PB–banana “Elvis” cupcakes

These cupcakes from VCTOTW are a tribute to the legend of Elvis’s favorite sandwich. Since my dad is an Elvis buff, I made these for Fathers Day. I only withheld them this long because I’ve posted too many damn cupcakes in the last couple months! But I can’t keep these to myself any longer; they’re just too, too good. I made a half batch of frosting because I chose to just top them instead of also filling them, but feel free to double it if you want them filled.

For the cupcakes:
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup soymilk
2 tsp vanilla

For the frosting:
2T Earth Balance, softened
1T shortening
Scant 3T creamy peanut butter
1 tsp molasses
1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2-4 tsp soymilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin or a 24-cup mini muffin tin with paper liners and coat with cooking spray. In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, soymilk, vanilla, and banana (make sure it's very well-mashed).



Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the wet mixture, and fold in until just combined.



Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.



Bake for 20-22 minutes for regular cupcakes, or 15-16 minutes for minis. When done, let sit in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Look at those pretty lil domes!



With an electric handheld mixer, cream together the Earth Balance and shortening at medium speed until smooth. Add the peanut butter, molasses, and vanilla...



...and beat until very smooth, 2-3 minutes. Beat in sugar a little at a time (mixture will be very stiff).



Dribble in the soymilk a little at a time, beating continuously until frosting is pale tan and very fluffy.



I used my fancy schmancy piper to frost these, but it turned out I needn’t have bothered to do such a pretty job—after awhile at room temperature, the frosting softens and becomes slightly melty. No matter; it doesn’t affect the taste at all. After frosting, you can garnish the cakes with banana chips or crushed peanuts if you like.



I LOVED LOVED LOVED these. I know I say I love a lot of things, but these are my favorite cupcakes I have ever made. They beat out such heavy hitters as pumpkin chip, mousse-filled hazelnut, tiramisu (a CLOSE runner-up), and German chocolate. That’s a big deal! My favorite smell is the world (which I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned) is fresh-baked banana bread, and when you top that with a frosting made with my beloved friend peanut butter, my heart (/tummy) can’t help but flutter.



Yield: 12 regular or 24 mini cupcakes. Per cupcake (regular): 237 calories, 11.2g fat (1g sat), 32g carbs, 2g fiber, 3.1g protein.
Per cupcake (mini): 119 calories, 5.6g fat (.5g sat), 16g carbs, 1g fiber, 1.5g protein.

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German chocolate cupcakes

My friend Mike and his girlfriend Emily recently brought their son Emery into the world, and per Emily’s request, I whipped up the German chocolate cupcakes from VCTOTW. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it out to visit them before the cupcakes would have gone stale. I owe you guys! Instead, these became birthday cupcakes for my mom.

I used sweetened coconut in the frosting, so I cut out some of the brown sugar. I also used lite coconut milk, and it turned out just fine. In addition, as I may have mentioned in the past, I always use vanilla soymilk in baked goods unless otherwise specified; it adds that yummy extra dimension of sweetness. These too are calorific (as any German chocolate cake tends to be) but keep in mind that all the saturated fat here comes from the almighty coconut, whose medium-chain fatty acid goodness is not to be feared.

For the cupcakes:
1 cup soymilk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

For the frosting:
1/4 cup soymilk
2T cornstarch
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup canned coconut milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla
1T whiskey, bourbon, or Tuaca (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin or a 24-cup mini muffin tin with paper liners and coat with cooking spray. Combine the soymilk and vinegar in a large bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to curdle. Beat the sugar, oil, and vanilla into the soymilk. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.



Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in two batches and mix until no large lumps remain.



Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.



Bake for 18-20 minutes for regular cupcakes, or 14-15 minutes for minis. When done, let sit in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.



Meanwhile, make the frosting. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the soymilk, cornstarch, and salt. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the coconut milk and brown sugar.



Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture starts to boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 more minutes. Whisk the soymilk mixture once more and slowly pour it into the coconut milk mixture, stirring constantly.



Stir continuously till the mixture darkens again, gets very thick and smooth, and the cornstarch is cooked, about 6 to 7 minutes.



