Wednesday was my birthday, so this past weekend I used the occassion as an excuse to get as many friends in one room as I could. Oh, and ...

Wednesday was my birthday, so this past weekend I used the occassion as an excuse to get as many friends in one room as I could. Oh, and to make cupcakes -- an obscene number of cupcakes.





I didn't just make a few -- I made four different kinds of them! There was chocolate-chocolate, very vanilla, lemon-vanilla and chocolate-peppermint. And yes, they were all really good!





The standout cupcake was definitely chocolate-peppermint. Its one of my favourite flavour combinations -- which I'm sure my readers are well aware of since almost all my recent posts have involved these flavours! But hey, its December and the Holiday Season screams for peppermint and chocolate, no?

This frosting is not sugar-free but it is pretty healthy for frosting! And it's gluten-free and vegan! It's made mostly from unsweetened rice milk and avocado! Thanks to the addition of agar powder (AKA my new baking best friend) this frosting has an amazing thickness, creaminess and stability. It doesn't melt in room temperature like buttercream tends to, and it holds the shape you dollop or pipe onto cupcakes. Thanks to the agar, this frosting won't separate with overmixing either -- something that drives me crazy about non-vegan frosting! Before I made this frosting I scrapped three batches of a more conventional frosting that separated. Butter, and even my beloved coconut oil can be evil and temperamental! This frosting totally holds its shape in a hot room full of people and look how pretty and pale green it is!

The peppermint flavor of the frosting is strong, but natural. Pair this frosting with a rich chocolate cupcake or cake and you won't be dissapointed! Don't like cake? Enjoy this healthy frosting recipe as a rich little bowl of peppermint mousse instead. I made way too much of it so I can vouch that it's great on its own!