Some Valentine's Day sugar!

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It's Valentine's Day & while it's not a holiday that means much to this household, I thought it would be fun to do an update some sweets from my kitchen!

My husband Ryan had a birthday recently & we decided to invite friends over for jackfruit tacos, Guitar Hero, & of course, birthday cake! Peanut Butter is the number one dessert of choice in Ryan's world, so peanut butter it had to be! This rich Chocolate Cake was filled with Peanut Butter Caramel & topped with fluffy Peanut Butter Mousse. I played around with melted chocolate & "wrote" his name on waxed paper, then transfered the letters to the cake & surrounded them by chocolate-hazelnut frosting designs. I used almond milk for the mousse, so the nutty flavor would really shine, but found it was not the most stable option & I feared the frosting would slip right off the cake! Luckily, the taste didn't suffer at all!

Natalie from Bake & Destroy rocks my world, so when she sent me these awesome St. Elvis Cupcake Toppers, I had to put them to use. While a peanut butter banana cupcake would have been a better match, these vanilla cupcakes with lemon buttercream, made to enjoy with a friend over for dinner, went over just as well! By the way, have you seen the new Bake & Destroy hoodies & t-shirts? I have one of each on the way!

It has been cookie mania in my house! Ryan has an obsession with post-dinner cookies, dipped in soy or almond milk, so I've been trying to satisfy his sweet tooth. The Chocolate Chip cookies from Vegan with a Vengeance are super delicious; both Ryan & his co-workers have been rapidly consuming them. They last about 2 days around here, so I've made them a few times. They're just one more reason Vegan with a Vengeance is a heavily used cookbook in my house!

Well, that's all for now! I leave you with the most anti-vegan Valentine ever, courtesy of Natalie at Bake & Destroy. Sad? Hilarious? Cute? You decide!
I'll be spending tonight with some awesome friends, chowing down on ice cream cakes from Maggie Mudd. I hope you spend today doing something you love! Happy Valentine's Day!