Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (9 page)

AGAVE NECTAR
(see Ingredients, page
10)
makes an exceptionally fluffy and tender cupcake, with a deep golden hue. Agave sweetness is different from regular sugar ... it’s light and subtle, with a delectable buttery flavor and faintly flowery aroma. The slightly lower cooking time helps here because agave baked goods brown darker and faster than stuff made with sugar, so be sure to check that oven thermometer!

This is a very basic recipe to be play with; mix and match flavored extracts, mix-ins, and toppings. We especially like these spread thickly with THICK CHOCOLATE FUDGEY FROSTIN’ (page 161), a thin layer
of SUPER NATURAL AGAVE ICING
(page
149),
or a swirl
of NOT-TOO-SWEET
BLUEBERRY MOUSSE (page 153).

 

 

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup soy milk
½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup light agave nectar
1/3 cup canola oil
1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners and preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl; allow to sit for a few minutes to curdle. Beat in agave, oil, vanilla, and almond extract. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until smooth. Fill liners two-thirds full. Bake 20 to 22 minutes until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes
out clean; don’t overbake or cupcakes will be dry.

3. These cupcakes need to cool at least an hour before topping or filling, and also to develop the flavor and texture properly.

Variation

CHOCOLATE AGAVE CUPCAKES:
Decrease flour to 1 cup, and sift in 1/3 cup cocoa powder along with the dry ingredients. If desired add one or more of the following: 2 tablespoons espresso powder, 1 teaspoon chocolate extract, or teaspoon orange extract. Try using dark agave nectar in this chocolate variation!

WE ALWAYS FEEL
a kinship with gluten-free folks because they are as much of a pain in the butt when ordering food at a restaurant as a vegan is. Just because you can’t have gluten doesn’t mean you should be left out of the fun, and even if you can have gluten you might want to take a break from it every now and then to go easier on your tummy. We like how these taste, too. All the different textures of the flour make for a great mouth-feel and a nice spongy crumb. We give you the option of corn flour or almond meal because we tried both and couldn’t tell which we liked better. Corn flour is finer than corn meal however, so make sure you get the right one when you are doing your shopping.

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1 cup soy milk
1/3 cup canola oil
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
¼ cup tapioca flour
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
1/3 cup corn flour or 1/3 cup almond
flour
½ cup white rice flour
½ cup quinoa flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line muffin tray with cupcake liners.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine soy milk, canola oil, sugar and extracts. Mix with an electric mixer on medium speed just to combine. Add tapioca flour and flax seed and mix vigorously for about a minute, until the tapioca flour is dissolved and the mixture is well emulsified.

3. Add the corn flour, white rice flour, quinoa flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix on medium-high for about 2 minutes. It’s important to mix really well and you don’t have to worry about over mixing because, hey, there’s no gluten!

4. Fill cupcake liners a little over three-quarters full, these won’t rise as much as traditional cupcakes so you can fill them a little more than usual.

5. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted through the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.

NOW FREEDOM COMES
in chocolate as well!

 

 

INGREDIENTS

1 cup soy milk
1/3 cup canola oil
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
¼ cup tapioca flour
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup white rice flour
½ cup quinoa flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line muffin tray with cupcake liners.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine soy milk, canola oil, sugar and extracts. Mix with an electric mixer on medium speed just to combine. Add tapioca flour and flax seed and mix vigorously for about a minute, until the tapioca flour is dissolved and the mixture is well emulsified.

3. Add the cocoa powder, white rice flour, quinoa flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix on medium-high for about 2 minutes. It’s important to mix really well and you don’t have to worry about over-mixing because, hey, there’s no gluten!

4. Fill cupcake liners a little over three-quarters full, these won’t rise as much as traditional cupcakes so you can fill them a little more than usual.

5. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted through the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.

CLASSIC CUPCAKES

T
HESE CUPCAKES ARE always in style, be they as simple as carrot cake or as sophisticated as a golden cupcake busting with vanilla custard. Great for any occasion or no special reason in particular, anyone would be thrilled and delighted to receive a dozen.

MAKES 12 CUPCAKES

THESE DENSE, MOIST
cupcakes pack in
29.3
percent more carrots, raisins, and nuts, per square centimeter than the leading vegan carrot cupcake. An engineering miracle when topped with
VEGAN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
(page 158), not to mention yummy.

 

 

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup soy yogurt (plain or vanilla)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup finely grated carrots
¼ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup raisins

For Decorating

1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 recipe
VEGAN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING,
page 158

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together sugar, vegetable oil, yogurt and vanilla. Sift in the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices) and mix until smooth. Fold in carrots, walnuts and raisins.

3. Spray the cupcake liners with nonstick baking spray. Fill the liners two-thirds full. Bake for 26 to 28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted through the center of one comes out clean.

4. Once fully cooled, top generously with cream cheese frosting.
Place chopped walnuts on a plate, then roll the edges of the cupcake in the chopped walnut. A raisin in the center is a cute garnish, or if serving immediately sprinkle finely grated carrot in the center.

MAKES 12 CUPCAKES

NOTHING SAYS WAITING
for the holiday season to end like these moist, fluffy gingerbread cupcakes. Bring them to your next familial bash and eat them as you grit your teeth and marvel at your family. Top with LEMONY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING (page 158) or LEMONY BUTTERCREAM (page 96).

 

 

INGREDIENTS

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup light molasses
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup soy milk
2 tablespoons soy yogurt
1½ teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

DIRECTIONS

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

2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt into a bowl and mix.

3. Whisk the oil, molasses, maple syrup, soy milk, yogurt, and lemon zest in a separate large bowl. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix just until smooth. Fold in the chopped crystallized ginger.

4. Fill cupcake liners two-thirds full. Bake for 19 to 22 minutes, until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.