21 April, 2015
Sunflower Cupcakes with Homemade Fondant- Meatless Mondays (gluten-free, vegan, natural colors)
March and April have been the busiest months for me, planning my kids’ birthday parties within 3 weeks of each other. My 6-year old girl demanded sunflowers in her cake. That was daunting! I had no idea how many petals were in a sunflower; what, 20? 30? But thankfully, when I used my regular daisy flower cutter and made these flowers with the help of a YouTube video, she was happy. She is like me: simple decorating ideas and not too particular about details. I could have made layers with the petals, but if she did not care, I had less work to do. It was a win-win situation!
So I took this opportunity to make my own (healthy) vegan fondant. Store-bought fondant could be called vegan too, but it is filled with chemicals and is not in the least bit tasty.
I have not had much luck in the past making fondant free of gelatin and egg whites. I recently found these awesome vegan marshmallows that prompted me to try home-made fondant using it. Paired with naturally derived India Tree coloring and a dash of orange extract, they made THE BEST TASTING fondant in the world!
Dandies vegan marshmallows from Whole Foods- benign ingredients and really tasty!
Image courtesy: store.veganessentials.com
Vegan Marshmallow Fondant (adapted recipe from Live.Learn.Love.Eat here)
Marshmallow Fondant (gf, vegan)
Ingredients:
vegan marshmallows- 10 oz.
water- 5 tbsp.
Spectrum organic shortening- 1/4 cup
powdered sugar- 3 cups
orange extract (organic)- 3 drops
yellow natural coloring
Method:
1. In a saucepan on low-medium heat, melt marshmallows in water and stir frequently till it reaches a gooey consistency.
2. Using a stand mixer mix marshmallow paste, shortening and powdered sugar. Form a pliable dough.
3. Roll out on a clean fondant mat and cut out desired shapes.
I used my gluten-free, vegan chocolate cake recipe from my earlier post. Seriously, nobody guessed the nature of those cupcakes!
And while I unabashedly talk about them, I will also throw in a couple of pictures of the party snacks that we carefully selected so that it fit the (healthy) theme for that afternoon.
Linking this to What’d You Do This Weekend? #115
15 thoughts on : Sunflower Cupcakes with Homemade Fondant- Meatless Mondays (gluten-free, vegan, natural colors)
wow. beautiful they are.. 🙂
Thank you, Arasi.
That’s so lovely, guess kids had loads of fun 🙂
AMAZING to say the least. Apsara, these are fantastic. Loved the party arrangements too. What are those sweet dishes in the menu? Everything looks yum! My daughters’ birthdays fall around late Feb and early April, too, making these couple of months busier. Full credit to you for these healthy delightful offerings.
Thank you so much, Anu. The other dishes are dips and spreads for the chips, fruits etc. Somehow, kids’ birthdays keep us busy and happy, right?
These are so pretty, Apsara! Your daughter is very blessed to have you make these for her. I am glad to know about these marshmallows. I have never liked the taste of fondant so that is great you found a way to make it taste good without all the chemicals, too! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you for your kind words, Shari. I’m so happy you found some useful information here.
Guess ur daughter had a great party. Cake looks beautiful. Love the way u arranged for the party
Yes, they enjoyed it, Vidya, thank you. Since the focus was more of play than food, the cupcakes and light snacks were ideal.
Apsara, you continue to amaze me with all your new found natural foods, colours and creative recipes. Great job! Birthday wishes to your daughter!
Thank you, Sridevi. I do like this journey of discovering new healthy ways. I will pass on your kind wishes to her!
Beautiful cupcakes Apsara! They look very yummy. The party spread is quite inviting too. Love and belated b’day wishes to the kutties.
thank you so much, Nitya! Will convey your wishes.
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