A casserole in a cupcake - YUM.

as promised, here is another recipe crossed off the wish list: sweet potato cupcakes with mallow cream frosting! i have always wanted to turn the classic thanksgiving casserole into a bite-size cake for the holidays. it's not the most novel of ideas, but it sure is a tasty one. the twist here? these babies are vegan. what's that? vegan marshmallows? how is that even possible??

$4.49 for a small bag, and anything is possible apparently.

 holy crap expensive, but that's what you get when you're trying to be a good vegetarian and avoid all things with gelatin (yuck). never the less, these beauties were delicious. just throwing some marshmallows on top makes for a fun presentation albeit a messy one. the vegan mallows are extra sweet and a little denser too, but they paired well with the not-too-sugary cakes. just make them. i promise they're good. and no, i won't hate you if you cheap out and get the gelatin-laden marshmallows. it's a down economy, i get it.

sweet potato cupcakes (makes 24 regular cupcakes)
(adapted from vegnews)

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 (15 oz) can sweet potato puree
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp vanilla

1. whisk together the flour, sugars, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. 
2. stir in sweet potato puree, water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla until smooth batter forms. 
3. pour into prepared muffin tins, about 2/3 way full. 
4. bake at 350 for 22ish minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
5. remove from oven and top immediately with marshmallows so that they stick. remove from pan and allow to cool. 
6. before serving, torch the marshmallows using a kitchen torch. or, if you don't have one, do what i did: unwrap the cupcakes and place them on a baking sheet. then broil them in the oven or toaster oven until the tops brown slightly. careful, too much broiling and you'll melt the marshmallows into a watery mush! they don't need long. serve 'em warm. 

ohmygaw, so ooey-gooey. the back one is pre-"torched." if you broil, definitely unwrap so the bottoms don't get too burnt and stick to the wrapper. you can tell i got hasty with the marshmallows, so only the top of the pile burn and the bottom oozed... but who cares. 

happy holidays peoples :