Brown Sugar Cupcakes with Spiced Rum Frosting

On Monday, Simon and I were lucky enough to attend a 2.5 hour vegan baking class.  The class was led by Doron Petersan, founding owner of Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats (Washington D.C.'s best vegan bakery...for now).  She has a new baking book out, which is definitely worth checking out.

We made s'mores brownies and her Cupcake Wars-winning cupcakes during the class.  I wasn't overwhelmed by the actual class, but all that matters is that everything we made tasted incredible.  Here's the recipe for the cupcakes.

Recipe:   
Brown Sugar Cupcakes with Spiced Rum Frosting

Brown Sugar Cupcakes

• 9 ounces brown sugar
• 4 ounces vegan butter
• 1.5 tablespoons Ener-G Egg-Replacer Powder
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vinegar (apple cider vinegar is best)

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the brown sugar and the butter for about 5 minutes, progressing from low to high speed and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl throughout.  In a small bowl, whisk together the egg-replacer powder, water, and vanilla until the powder dissolves.  Add the egg-replacer mixer to the sugar mixture and mix until combined.  In a separate small bowl, combine the soymilk and vinegar, stir, and set aside. 

Next, slowly add the dry ingredients and the soymilk to the sugar mixture in small batches, alternating between the two and ending by mixing in the soymilk.  Be sure to scrape down the side of the bowl as you mix.

Using a 2-ounce ice cream scoop (or, I use a small measuring cup), fill the cupcake liners 3/4-full with batter and bake for 19 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.  Cool completely before frosting.  

Spiced Rum Frosting

(NOTE: Doron explained that her frosting recipes mistakenly make way more frosting than needed, so you might want to halve this recipe to match the number of cupcakes made with the recipe above).  

• 8 ounces vegan shortening
• 8 ounces vegan butter
• 1 pound 8 ounces powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 cup dark rum

Whip together the shortening and butter using an electric mixer until completely combined, scraping down the bottom of the bowl periodically to ensure that the ingredients are mixed thoroughly.  Then, on low speed, slowly add the sugar and spices in a few increments, scraping down the bowl throughout.  Add the rum on low speed and mix to combine.  Bring the speed up to medium-high and mix until all ingredients are well combined and the frosting is fluffy (about 2 minutes).

Frost the cupcakes and enjoy!

Comments:

Taste:        

These were wonderful.  The frosting was light and fluffy and had a perfect amount of cinnamon-spice.  You know it's good when you find yourself scraping cupcake remnants off of the cupcake liner...

Accessibility:        

A few of these ingredients are difficult to find, unless you're shopping at Whole Foods.  Ener-G Egg-Replacer Powder comes in a pretty large box, though, so you can use it for months in the future.  Doron recommends Earth Balance shortening and "buttery sticks," which I've only found at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.  That said, I really like Earth Balance products: they come in sticks (rather than tubs), which makes measuring much easier.  

 Ease of Preparation:    

There's nothing fancy about this recipe.  Making frosting is an exercise in patience, though because obtaining a fluffy frosting requires a fair amount of mixing; but, luckily electric mixers do most of the work. 

Non-Vegan friendliness:     

I brought some of these cupcakes into work on Tuesday and everyone loved them!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Simon needed to make a dessert for work tomorrow, so he spearheaded the baking of Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

Let's just say only some of the cupcakes will make it to the office...

Recipe:
Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting


For the cupcakes:

• 1.5 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer powder (or another egg equivalent)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1.75 cups soymilk
• 1/2 cup water, divided
• 1/2 cup vegan butter, melted
• 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the frosting:

• 1/4 cup vegan butter, softened
• 1/4 all-vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cocoa powder
• 2.5 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons soymilk
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract

First, prepare the cupcakes.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line muffin tins with muffin cups and set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together the egg replacer powder and 2 tablespoons water until well-incorporated.  Add the soymilk and 1/4 cup water and stir.  In a separate large bowl, cream the butter and sugar using an electric mixer (if possible) until light and fluffy.  Add the vanilla and the remaining 1/4 cup water and beat well.  In another separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add this and the egg replacer mixture to the butter mixture; beat until no large chunks remain.  

 

Fill the muffin cups evenly with batter--I like to use a 1/4 cup measuring cup when filling each cup to help with consistency.  Bake for about 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, first mix together the butter and shortening until well combined, using an electric mixer if possible.  Then add the cocoa powder and mix well.  Finally, add the powdered sugar, soymilk, and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.  Frost the cooled cupcakes using a piping bag or a rubber spatula/knife.

Yields about 18 cupcakes.

Comments:

Taste:      

The flavor of these cupcakes is really nice, but our cake came out a little bit chewier than I expect a cupcake to be.  (I think this was largely due to the fact that we didn't use an electric mixer, meaning the batter wasn't mixed as well as it could've been.  Rookie mistake.)   The frosting was noteworthy, with a deep cocoa flavor and a very fluffy texture.

Accessibility:        

If you don't have egg replacer powder on hand, you can use 1 teaspoon of baking soda along with 1 tablespoon of vinegar as an egg replacement.  Apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar work best.  In fact, I think I will use vinegar next time since I'm discovering that I like it best as the egg replacement in cakes and cupcakes.       

 Ease of Preparation:   

These cupcakes are pretty easy to make.  Yes, you'll get a lot of bowls dirty, but that comes with the territory.       

