Cupcakes!

OK, I will admit that this is not a picture of a cupcake I actually made. While mine taste delicious, none of them ever turn out as beautiful and picturesque as this one! However, I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes for the yummiest cupcakes on earth.

Here is a bit of a back story on how I discovered this recipe....

I have been toying with the idea of becoming a vegan for quite some time now, and have obviously stocked up on the necessary cookbooks and literature about how to cook without any animal by-products. While I successfully transitioned myself into being vegetarian, I am having a considerably harder time trying to convert myself to going all the way vegan. But I must admit, the recipes look delicious and the things I have tried so far are
a-m-a-z-i-n-g.

One of my favorite new finds is Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I bought mine at Barnes & Noble a few months back, and being a cupcake-crazy-person myself, I had to try a few of the recipes. Hands down the best cupcakes ever, vegan or not!!! The basic cupcake recipe is my favorite, but the other ones aren't too shabby either. :)

So here it is, the yummiest recipe ever! I hope some of you get the chance to try it, whether you are a vegan or not. I made them for my meat-eating family and they flipped! Although it is sometimes hard to transition your brain into cooking with vegan alternatives, it is seriously worth it. Go buy some soy milk and get started!!! I am going to whip myself up a batch for Mother's Day and treat myself to something delish!! ;)

Basic (Vegan!) Chocolate Cupcake

INGREDIENTS

1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract, chocolate extract, or more vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

And what good is a cupcake without some delicious fluffy buttercream frosting? Pile it on!!

This is my adaptation of one of the recipes in the book.. I use only the margarine and no shortening. Remember you can add more powdered sugar if you need the frosting to be a bit stiffer.. I usually throw a bit more in because I like my frosting to be very thick.

Buttercream Frosting Recipe

1 cup nonhydrogenated margarine, such as Earth Balance
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted if clumpy
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer

(And add a tiny bit of cocoa powder if you want chocolate frosting.. otherwise, vanilla it is and it is seriously scrumptious!!!)

Happy cupcake baking, everyone!! And don't forget to do you Mother's Day shopping (or making! I'll be making my momma something special.. pictures will be coming, but since my mom is a blogger and will read this, no sneak-peaks haha!!!!)