Remove from the heat and add the vanilla, whiskey or bourbon (or, in my case, since I don't like either—Tuaca!), chopped pecans, and coconut.



Stir till everything is coated and combined. Cool to room temperature before frosting the cupcakes.



The base chocolate cupcake recipe is tasty, but the coconut pecan frosting is the real standout. This stuff is RICH! The assortment of textures – creamy, crunchy, chewy – is delightful, and the use of coconut milk rounds out the flavors marvelously. Be careful; you might want to eat this frosting with a spoon.



Yield: 12 regular or 24 mini cupcakes. Per cupcake (regular): 294 calories, 16.4g fat (7g sat), 37g carbs, 2g fiber, 3.4g protein.
Per cupcake (mini): 147 calories, 8.2g fat (3.5g sat), 18.5g carbs, 1g fiber, 1.7g protein.

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Dreamy creamy tiramisu cupcakes

This is part II of the cupcake extravaganza of 5/23. I know, I held out on you for awhile, but I wanted to stagger my cupcake posts so you wouldn’t get bored. Not that anything about these could possibly bore you—cake! coffee! cream! chocolate! BOOZE! These cupcakes (also from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World) have it all. It amazed me just how much these taste like real tiramisu straight from an Italian restaurant kitchen. It actually wouldn’t be a bad idea to serve these little gems with forks. They're very caloric, but hey, it was a celebration!

For the cupcakes:
1 cup soymilk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2T cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup strong brewed coffee
1/3 cup coffee liqueur (like Kahlúa)
1T cocoa powder

For the frosting:
1/4 cup Earth Balance
1/4 cup vegan cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin or a 24-cup mini muffin tin with paper liners and coat with cooking spray. Combine the soymilk and vinegar in a large bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to curdle. Beat the oil, sugar, and vanilla into the soymilk. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.



Mix until no large lumps remain.



Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.



Bake for 20-22 minutes for regular cupcakes, or 15-16 minutes for minis. When done, let sit in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer the golden beauties to a wire rack to cool completely.



Meanwhile, make the frosting. Cream together the margarine and cream cheese with a hand mixer until just combined. Keep the mixer on low speed and add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Mix until smooth and creamy, then add the vanilla. Place in the fridge until a few minutes before you're ready to use it. I should have transferred it to a darker-colored bowl before photographing it; my bad.



In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine the coffee and Kahlúa. Use a small spoon, a paring knife, or (in my case) a melon baller to carve/scoop out a chunk in the center of each cupcake; set those aside. Spoon the Kahlúa mixture into the cavity of each cupcake, making sure that all sides are drenched. You'll use about 2T of the liquid for regular cupcakes and 1T for minis. In the pic below, on the right, you can see what they look like when disemboweled (hehe) and soaked with the liqueur mixture.

Spoon some of the frosting (again about 2T for regular cupcakes and 1T for minis) into the cavity and smooth off the top. Lightly dip the reserved chunks of cupcake into the remaining Kahlúa mixture, and pat back on top of the filling, as you can see on the left.



When all are filled and lidded, top with a layer of the remaining frosting. Put the cocoa powder in a small strainer and dust it over the cakes. I also ended up topping each one with a tiny dollop of the leftover mousse from the hazelnut cupcakes; you could also use chocolate-covered espresso beans, or even just mini chocolate chips, to decorate.



Oh, how I wish I could have gotten a clearer picture! That said, I can quite easily forgive them for being so soft and melt-in-your-mouth. The light, creamy, and very sweet frosting oozes from inside and pairs superbly with the not-too-sugary cupcakes. The coffee-liqueur soak makes them so moist they almost-but-not-quite fall apart. And ooh baby, these are boozy! You can use all coffee if you’re not into that, but the mild bite from the Kahlúa really makes them memorable. I was both touched and thrilled to have multiple friends at that party tell me these were the absolute best thing I’ve ever baked. Wow!



Yield: 12 regular or 24 mini cupcakes. Per cupcake (regular): 312 calories, 11.6g fat (1g sat), 47.2g carbs, 1.4g fiber, 2.5g protein.
Per cupcake (mini): 156 calories, 5.8g fat (.5 sat), 23.6g carbs, .7g fiber, 1.3g protein.

