My schedule has changed drastically at work, putting me at a wake up time of six in the morning and in charge of the making something sweet and delicious for the clients every day (unless I pawn it off on one of my other co-workers first). Most of the time I never know what to make until I’m in the kitchen. This particular day it was extremely gorgeous out, we had a fresh carton of blackberries in the fridge, and we were due to make some cupcakes. The choice was clear.
(And far be it from me to not try going vegan every now and then.)
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes with Blackberry Frosting
(From The Cake Merchant)
You’ll Need:
Cupcakes:
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used vanilla soy milk)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Frosting:
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margerine (I used Earth Balance)
3 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons blackberry puree, strained *
For more details on how to make these, go to The Cake Merchant.
Notes:
– Remember to always let your non-dairy milk and apple vinegar after you whisk it for at least five minutes. I swear it makes all the difference.
– I’m not the biggest fan of overly sweet frosting, so I did not put as much powdered sugar in. My best suggestion is to put it in a half cup at a time and keep tasting until you have the flavor you want.
– * For the blackberry puree, I put the blackberries (about a half cup) into a mesh strainer placed on top of a bowl, and mashed the hell out of them with a fork. Not sure if this is the best way to get the juice, but it worked for the most part. Though at the end it did look like I murdered someone. Whoops.
Verdict:
– The cake is a little more dense then the chocolate one, but still incredibly delicious. The frosting is perfect. It’s fluffy, light, holds up incredibly well, and (as a bonus) is delicious. Even my co-worker who hates fruit flavored frosting was a fan!
– Do vegan desserts get better with age? I just ate one three days later and I swear it was more delicious then when it first came out of the oven. Hmm…
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