This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend. A time when we as a nation remember the men and women who gave their lives in service of our armed forces.
Memorial Day Weekend is also the unofficial start to summer, and the beginning of outdoor cooking season!
If you’re invited to a friends place and want to bring a food item along, how about some Chocolate Cup Cakes.
Chocolate Almond Cup Cakes
Batter mixed, poured, and ready for oven.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups All purpose flour
1 Cup Granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1/3 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Cocoa powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup oil
1 Cup Unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Almond extract (omit to remove almond flavor from cupcakes)
1 Tablespoon Vinegar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place cupcake liners in cupcake pan.
Out of the oven and cooling. One already eaten.
3. Place all dry ingredients in bowl and gently mix together.
4. Add liquid ingredients in order.
5. Mix until all ingredients are well blended.
6. Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 of the way full.
(Side Note: If you’re using a standard 12 cup cupcake sheet, you’ll have some extra batter. Find another container to bake it in to make a mini cake, or go ahead and eat the batter. This recipe is vegan. There are no animal products and nothing that must be cooked before eating.)
7. Place in oven bake for 20-25 minutes. Check at 20 minutes with toothpick.
8. When finished remove from oven. Let sit for 5 minutes. Remove cakes from pan and cook on wire rack.
9. Cover with favorite frosting, whipped cream, or eat plain.
Almond Butter Frosting
All blended and ready to top the cupcakes.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Unsweetened Almond Milk
3/4 Cup dry soy milk powder
1 Tablespoon All purpose flour
1/4 Cup Agave nectar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract
1/2 – 3/4 Cup Creamy Almond butter
Directions:
1. Combine almond milk, soy milk powder, all purpose flour, agave nectar, and vanilla in food processor or blender until well mixed.
2. Add almond butter 1/4 cup at a time and blend until desired taste and consistency are reached.
3. Cover cup cakes with frosting.
Almond Butter Frosting
Quixotic Quandary 