Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (21 page)

MAKES 12 CUPCAKES

MOIST ‘N’ LIGHT, these cappuccino-flavored cupcakes filled with espresso pastry crème can be as innocent or devious as you like, depending on what you top them with. Keep it simple by topping with a little sifted confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder, and pipe a little rosette of more espresso crème in the center. Get decadent by spreading on the RICH CHOCOLATE GANACHE TOPPING (page 143), SUPER NATURAL AGAVE ICING (page 149) sprinkled with cocoa, or VEGAN FLUFFY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING (page 142) flavored with coffee extract, drizzled with QUICK MELTY GANACHE (page 160) and dusted with cocoa powder. Prepare the pastry crème (recipe follows) before the cupcakes because it needs some time to set.

 

 

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup canola oil
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup vanilla soy yogurt
2/3 cup soy or rice milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
CAPPUCCINO PASTRY CRÈME
(recipe follows)

DIRECTIONS

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

2. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, yogurt, soy milk, vanilla, and espresso powder till smooth. Sift in flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until combined and smooth.

3. Fill liners three-quarters full and bake for 20 to 22 minutes. These cupcakes are best when not over-baked. It’s okay if the tester toothpick has a few moist crumbs stuck
to it. Transfer to cooling racks to cool completely before filling and frosting.

TO ASSEMBLE:

1. Poke each cupcake in the center, almost to the bottom, to create a hole for the filling. Very gently,
press the sides and bottom of the hole to widen it; you’ll want the extra little space to be able to fill it in with lots of custard.

2. Fit a pastry bag with a large round or star-tipped nozzle and fill with
CAPPUCCINO PASTRY CRÈME.
Fill only halfway to make handling the bag easier. Pipe pastry crème into each cupcake, trying to get as much filling as possible into cakes. Cupcakes should feel noticeably heavier. Remove any excess crème on top by wiping with a knife or finger. Frost or top as desired.

FROSTIN’S AND FILLIN’S

Y
OUR CUPCAKE IS only half a cupcake with out the proper frosting or topping. We say go the extra mile, or even a few inches, and make that cupcake beyond fabulous with the addition of a creamy, chocolaty, or fruity filling.

THIS IS OUR
all-purpose “go to” frosting. It’s great for piping into lush, swirling mountains of frosti ness and just as good for spreading onto a cupcake like rolling hills of heaven. It makes a lot, probably 4 cups’ worth, so you can halve the recipe if you are going to be spreading the frosting rather than piping it.

 

 

INGREDIENTS

½ cup nonhydrogenated shortening
½ cup nonhydrogenated margarine (we
use Earth Balance)
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted if
clumpy
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup plain soy milk or soy creamer

DIRECTIONS

1. Beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes. Add the vanilla and soy milk, beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.

LIKE THE NAME says, this is an all-purpose, thick, extreme chocolate glaze that goes with cupcakes of every stripe. Use either vegan semisweet chocolate or any vegan dark chocolate with a cacao content of up to 60 percent.

 

 

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup soy milk
4 ounces semisweet chocolate,
chopped
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring the soy milk to a gentle boil in a small sauce pan. Immediately remove from heat and add the chocolate and maple syrup. Use a rubber heatproof spatula to mix the chocolate until it is fully melted and smooth. Set aside at room temperature till ready to use.