Black forest trifle cups (vegan)

This is an easy way to dress up plain chocolate muffins and turn them into something a little more elegant. I used Christmas tree shaped tins but regular muffin tins work just as fine. 

Ingredients

For the chocolate muffins(yields about 16-18 muffins)

Dry ingredients

- 2 1/2 cups (organic) flour

- 1/2 cup (Dutch process) cocoa 

- 1 1/2 cups (organic) sugar

- 1 Tablespoon baking powder

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- a pinch of sea salt

Wet ingredients 

- 2 cups almond milk

- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

- 3/4 cup extra light olive oil

- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

To decorate

- 2 cups whipped coconut cream (homemade or store-bought)

- fresh or frozen cherries (about 2 cups, or more)

- 4 Tablespoons maple syrup

- dark chocolate shavings (optional)

 Line the muffin tins with paper.

 In a medium bowl, mix the almond milk with the lemon juice and allow to sit for about 3 minutes, then add remaining wet ingredients.

 Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

 Add wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix to combine (do not overmix).

 Pour the batter into the muffin tins and bake at 350 F for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with just a few crumbs. Allow to cool completely, then cut muffins in half.

 In a medium bowl, combine the cherries with the maple syrup and allow to sit for a few minutes.

 To assemble the cups, start with half a muffin, add a scoop of cherries and some of the maple syrup, add a scoop of coconut cream, the other half of the muffin and more cherries and cream to finish. Enjoy!