Coconut Creme Cupcakes

I've wanted to do a recipe with tons of coconut for a while but I was never sure how I was going to go about it. I read a dozen different coconut cake recipes most of which just included coconut shreds in the recipe which isn't enough for me. I found a decent recipe and modified it to include coconut milk, oil, shreds, and flour. The only coconut item I didn't include was coconut extract which i though was unnecessary since I had so much of the real thing already in the recipe. The recipe I used (Top Secret) made a really dense and thick batter and I was slightly worried and then I tasted one. These were so good I made another batch the next day to take with us to a vegan outing.

For the frosting I used a standard butter cream recipe but substituted coconut milk for soy milk.

1/4 cup margerine
1/4 cup shortening
(Mixed really well with a fork)
2 cups powdered sugar
2-4 tablespoons coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract










After I frosted the cake I then toasted a small amount of coconut in a sauce pan until browned. When the toasted coconut cooled I sprinkled it around the edges of the cupcake.

The cupcakes were moist and dense and the added creamy coconut butter cream frosting made a huge impression on all my friends I shared these with.

Très bon

Chocolate Espresso Gluten Free Cupcakes

I made these for a friend the other day, I used the basic gluten free cupcake formula but again added coconut milk, espresso and some coffee extract. For the vegan butter cream frosting I added a little coffee extract to ensure a decent amount of coffee flavor with every bite.

I think I can now claim success with gluten free and will eventually be making different kinds of gluten free cupcakes for friends. My recipe follows;

Set oven to 350

Wet Goods
1/2 cup of soy milk
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1/3 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup vegan sugar
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds

mix the soy, coconut milk and flax seed together and let sit for a few minutes. Mix in the rest of the wet goods. Slowly add;

1/4 cup tapioca flour

Mix really well 5-7 minutes until smooth, slowly add the dry goods;

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/2 cup coconut or quinoa flour (I love the taste of coconut flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Continue mixing until all ingredients are well combined and fill cupcake liners 3/4(ish) full and bake for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes 101

One of the best recipes you can mast is the standard chocolate cupcake. Once you have this one down you can modify it any which way to create some really spectacular cupcakes. Pictured above are standard chocolate cupcakes with a rich chocolate ganache and and variation of that recipe Oreo® Cookie Cupcakes made with a standard chocolate cupcake recipe but with mashed cookies and then topped with a vegan butter cream frosting with more mashed cookies. I'm providing three basic chocolate cupcake recipes, each one has a different binding base starting from least to most dense.

Basic Vegan Chocolate Cupcake 1.0
INGREDIENTS

WET GOODS
1 cup of soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup vegan sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup pastry flour

DRY GOODS
1/3 cup cocoa powder (or 3oz melted chocolate)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Whisk together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar and let sit long enough for the soy milk to curdle and then mix in the rest of the wet goods. In a separate bowl mix the dry goods together well using a fork, then slowly add the dry goods to the wet goods. Bake at 350º for 18-24 minutes or until inserting a toothpick in the center come out clean.

Basic Vegan Chocolate Cupcake 1.1
INGREDIENTS

WET GOODS
1/2 cup of soy yogurt
2/3 cup of soy/rice milk
3/4 cup vegan sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup pastry flour

DRY GOODS
1/3 cup cocoa powder (or 3oz melted chocolate)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Whisk together the wet goods mixing well. In a separate bowl mix the dry goods together well using a fork, then slowly add the dry goods to the wet goods. Bake at 350º for 18-24 minutes or until inserting a toothpick in the center come out clean.

Basic Vegan Chocolate Cupcake 1.2
INGREDIENTS

WET GOODS
1 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon ground flax seed
3/4 cup vegan sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup pastry flour

DRY GOODS
1/3 cup cocoa powder (or 3oz melted chocolate)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Whist the ground flax seeds with the coconut milk and let sit for about 10-12 minutes then whisk in the remaining wet goods. In a separate bowl mix the dry goods and slowly fold the wet goods with the dry goods. The batter will be thick, scooping the batter into cupcake pan is the easiest way to transfer it. Bake at 350º for 18-24 minutes or until inserting a toothpick in the center come out clean.

Rooibos Tea Cupcakes

I've been on a red tea (rooibos) binge ever since I found this product Red Espresso™ at a tea shop in Boston. The product is essential ground rooibos at an inflated price. We've found it a lot cheaper at local tea shops, WholeFoods® and local Co-ops for a lot less you just have to toss it in a spice grinder for a little extra grinding.

I've been tinkering with the idea of making cupcakes with rooibos since I got laid off last week (insert sobs). My first attempt was a slight failure, I made the mistake of brewing the tea in soy milk to extract the flavor. The second time around I decided to grind the tea really fine (break out the mortar and pestle if needed)

These Cupcakes have a light rooibos flavor that I complimented with a rose water glaze and an added bonus of vegan butter cream frosting.

Ingredients
Wet Goods;
1/2 cup coconut yogurt (soy yogurt works fine too)
2/3 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup canola oil
Dry Goods;
1 1/4 cups pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup vegan sugar
4-5 teaspoons of ground rooibos tea

• Set the Oven to 350 add cupcake liners to the cupcake pan.
  
• Whisk the wet goods goods together and slowly sift in the dry goods mixing well.
• Pour the batter into the cupcake pan and bake for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

I added a pink dye to the rose water glaze for that little extra "gay factor", they look fabulous!