yesterday i was nonstop busy...and test-tasting yummy things for a sort of birthday party

i was baking up a storm...truly.
cakes, cupcakes, breads, etc.
some for a party we had last night,
some just to have on hand
when a sweet tooth beckons
or some serious grain is needed in the tummy.

sprinkles were everywhere.
magic faerie dust really.
as i frosted and sprinkled i was overtaken
by the smell of a spring rain...
what is it about spring rain specifically that is so fresh and clean?
what could be more perfect than
baking while it rains outside?




i tried this cupcake/cake recipe for the first time,
and it worked out quite well.
i used this recipe, except i used less water
{i only used 1/2 cup hot water}.

it all turned out so yummy and perfect.
we are set for the next few days indeed.

only once a year...to cj's dismay

every year for the summer solstice i make the most delicious cupcakes you've ever had. yup. i'm being quite serious. they're like nothing you've ever had. i got the recipe from this book. the entire book is delicious. you should probably invest in it. people are shocked when i tell them these little babies are vegan. cj's co-workers rememberd them from last year, and have been hounding him for some this year. cj tries to convince me to make them more often. but i'm a stickler for traditions...if you make them all the time then they lose their excitement. it's so worth the wait! so here's the recipe:

mexican hot chocolate cupcakes

ingredients:

1 cup coconut milk

1 Tbsp ground flaxseeds (seriously!)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp corn flour

1/4 cup almond meal

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (this is the best ingredient!)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin pan with cupcake liners

2. whisk together coconut milk and flaxseeds and allow to sit for 10 minutes

3. in another bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, corn flour, almond meal, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne.

4. whisk sugar, oil, vanilla, and almond extract into coconut milk mixture. gently add wet ingredients to dry. fill cupcake liners three-quarters of the way. bake for 22-25 minutes until a knife or toothpick inserted through the center of one comes out clean. transfer to a colling rack to cool completely.

5. sift a layer of confectioner's sugar onto the tops of the cooled cakes. then sift on cocoa, then lastly sift on a layer of cinnamon.

finally!

tonight i finally get to have my cupcake celebration!

i turned in my senior thesis and another paper this afternoon...

my last undergrad papers ever!

'tis truly cause to celebrate with

some sweetness.

(cupcakes provided by ceej via a gift certificate he gave me a while back...THANK YOU, C!)

photos by me. today.

{cupcake update: all that sugar made me sick...boy did i learn my lesson!}