I do not bake as much as I used to. Any baking I do now are casseroles. However, when my cousin is back from college, we get together and we bake. Sometimes, we make other things, but mostly we bake. We make myriads of cookies, pies, and, of course, cakes. Everything except muffins. I do not like muffins. Well, there is one muffin I do make, but it does not taste like your regular muffin.





As we grow older, my cousins and I, thankfully still keep many of our traditions when it comes to family gathering. Although many of us have gone our separate ways, there are times when it do feel like we haven't grown at all. Holidays are one of those times.





I am not vegan. I love meat too much, but I do appreciate why people do the vegan thing, at least here in the US. However, I do love vegetables; thus I love vegan food. A friend of mine, Jill, is an animal activist and a proud vegan. On several occasions, I had gone vegan for a day, a week, and even a whole 40 days. The 40 days was hard. I scoured the internet for vegan recipes. Back then, it was hard to find vegan recipes. Nowadays, because of food trends, it is a lot easier.





As I try to post my silly thoughts and ravings on the internet, I thought I'd try to scatter the internet with more delicious vegan recipes. Because, there can never be enough. So, as the holidays are approaching, here's a lovely cupcake recipe with all the holiday spices to keep you warm and toasty on a cold winter day with a lemon coconut frosting to brighten things up. Enjoy.





Happy Holidays! Happy cooking!

Spiced winter squash cupcake with a lemon coconut frosting

Ingredients

1 favorite winter squash halved ( I used butternut)





1/3 cup coconut oil

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup almond milk

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt





1/4 tsp of clove

1/2 tsp of nutmeg

1/2 tsp of ground ginger

1/4 tsp of allspice

1/4 tsp of cinnamon

1/4 cup of maple syrup

1/4 tsp of cayenne





Roasting the Squash

1. Preheat oven 400 degrees.

2. Score the two halves of the squash. Drizzle with maple syrup. Sprinkle with cayenne.

3. Roast in the oven for 30 mins or until squash is tender.

4. Scrape the squash out and then puree. Set aside.





Making the cupcake 5. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F.

6. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.

7. Whisk together oil, sugar, almond milk.

8. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.

9. Gently whisk flour mixture until well combined.

10. Fold in pumpkin, but do not overstir or the batter will become gummy.



11. Fill liners two-thirds full. Bake for 24-26 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely.







Lemon Coconut Frosting