Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (20 page)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together soy milk, orange juice, orange zest and flaxseeds until frothy. Add oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cashew butter to soy milk mixture and beat for one minute till frothy.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon.

4. Add dry ingredients to wet in two separate batches, and beat with electric mixer or whisk for about two minutes in total. Fill cupcake liners two-thirds of the way full and bake for 22 to 24 minutes till a toothpick inserted through the center of one comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Apple Cider Cupcakes

THIS IS THE quintessential fall cupcake. Prepare the apple cider just as if you were going to drink it, boiled with plenty of whole cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. Top with either VEGAN FLUFFY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING or SUPER NATURAL AGAVE ICING, and a healthy dose of BROWN RICE CARAMEL GLAZE, and you’ve got yourself autumn in a yummy little package. The secret ingredient is agar—it gives the cupcakes a bright sheen and holds things together nicely.

 

 

INGREDIENTS

2 cups apple cider
1 tablespoon agar flakes or 1 teaspoon
agar powder
2 cinnamon sticks
½ teaspoon whole cloves
½ teaspoon whole allspice
½ cup apple butter
¼ cup maple syrup
¾ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
VEGAN FLUFFY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
(page 142) or
SUPER NATURAL AGAVE
ICING
(page 149)
CARAMEL BROWN RICE GLAZE
(page 146),
optional
Cinnamon sugar or ground cinnamon
for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners.

2. Place apple cider, agar agar, cinnamon sticks, cloves and allspice in a small saucepan. If using agar flakes, let mixture soak for 10 minutes; if using powder, proceed to the next step.

3. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the apple butter, maple syrup, sugar, vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar and vanilla.

5. Bring the apple cider mixture to a boil, then lower heat to bring it to a low rolling boil, careful not to let it boil over. Boil for about 15 minutes, until the cider is reduced to 1¼ cups and the agar agar is dissolved. (If the cider hasn’t reduced enough, boil longer. If it has reduced too much, add extra apple cider to make up for the difference.) Stir frequently because the agar agar tends to stick to the sides of the pan.

6. Strain the apple cider and discard the spices. Let cool to lukewarm, then add the apple cider to the apple butter mixture and mix well. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in roughly three batches, mixing well after each addition.

7. Spray the cupcake liners with nonstick cooking spray. Fill each liner three-quarters full. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

8. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.

TO ASSEMBLE:

1. Pipe the buttercream or agave icing onto the cupcakes and sprinkle some cinnamon or cinnamon sugar on top of it. Use a spoon to drizzle the caramel over the frosting. It would be cute to stick a cinnamon stick into the frosting if you are feeling fancy-pants.

THESE CUPCAKES HAVE a lot going for them—lots of fresh lime juice, pretty green lime zest, and even a shot of tequila. But let’s get serious... it’s all about the margarita icing. The pale green frosting has a secret ingredient—kosher salt—that makes each bite sweet, tangy, and savory. If salt in a glaze sounds weird or you like your margaritas sans the salted rim, leave it out today, but make it with the salt for the margarita lover in your life tomorrow. The large crystal sugar that decorates the edges is worth finding; the crunch is a great contrast to the cool, smooth icing.

 

 

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1½ teaspoons finely grated lime zest
1 cup soy milk or rice milk
¼ cup canola oil
2 tablespoons tequila
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Margarita Icing (recipe follows)
Large crystal decorating sugar, for
decorating edges of cupcakes
(about ½ cup)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. In a large bowl, beat together lime juice, zest, soy milk, canola oil, tequila, vanilla, and sugar. Sift in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until batter is smooth. Fill liners three-quarters of the way full and bake 20 to 22 minutes until a toothpick or knife inserted through the center of one comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting; allowing cupcakes
to set for an hour or two helps the flavor to develop fully.

TO ASSEMBLE:

1. Spread icing on cupcakes, spreading all the way to the edges, then roll just the outer edges of cupcake in sugar crystals. If this is way too messy, just sprinkle sugar crystals on edges of cupcake by hand.

Mucho Margarita Cupcakes

SUNNY, LEMONY, BLUEBERRY bliss. Another towering, filled cupcake made simple and easy, based on some of our best, never-fail favorite recipes. Serve immediately after assembling and accompany with a tiny spoon for devouring.

 

 

INGREDIENTS

LEMONY VANILLA CUPCAKES
(page 36)
LEMON BUTTERCREAM
(page 96)

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare
LEMON BUTTERCREAM
with additional lemon zest and extracts and refrigerate till ready to use.