Raspberry Limeade Cupcakes

Raspberry Limeade Cupcakes~
Yield: 2 dozen

I made these for a girls night, and they were a hit :) These little gems, scream summer! If you like food coloring, than add a few drops of green to the cupcake batter. I'm not a fan of the artificial coloring, since I had read somewhere that the food dye is tested on animals.

Cupcake Batter
1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened hemp milk (really any non-dairy milk will work)
1/2 cup lime juice
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons lime zest chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine non-dairy milk and lime juice in a medium bowl. Allow to sit for 10 minutes to thicken. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Add coconut oil, vanilla extract, and lime zest to the lime juice non-dairy milk mixture, whisking to combine.

3. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture, stirring gently till no longer lumpy and the batter is smooth. Divide batter evenly into lined cupcake pan.

4. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Repeat the process till all of the batter is gone.

5. Allow the cupcakes to cool before frosting.

Raspberry Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup raspberries, pureed
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 Tablespoons vegan margarine
hemp milk to thin

1. Add pureed raspberries, vegetable shortening, vegan margarine and powdered sugar in a bowl. Blend until smooth, adding non-dairy milk to desired consistency.

2. Frost cupcakes and enjoy!

Non-Dairy Cheese Cake

Non-Dairy Cheese Cake
Vegan

Bruce loves this with strawberries, and Grant really liked this too.... My favorite topping is raspberries, it compliments the lemon so wonderfully! My sister in law would always ask for this as the dessert during holidays.... ~_^

Ingredients:

2 8oz. containers of plain non-dairy cream cheese (I like Follow Your Heart)
1 cup organic sugar
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
dash of vanilla (about 1/8 teaspoon)
1 graham cracker crust
Fresh Fruit topping of your choice (raspberries, blueberries or strawberries are all good)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine ingredients until smooth and pour into the graham cracker crust. Bake for 60 minutes or until the top is golden. Allow to cool at room temperature then chill in the refrigerator until firm. This take several hours or overnight. Cover with fruit topping and serve.....

Found: PETA

Raspberry Blueberry Glaze

Raspberry Blueberry Glaze
Vegan

Instead of frosting, I made this very light flavorful glaze for Bruce's cake. Perfect for the summer heat and so simple!

1/2 cup of each raspberries and blueberries
2 cups sifted powder sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
a dash of salt
1/2 tsp. of hemp milk

1. Puree raspberries and blueberries in a blender. Set aside.

2. In a bowl, combine sifted powder sugar, vanilla, salt and hemp milk. Add berry mixture and combine. Evenly pour over cake, and garnish with whole berries and mint (optional).