Non-vegan friendliness:   

With the couple alterations I suggested above--again, more careful mixing and swapping out vinegar for egg replacer powder--these cupcakes would garner 4 carrots.  This time they weren't up to par, unfortunately, but I know they'll be better next time.   

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

I consumed quite a few cupcakes over the weekend, and these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes are the reason why.  On Saturday, Rachel and I went to a "cupcakes and cocktails"-themed party, to which we brought version one of these cupcakes.  They were good enough, but we decided we should alter the frosting recipe next time.  "Next time" turned out to be the next day--we brought version two of these cupcakes to a Super Bowl party on Sunday.  (Don't worry, we also brought guacamole!)  

Cupcake topped with crushed peanuts.

Recipe:
Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 cup soymilk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup vegan butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp soy milk

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin cups. 

Next, prepare the cupcake batter.  Whisk together the soymilk and vinegar in a large bowl for 30 seconds and set aside for a few minutes to allow the milk to curdle.  Then add the sugar, oil, and vanilla to the bowl and whisk until foamy (about 1-2 minutes).  In a separate bowl, combine the remaining cake ingredients and mix well.  Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture in two batches, stirring well between batches.  Mix until no large lumps remain.  Pour the batter into the cups, filling the cups evenly about 3/4 of the way up (I use a 1/4-cup measuring cup to measure out the batter into each cup).  Bake the cupcakes for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Allow the cupcakes to cool  completely before frosting. 

To prepare the frosting, add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl and beat using an electric mixer for 3 or 4 minutes until light and fluffy.  Add more soymilk, if needed, to achieve the desired consistency.
 
Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cool cupcakes, garnish with crushed peanuts (optional) and enjoy!  Yields 12 cupcakes. 

Comments:

Taste:     

These cupcakes do justice to the wonder that is the chocolate-peanut butter flavor combination.  The cake and frosting go really well together, creating a moist yet light cupcake.   

Accessibility:        

If you bake, you probably have most of these ingredients; if not, they're easy to find.  While I usually use natural peanut butter, I've found that it can be a bit too grainy for good frosting; so, I recommend a truly smooth and creamy peanut butter for this recipe.

Ease of Preparation:   

This is a pretty standard cupcake recipe.  One caveat: measure carefully when adding the soymilk to the frosting.  Too much soymilk will result in a liquidy frosting.       

Non-vegan friendliness:   

Everyone at the party enjoyed these cupcakes, even though I was the only vegan in attendance.  I made sure to tell everyone that the cupcakes were vegan only after they had tasted them :)     

Almond Joy Cupcakes

Whenever someone finds out that I'm vegan, the conversation frequently includes an exchange that goes something like this:

"Yup, I'm vegan."
"Wow!  I could never be vegan.  I could be vegetarian, but I just couldn't give up [names favorite food item].  Don't you miss it?"

Actually, there are very few non-vegan foods that I miss.  I was never a big steak-eater; I'm completely satisfied with coconut milk-based ice cream instead of cow's milk-based ice cream; I have always enjoyed non-vegan foods such as beans, nuts and vegetables; and so on.  However, even though I don't crave non-vegan foods, I still enjoy many of the flavor combinations that are featured in non-vegan foods.  Hey, just because I don't eat most candy bars doesn't mean I have to give up the combination of coconut, chocolate, and almond!  So, today I made Almond Joy Cupcakes.

Almond Joy Cupcakes: Chocolate-Almond cake with Coconut Icing

Recipe:
Almond Joy Cupcakes


Chocolate-Almond Cake:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1.5 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup almond milk or soymilk 
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 teaspoons espresso powder or 1 tablespoon instant coffee
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Coconut Icing:

• 2 - 8 ounce packages of Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese (or another non-dairy cream cheese)
• 1 cup vegan butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut flavoring/extract
• 2 cups sweetened coconut flakes

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line cupcake pans with 24 baking cups and set aside.


Next, prepare the cake:  mix together the first six cake ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together the soy/almond milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and almond extract.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.  In a separated small bowl, dissolve the espresso powder into the boiling water and immediately fold into the batter.  (The batter will be thin.)  Distribute the batter evenly into the baking cups--I started out with about 1/4 cup batter in each cup.  Finally, sprinkle some chocolate chips into each baking cup.  Bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.  Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Meanwhile, prepare the icing.  Beat the non-dairy cream cheese and vegan butter until smooth using an electric mixer.  Then gradually mix in the powdered sugar and beat for about 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.  Add the vanilla and coconut flavoring and beat another 30 seconds.  Mix in the coconut by hand.


Top the cooled cupcakes with icing, and feel free to garnish with chocolate chips or almonds.

Comments:

Taste:

These cupcakes are really good, though they aren't an exact replica of an Almond Joy candy bar.  The chocolate almond in the cake goes nicely with the icing, but the additional cream cheese flavor adds a little something extra.  If you don't want the cream cheese flavor and are looking for a more traditional taste, feel free to remove the cream cheese and add more of the butter and powdered sugar. 

Accessibility: 

The low accessibility rating comes from the fact that vegan cream cheese may be hard to find in some locations.

Ease of Preparation: 

This is a pretty standard, simple cupcake recipe. 

Non-vegan friendliness: 

My family liked the cupcakes, but they weren't blown away.  I still have some tweaking to do!

You can also use this recipe to make a cake rather than cupcakes: just increase the baking time and use two 8-inch baking pans.