Method (cupcakes)

1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC  fan and line a cupcake tin with cupcake cases.
2. In a small bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined. This creates a vegan buttermilk.
3. In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine.
4. Add the almond extract /flavouring and oil to the ‘buttermilk’ and whisk to combine.
5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until a smooth batter.
6. Fill the cases 3/4 full with the batter. Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.
7. Pop the cakes into the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. You will know they are done when you put a knife or skewer down the centre of the cakes and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.
8. Place the cupcakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool fully before frosting and decorating.

Method (core)

1. Core the middle of the cupcakes with an apple corer or spoon and fill with some almond butter and top with 1 chopped glacé cherry. Set aside.

Method (buttercream)

1. In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter and whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.
2. Sift in the icing sugar and almond extract / flavouring. Whip for 5 minutes on high speed until the buttercream becomes pale and fluffy in texture. If it’s too thick add in a splash of dairy-free milk to get it to the right consistency. 
3. Transfer the buttercream in to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip nozzle.
4. Pipe a swirl of buttercream on top of each cupcake.
5. Pour some desiccated coconut onto a plate or into a bowl and roll the buttercream into the coconut to coat. Repeat for all of the cupcakes.
6. Colour left over buttercream with some black food gel, transfer into a disposable piping bag, snip off the tip and pipe two small dots onto the front of the cupcake. 
7. Press a pink sprinkle in between for the nose.
8. Cut a marshmallow in half and press the sticky side into some of the coconut, then press both marshmallows to the top of the cupcake for the bunny ears. Watch me make these cupcakes here or refer to the photos for example.