Pumpkin Cake w/ Maple-Cream Cheese Frosting

I found this recipe online and am not sure if I can/will recommend it yet….the batter was so thick that I was worried the cake wouldn’t turn out at all.  I feel a little bit better about it now, but we’ll see after the celebration of a friend’s birthday tonight!  I did modify the recipe slightly, using all ground maple sugar instead of any other refined sugars.  However, as you can see, there is quite a bit of frosting, sweetened not only with maple syrup but also with some powdered sugar (organic and fair-trade!).

I do NOT mess around when making candy- or sugar-coated nuts.  These are coated with not only maple syrup but also maple sugar.  It’s like pouring a gallon of the syrup down your throat, only more sophisticated and with extra protein and minerals.  There are candy-coated ground and whole cashews in the middle layer as well.

Tiramisu Cupcakes (Bonus)

 

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

I have made these before and they are my favorite from the VCTOTW book.  However, I was missing something in my prior post:

Wipe that saliva off of your chin, forget about wars, poverty, inequality, and other violence for a minute while peacefully-made cupcakes take over your kitchen….

Equal Exchange Chocolate

A rare product review!  I’m so glad that organic and fair-traded chocolate WITH almonds is now available!  For the true cocoa bean lovers, who wants some dark chocolate?!  Keep it in the freezer and eat a chunk here and there when it hits your fancy.  Why would you want any type of animal, including humans, to suffer so you can enjoy a treat?  Buy fair-trade and dairy-free!