You Won't Believe They're Vegan - Coconut Snowball Cupcakes

My sister came to visit last week.  She has made the switch to a vegan lifestyle with me.  We were on the phone before she came, reminiscing about how my dad used to buy coconut snowballs for us to roast over the campfire on family camping trips.  When we roasted them, the cake would get warm, the coconut would get toasty, and the marshmallow would get soft and melty.  They were amazing! 

Since we were also celebrating her birthday while she was here, I whipped these treats up for her.  I modified my mom’s recipe for wacky cake to make it a little richer.  Marshmallows are absolutely my favorite indulgence, so I was happy to play with them to create a marshmallow icing.  After a few failed attempts, I discovered that using straight Ricemellow Crème worked best.  Even my non-vegan husband was impressed!

You Won’t Believe They’re Vegan- Coconut Snowball Cupcakes

Chocolate Cake

Makes 1 dozen cupcakes

1 ½ cups sifted flour

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vinegar

1/3 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup almond milk.

1.       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare baking cups by putting cupcake liners in the pan.

2.       Sift together and stir the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

3.       Make three wells in the dry mixture.  Put vinegar in the first, canola oil in the second, and vanilla in the third.  Pour the almond milk over the top.

4.       Whisk together all ingredients until just combined.

5.       Immediately scoop batter into prepared baking cups.  (Do not let the batter sit for too long.  The reaction of baking soda and vinegar is what makes them rise.)

6.       Bake for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7.       Allow the cakes to cool completely.

8.       Ice and enjoy.

Icing the cupcakes:

In a pastry bag with a medium tip, poke a hole in the top of the cupcake and squeeze in some Ricemellow Crème.  Stop if the cupcake starts to crack.  You don’t want to overfill it.  Repeat for the rest of the cupcakes.

Ice the tops of the cupcakes with the Ricemellow Crème by piping the crème in a circle at the center of the cupcake about the size of a silver dollar.  Be careful not to put too much or ice too close to the edges or the fluff will ooze off.  Roll in finely shredded unsweetened dried coconut flakes.  You can color the coconut with a few drops of food coloring if you choose.  Garnish with edible flowers.  Serve immediately.