Gracie's Carnival Cakes

So few little updates:
i am going on yet another new regiment of medicine.
i got a job working as a hostess/waitress at a restaurant!
i have a new recipe area set up (the recipe link through RECIpage).
i have a new recipe from my sister's birthday!

these are Gracie Carnival Cupcakes. partially because they are some of my little sister's favorite flavors, and partially because thinking about a carnival was an inspiration for these cupcakes.

gotta love air-popers

this was my first batch of caramel corn. not perfect, but i changed the recipe to what you see below

and then i filled up the batter and took a knife and swirled in some pretty color!

cotton candy frosting try #1

fineto!

the first version...the frosting and caramel corn i adjusted to get what you see below!

couldn't completely capture the vibrant blue in the frosting!

for the birthday party :)

ta-da!

this RECIpage makes writing recipes like this so easy! way more fun too!

Ingredients (12 cupcakes)

For the Cake

• 1 1/3 cups All Purpose Flour (i had a request NOT to make this gluten free)
• 2/3 cup Almond Milk
• 2/3 cup Light Agave Nectar
• 1/3 cup Safflower Oil
• 1 1/2 t Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 t Baking Powder
• 1/2 t Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 t Almond Extract
• 1/2 t Baking Soda
• 1/4 t Salt

For Raspberry Swirl

• 1/4 cup fresh Raspberries
• 2 t Agave or Coconut Nectar

For Caramel Corn

• 3 cups of Popped Pop Corn (i suggest making your own in an air-popper)
• 1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
• 1/8 cup Earth Balance Margarine
• 1 T Light Agave Nectar
• 1 T Almond Milk
• 1/2 t Salt
• 1/8 t Vanilla Extract
• 1/16 t Baking Soda

For Frosting

• 2 cups Powdered Sugar (try making your own!)
• 1 (3oz) package of Cotton Candy plus more for decoration (or 1 1/2 T of Cotton Candy Sugar)
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance Margarine
• 1/4 cup Vegan Shortening
• 1/8 cup Almond Milk (adjust as needed)
• 1 1/2 t Vanilla Extract

Instructions

For the Cake

• Line muffin pan with cupcake liners and preheat oven to 325° F.
• Mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl; allow to sit for a few minutes to curdle. Beat in agave, oil, vanilla and almond extract.
• Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until smooth. Fill liners two thirds full
• Stick a knife into the raspberry puree and then swirl that throughout the cupcake batter, trying to keep a distinguished swirl line, re-dip your knife as needed
• Bake 20 to 22 minutes until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean; don't overbake or cupcakes will be dry.
• These cupcakes need to cool at least an hour before topping or filling, and alsoto develop the flavor and texture properly

For the Raspberry Swirl

• Add all ingredients to the blender or food processor
• Blend until smooth

For Caramel Corn

• .Preheat oven to 300 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray
• Pop about 3 cups of popcorn and set aside
• Melt the Earth Balance in a smallish pot over medium-high heat
• Add brown sugar and agave and stir until the mixture boils, then reduce heat to low and simmer it for about 2 minutes undisturbed
• then cook for about 3 minutes longer, stirring every 30 seconds or so until the mixture is a deep golden color
• Add in almond milk and cook until it bubbles again and milk is fully incorporated
• Turn off heat and whisk in salt, baking soda, and vanilla, then set the whisk aside
• Add popcorn to the saucepan and stir with a big spoon until fully coated
• Transfer and bake the popcorn for about 15 minutes stirring every 5 minutes until the popcorn is a deep amber color
• Remove the popcorn from the oven and spoon it on a waxed paper-lined surface to cool
• *note: this recipe works better with about 6 cups of popcorn. for this recipe, it is only used as a garnish so you don't need much, but feel free to make more!

For the Frosting

• Beat the margarine and shortening in a mixer until it gets somewhat fluffy and creamy, about 5 minutes
• Add in the powdered sugar (and cotton candy sugar if using) gradually and continue to beat for about 3 minutes
• Add in the vanilla and milk until the mixture is pretty smooth
• Continue to beat and add in the cotton candy and beat until the mixture is fluffy

For Assembly of Cupcake

• Once the cakes have cooled pipe the frosting onto them
• Top frosted cakes with a piece of cotton candy and pieces of caramel corn

i wanted to make sure i got this recipe up! i also made really good raw spiced "candied" almonds, but i think someone threw away my chickenscratch recipe, but i'll try and post it soon!

have a great day!