Oh yes, more May birthday madness! The birthday girl in question also asked me to bring over some other vegan sweets to her little tea party on Sunday, so I have quite a bit of baking to do today… But it’ll be a fun challenge, thank goodness. I just need to figure out what to make next!
I don’t remember exactly what my inspiration was for this one, but I knew that no matter what, I wanted to find something that went well with chocolate, because I just happen to have tons of leftover chocolate ganache for some reason. This particular friend didn’t appear to be particularly fond of fruit flavors, so I tried to look in a different direction. Standard vanilla was considered briefly, but the urge to experiment soon became all-consuming when I dreamed up the thought of peanut butter cupcakes. Sure, I’d seen some “peanut butter cupcake cakes” before, but they were chocolate cakes with peanut-buttery orbs stuck in the centers.
These bad boys make no excuses. Loaded up with nothing but peanut butter, it really gives the nutty flavor a chance to shine through instead of playing second fiddle to the chocolate topping.
Of course, fate has a way of working against us…
The cupcakes were fine, but on the morning they were to be delivered, I was not exactly the most cheerful little girl around. Sleep had eluded me for all but 30 minutes before I had to run out the door to catch my train – Some how I had managed to avoid getting a single nod all night, but then mysteriously passed out on the living room carpeting right before I had to start moving again. I honestly have no idea how I even got there.
So now I was rushing around toasting up bread, packing lunch, carefully wrapping up the cupcakes because – Oh look – It’s raining yet again. In the car, I singe the taste buds off my tongue with a gulp of molten hot coffee, and then spill what remains all over my lap when we stop short. By the time we made it into the station, I was no prepared to deal with much. Knowing that this friend sometimes has an issue with making it to school on a daily basis, I worried that my efforts would be for naught.
“If she’s not here today, I swear to god, I’m throwing these cupcakes into the train tracks.” I threatened in my mother’s general direction.
My mom was slightly taken aback, “No, you won’t.”
“Oh you just wait and see.” I was a bomb just waiting to go off, and who was going to tell me what pastries I could or could not destroy?!
“No, seriously, if she’s not here, bring them back home and I’ll eat them,” she clarified with a grin.
Luckily, sleep deprivation and 3rd degree coffee burns aside, it all went off without a hitch. The birthday girl showed up just as I had made her repeatedly promise throughout the week, and I believe she even enjoyed the cupcakes. Well, I can’t be sure about that, but I’m pretty sure if she didn’t like them, she probably would have stopped at her second or third.
Oh god. Those look AMAZING. What are you trying to do to me here? Seriously. I’m trying to watch what I eat, and now all I can think about is watching myself eat about 5 of these. :)