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Hazelnut cupcakes w/chocolate mousse filling

A couple weekends ago, I had an exceedingly busy Saturday. After a 12-mile run, I set out on an ambitious afternoon of cupcake baking. Four hours later, I had four dozen mini cupcakes ready to take to my friends Colby and Sara’s graduation party in Lawrence. Yes, you read right—four hours! I made two types of cupcakes, and each one had multiple components. These were the first batch, and were probably slightly more time-consuming than the other. (This would be a good time to enlist a kitchen helper, people!) Be prepared, these are a lot of work, but just wait until you taste one.

For the mousse:
6 oz. extra-firm silken tofu (half a Mori-Nu pack)
2T soymilk
1T maple syrup
4 tsp instant coffee granules
2 tsp hazelnut liqueur (like Frangelico)
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Crumble the tofu into a blender. Add the soymilk, maple syrup, instant coffee, hazelnut liqueur, and vanilla. Purée until completely smooth. I’d like to take just a moment to profess my adoration for Frangelico. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...



Melt the chocolate chips at 50% power in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds (or use a double boiler). Once melted, let cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the chocolate to the tofu mixture and blend until combined. Transfer the mousse to an airtight container or bowl covered in plastic wrap. Let chill for about an hour to firm. (Remove from the fridge 10 minutes before using.)



For the cupcakes:
1/2 cup + 2T all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup hazelnut meal or almond meal
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup soymilk or nut milk
1T ground flaxseed
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1T hazelnut liqueur

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin or a 24-cup mini muffin tin with paper liners and mist lightly with cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together the flaxseed and soymilk. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, hazelnut or almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. (Tip: to make nut meal, pulse raw blanched hazelnuts or almonds in a food processor until just ground—it should have a sandy consistency.)



Add the maple syrup, brown sugar, canola oil, vanilla, and hazelnut liqueur to the flax/milk mixture and beat well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine.



Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.



Bake for 22-24 minutes for regular cupcakes, or 16-18 minutes for minis. When done, let sit in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.



For the ganache:
1/4 cup soymilk
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1T maple syrup
1T hazelnut liqueur

Bring soymilk to a gentle boil in a small saucepan. Immediately remove from heat and add the chocolate chips, maple syrup, and hazelnut liqueur. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth. Set aside at room temperature until ready to use. Somehow, I forgot to take a picture of this part.

Now for the assembly: put the mousse filling in a piping device fitted with a small tip. Push the tip into each cupcake, and fill with as much mousse as will fit. Scrape any excess off the tops. (If you don't have a frosting piper like mine, use your finger to poke holes in each cake, and a ziploc bag with the corner snipped or a pastry bag to fill.) There will be extra mousse left over; set it aside.



Dip each cupcake upside down into the ganache, just enough to coat the entire top. Twirl it around a little to allow any extra to drip off, then place it right side up on a cutting board. Set the cutting board in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to let the ganache set. You can serve these as is, or garnish as desired. I piped a little dab of the leftover mousse onto each, and topped with a whole hazelnut. Beautiful!



Are you exhausted just reading all that? Call it a labor of love, but it was so worth it. The cupcake is nutty and firm, and not overly sweet. It’s the ideal vehicle for the creamy, velvety mousse inside. The ultra-rich ganache on top really sends it over the edge. There are so many textures and layers of flavor for your tongue to dance upon, it’s just magnificent. These are as impressive to the eye as they are to the palate, and they earned me many an exclamation of delight and gratitude at the party. Stay tuned for the other batch!



Yield: 12 regular or 24 mini cupcakes. Per cupcake (regular): 292 calories, 13.6g fat (4g sat), 39.7g carbs, 3g fiber, 7g protein.
Per cupcake (mini): 146 calories, 6.8g fat (2g sat), 19.8g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 3.5g protein.

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Pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes w/cinnamon glaze

I haven't really gotten on board with the cupcake trend that's been happening these last couple years. I know they're cute and handheld and all, but so what? I personally prefer a regular cake. I like being able to customize serving size, and visually I just find them more majestic and appealing. That said, a cake is a cake, big or small, so I knew Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World was worth buying. I plan to make the recipes in a variety of forms—sheet cake, layer cake, bundt cake, and yes, the ever-popular cupcake. For this first foray, I stayed true to the book, cake-shape-wise. I did make a few ingredient alterations, though. I replaced some oil with applesauce and some all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry. I also decreased the amounts of cinnamon and chocolate chips—I wanted the pumpkin flavor to really shine through, and it certainly did.

