Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes with Vanilla-Almond ‘Butter’cream

So…it’s been a really long time. Again.

I promise I’m not going away–these weeks have just been absolutely insane in nearly every way possible:

1. We just finished an amazing run of Sarah Ruhl’s Melancholy Play–my last show at Cornell. Moop.

2. I am just exiting a really emotional few weeks, trying to get through a very tangled web of just about every emotion that a person can feel without going utterly crazy. It is highly confusing and frustrating and exciting and debilitating all at once. But I’m almost through the void, I promise! Just a few more things to settle and sort through. :)

3. I am attempting to combat really severe senioritis.

4. Just…lots of other things too.

And, whelp, baking just did not fit into the schedule.

So when I had a little bit of time and the urge was just too much to deny, I filled my life with rainbow sprinkles. Vegan style, of course.

The pictures aren’t perfect, but they’re colorful and I hope they bring some light into your day…goodness knows we all need a little optimism and hope lately.

Doing Melacholy Play was an absolutely amazing experience. My family drove 500 miles (9 hours) to surprise me on Saturday, and all the people who attended and worked on the show were so kind. I was thoroughly humbled by the incredible turnout and the wealth of laughter in the theater. Simply overwhelmed. I wanted to hug each and every person for hours on end.

As for other updates, I really want to buy myself a copy of Le Petit Prince. I haven’t read it in years and want to get back to it. I also am getting  excited about being done with classes. And for the warmth that comes in May. My birthday is in mid-May, so I’ll be making some really special cake for that. Because, well, it’s the one time when I can have as much cake as I want, right? :)

Also, I’m crazy obsessed with Rihanna’s Talk That Talk album lately. As in, it’s virtually the only thing I’ve been listening to for about 3 weeks. Sorry not sorry.

Oh, I guess you want to hear about these cupcakes too. Whelp, they’re super fun and they have protein in them for extra vanilla flavor (which makes them a workout snack right? yeah.), and the buttercream is super rich and silky. You can always make the buttercream lighter depending on your taste–the cupcakes aren’t too sweet though so I liked the balance. Totally your preference of course–it’s insanely easy to adapt the recipe for that. Also, I like a TON of sprinkles. I almost added dark chocolate chips. Next time, next time.

Vegan Vanilla Funfetti Cupcakes
Adapted from Pastry Affair

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp vegan vanilla protein powder
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line a cupcake pan with baking cups.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, protein, baking soda, and salt. Add the extracts, vinegar, oil, and almond milk. Mix the batter until smooth. Fold in 1/3 cup sprinkles.

Pour batter over into 12 muffin cups (about 3/4 full). Top with remaining sprinkles. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from baking pan and allow to cool to room temperature.

Vegan Vanilla Almond Buttercream

1 cup vegan butter, cool
3 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
pinch salt
almond milk (as necessary)

Whip butter using mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in powdered sugar, salt, and extracts. Add almond milk until desired thickness is reached (I wanted a very rich buttercream, so I only used a couple tablespoons). Continue to beat for 5-10 minutes until fluffy. Pipe.

Top with rainbow sprinkles if desired.