Thirsty Thursday.

Happy Thirsty Thursday!
No class on Fridays means hello weekend: let's get down to bidnass and get sippin'..

 3 places to get your drank on this weekend:

If you're feeling romantic and looking to sip some vino on a lantern-lit patio...head to Delachaise for just that..plus some out of this world french fries.

If you're rolling out with a bunch of pals..snag a big table at Domenica and go for the half-price pizzas and bottles of wine.

If you are feeling swank and sexy get your booty to Cure and make sure to sit at the bar..let the people watching and drink ogling commence..

Chocolate Cupcakes with Almond Buttercream and Toasted Coconut

Hi. I am a vegan chocolate cupcake and I am awesome.

Please refer to my peanut butter cookie post for more vegan awesomeness ramblings...

but in the meantime let me ramble a little bit about this chocolate cake recipe.

First and foremost it is the easiest cake recipe I've ever found.  It's a two bowl shindig requiring the least amount of elbow grease possible (you stir the dry stuff into the wet stuff in under a minute).  The cake is unbelievably moist with a mellow chocolate flavor.  It pairs perfectly with the almond buttercream and I imagine a dark chocolate buttercream wouldn't be half bad either.  Toasted coconut flakes add the perfect finish, not to mention they look really puuurty. 

 

Chocolate Cupcakes

(I halved the recipe from Sarah Magid's seriously gorgeous cookbook, Organic and Chic )

2 1/4 c organic all-purpose flour

2 c organic cane sugar

1 c organic unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract

2/3 c organic canola oil

2 teaspoons organic white vinegar

2 c cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place liners in 2 muffin pans for 24 cupcakes.

In a big bowl, sift all dry ingredients together. set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix the vanilla, oil, vinegar, and cold water.

Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry - being careful not to overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 20-25 min.

Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting!

Almond Buttercream Frosting

1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter

4-7 c powdered sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

3 tablespoons milk

Cream butter with an electric or stand mixer, then slowly add powdered sugar and milk.  Mix in almond extract at the end.

Toasted Coconut Topping

Place 2 cups organic, unsweetened raw coconut flakes on a parchment lined baking tray.  Bake at 350 degrees F for about 5 minutes, checking the coconut flakes often!  Let cool before sprinkling on frosted cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Happy Friday + Hoodrat Stuff

via pinterest

Easter on the Shore..

It's been a jet-setting past few weekends, from California to Maryland and back to NOLA, and while I have had all kinds of crazy-cool adventures in eating and seeing and lounging, it feels good to be back.  Here are just a few snapshots from this past weekend spent at the boy's house on the eastern shore of Maryland.

Weekend by the Bay...

 

Happy Friday + California, I love you.

Hi home. I've missed ya.

Springtime Sweets

Drooling over these dainty and oh-so-springy sweets found around the web...

lovely lavender and dark chocolate ice cream. Pinterest find.

chocolate doughnuts w/blood orange glaze. gasp.

grapefruit panna cotta garnished with little figgies.

love the frosting decor.

rhubarb-vanilla bean milkshake. why have I never thought of this before?

lemon-lime shortbread cookies from Bon Appetit...which would be perfect for ice cream sandwiches.

David Lebovitz's strawberry sabayon.

lavender infused lemonade.

hello pretties.