shaped Cupcakes

Oh thank goodness! We have finally been plowed out of our house. We’ve been hit with Nemo that dumped about 3 feet of snow on us starting Friday and today we finally can leave the house. It’s been a long weekend cooped up in the house with the kids and after making snowflakes, watching movies and reading I went to a tried and true activity – baking!

We made our usual chocolate cupcakes but with Valentine’s Day around the corner, I decided to pretty them up. After letting the cupcakes bake and cool (see recipe below), I used a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut them out. After cutting 2 and having the crumbles fall all over the place, despite them being completely cooled, I flipped them upside down and voila! A much cleaner look! Then I colored some icing and dipped them in pink sprinkles.

They are a big hit around this house! I bet they would be great to surprise the kids after school on Valentine’s Day or whip up a batch for those Valentine’s Day themed parties. Vegan food can look good too!

xo,
B

Vegan Nut Free Chocolate Cake (from Food Allergy Mama)
1/2 cup dairy-free shortening
1 1/2 cups dairy-free buttermilk (Mix 1 1/2 cups soy milk with 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar) *I like vanilla soy milk, yummy!*
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour (regular flour works well also)
11/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
11/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine shortening, buttermilk, water, and vanilla until thoroughly mixed. In a separate medium bowl, combine cake flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt with a wire whisk. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the shortening mixture, and beat on high speed 3 to 4 minutes, occasionally scraping sides with a rubber spatula.

Preheat oven to 350ºF, and spray two 9-inch round cake pans or a 13×9-inch glass baking dish with dairy-free baking spray. Pour batter into prepared pans, and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. *Bake 20-25 minutes for cupcakes. Cool completely before frosting.