This past Friday, my sweet cousin, Rachel, turned 20! To celebrate her big day, our family got together for a little dinner prepared by my little Auntie. As we sat around eating the delicious food, everyone was reminiscing about the day Rachel was born. Because I was only four and half when she came into this world, I don’t have memories about her as a baby. Fast-forward a couple year and that when the fun really begins- I remember playing with the most ridiculous amount of Barbie’s, making go-karts to race down the most intense hill you’ve ever seen, swimming in the pool all day, built the best blanket tens in our living room, bouncing on our beds and laughing our little butts off all the time! Daniel (my little brother), Rachel (the birthday girl), Becca (Rachel’s little sister/ my little cousin) and I always had the best time together!

Now 20 years has gone by and she has turned into quite a beautiful woman! She has always been like the little sister I never had and I love her as if she was!

For several years now, Rachel has been a dedicated vegan. What is a vegan? Vegan is a strict vegetarian; someone who eats no animal or dairy products at all. Oddly enough I’ve met plenty of people who didn’t know what vegan meant. If you think about the process of cooking or baking and not being able to use eggs, milk, butter, etc- you can see how creating an alternative cupcake can become a difficult task! Awhile back, Rachel introduced me to a book called Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World- it has over 75 different cupcake and frosting recipes all vegan approved!

The birthday girl requested Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting for her birthday celebration….and I was more than happy to oblige! As for decoration, I came across the best idea months before her birthday- I made a mental note to not forget the cuteness. While I’m pretty sure she knew exactly what I was going to do, she was so excited when she saw the cupcakes for the first time….

Hello Kitty!!! It’s been a long time since I’ve busted out the fondant, but it was so much fun to make these. Everyone really enjoyed them; even our little Lexi devoured one of her Aunties Birthday cupcakes….

Only one more year till 21 Rach….it will be crazy times with all the crazy women in our family- can’t wait! Hope you had an amazing birthday and all your wishes came true!

Tags: Birthday Cupcakes, Hello Kitty, Hello Kitty Birthday, Hello Kitty Birthday Cupcakes, Hello Kitty Cupcakes