Vegan Cupcakes?

Since I'm not much of a baker, I never really knew what to expect from baked goods without eggs or dairy. For our first shot at vegan cupcakes, I have to say they were delicious (I couldn't resist trying one)! Many thanks to my buddy, Kate, for sharing an awesome recipe, which I've pasted below for my records :)

Anna is especially fond of baking - me, not so much. I usually left that activity for Zane to manage. Since I've been experimenting a lot in the kitchen these days I thought trying out vegan cupcakes would be a great weekend activity. So after school on Friday, Anna and I headed straight to Whole Foods for our supplies (the only item I already had in my kitchen was the soy milk). 

Vegan buttery sticks. Who knew?!

Our Kitchen Aid was thrilled to be put to use!

The batter was delicious!

On the cooling rack - Anna couldn't wait to put the frosting on!

So the frosting was a bit tricky for us. While they tasted great, the texture wasn't quite fluffy. I think this may be because I didn't have all the ingredients? The recipe called for shortening AND margarine, which really tripped me out. What's the difference? I think I just got the non-hydrogenated margarine?

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Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes with White Frosting

Ingredients: (Makes 12 cupcakes)

- 1 cup soy milk (best to use plain & unsweetened)

- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

- 3/4 cup granulated sugar

- 1/3 cup canola oil

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/2 tsp almond, chocolate, or more vanilla extract

- 1 cup all-purpose flour

- 1/3 cup cocoa powder

- 3/4 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp salt

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

2. Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract, and other extract, if using, to the soy milk mixture and beat til foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat til no large lumps remain.

3. Pour into liners, filling 3/4 of the way. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely.

Frosting: (warning: this makes a TON of frosting. you can halve the recipe, or maybe even quarter it if you're just making it for the cupcakes!)

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening

- 1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margarine (suggestion: Earth Balance)

- 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/4 cup soy milk

Directions: Using an electric mixer, beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes. Add the vanilla and soy milk, beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.