For the cupcakes:
1 cup canned pumpkin
2T canola oil
2 heaping T unsweetened applesauce
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup soymilk
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

For the glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2T Earth Balance, melted
1T soymilk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin or a 24-cup mini muffin tin with paper liners and mist lightly with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin, oil, applesauce, sugar, soymilk, and vanilla.



Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.



Gently mix together with a whisk, fork, or spatula. Once combined, fold in the chocolate chips.



Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.



Bake for 22-24 minutes for regular cupcakes, or 16-18 minutes for minis. When done, let sit in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.



Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cinnamon. Add the margarine, soymilk, and vanilla...



...and whisk until smooth. Add more powdered sugar, a spoonful at a time, if it looks too thin. Keep at room temperature until ready to use.



Let me take a moment to show off my new toy: Dessert Decorator Pro! It's actually totally unnecessary for these cupcakes, since the topping is a glaze and not an icing per se, but I had to break it out anyway. I'll be getting a great deal of use out of it in the coming weeks and months.



Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, use a spoon, ziploc bag with the corner snipped, pastry bag, or fancy frosting piper like mine to drizzle on the glaze. Check 'em out—adorable and impressive!



These cupcakes bode very well for the remainder of the book. I'll admit I was slightly wary of the chocolate-pumpkin combo, which is not my favorite, but it really works here. They're moist, tender, sweet, dense, and pumpkiny, with just the right amount of chocolate and spice inside and creamy-gooey glaze on top. I chose this recipe because I had all the ingredients already in my pantry, so there's a good chance you do too! By the way, fair warning—prepare yourself for many more cakes and cupcakes on this blog in the weeks to come.



Yield: 12 regular or 24 mini cupcakes. Per cupcake (regular): 210 calories, 6.8g fat (.5g sat), 37g carbs, 1.8g fiber, 2.4g protein.
Per cupcake (mini): 105 calories, 3.4g fat (trace sat), 18.5g carbs, .9g fiber, 1.2g protein.

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I’ve been on a baking bender lately. Hopefully nobody minds. I finally ordered Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World from Amazon last week, so in the meantime, I wanted to make some cupcakes from books I already have, since those recipes are likely to be ignored once I have a whole book of cupcakes to choose from. These are from Vegan with a Vengeance, and they gave me the chance not only to use more of the unsweetened coconut milk I’ve got, but also to break out the unsweetened shredded coconut I bought awhile back. These are pretty caloric, so I made some regular-sized cupcakes for friends and some minis for me. If you don’t have the refrigerated unsweetened coconut milk that I used, you can use canned coconut milk instead, it will just increase the fat and calorie content somewhat.

For the cupcakes:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

For the frosting:
1/4 cup Earth Balance, softened
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin (or a 24-cup mini muffin tin) with paper liners. Spritz with cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla.



Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and whisk until smooth. Fold in 1 cup of unsweetened coconut. Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full.



Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes (18-20 for minis); the cupcakes should be slightly browned around the edges and spring back when touched. Remove from the muffin tin let cool on a wire rack.



Using an electric mixer or a whisk, cream the Earth Balance until light and fluffy. Add the coconut milk and vanilla and combine. Add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Fold in the unsweetened coconut, and refrigerate until ready to use.



Frost the cupcakes once they have cooled completely.



You can tell on the first bite that these babies are not "light" in any way. The coconut comes through loud and clear, lending the cake its dense chew. The rich, fluffy frosting is the perfect topper. These make a great (albeit once-in-awhile) treat for the coconut lover in your life.



Go ahead, indulge.



Yield: 12 regular or 24 mini cupcakes. Per cupcake (regular): 281 calories, 13.1g fat (5.4g sat), 41.1g carbs, 2.6g fiber, 2.1g protein.
Per cupcake (mini): 141 calories, 6.5g fat (2.7g sat), 20.5g carbs, 1.3g fiber, 1.1g protein.

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