Double-Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake Muffins - vegan

If you were looking for Valentine inspiration, I'm about a week and half late with these. Bad blogger. If you are looking for easy, chocolate deliciousness, then I'm right on time. Good blogger.

Side note: Are you a blogger who also has a day job? Can you tell me how you do it? How do you keep yourself organized and so on top of things - like holidays - that you can have appropriate posts up just when your readers are looking for ideas? Because I haven't figured it out yet, and I'd really like to. If I was awesome, I would have given these to you more than a week and a half ago, and I would have given you several other delicious desserts, drinks, and main courses to choose from. Really, how do you do it?

Aside from being tardy, these muffins/cupcakes are great. They were originally billed as muffins, but I really can't justify calling them that. There's no hint of hearty or healthy. They're delicate, sweet, and (I can hardly believe I'm saying this) don't need frosting to make them perfect for dessert. The chocolate chips gift your palette concentrated richness, while the raspberries shower your mouth in juicy goodness.

These guys are also really easy, come together quickly, and if you don't count measuring cups and spoons, are a one bowl wonder. I first made these for Valentine's Day, but we ate them so quickly I didn't have time to photograph them, so I just had to make them again. Tough job, but someone's gotta do it.

Through the magic of weird scheduling, I have a three day weekend starting today, and I can't wait to catch up on my cooking magazine reading, run the dog, lounge on the couch, clean up the backyard a bit (guys! Spring is springing!), catch up on some correspondence, walk along the water, and read as many books as I can. Perhaps even plan a vacation and limit my cupcake intake to just a couple.

On the other hand, if I call them muffins, then they are breakfast-appropriate.


Double-Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake Muffins - vegan
adapted from How About Orange

So, here's the thing. It's February and fresh raspberries are very dear, so I only used frozen when I made these. I deliberately left the bake time loose because I believe that if you use fresh, they'll bake completely in 20-22 minutes, but with the juices released from frozen berries, mine took almost 30 minutes each time. I added the frozen raspberries to the batter still frozen rather than thawing+draining them.

These are great as is. However, if you want to dress them up with frosting, I recommend something like light like coconut whipped cream. In fact, that was my plan, and I even have several cans of coconut milk in the fridge, but I found it was unnecessary.

Makes 18-20 muffins. I successfully halved the recipe. The only weird measure to divide is the flour, and I've included my math below.

2 1/3 C all purpose flour (half is 1 C + 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp) (I used white whole wheat)
1½ C sugar (I used sucanat)
½ C unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¾ tsp canola or other neutral flavored vegetable oil
½ tsp distilled white vinegar (I used my raspberry vinegar, but any will do, as will lemon juice)

1½ C water

2 tsp vanilla extract
¾ C dairy free semisweet chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli)
1½ C fresh or frozen raspberries (see note)

sparkling sugar (optional) or frosting (see note)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350˚F. Line one (or two if you've got them) 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. If the mixture is very lumpy, you can pass it through a sieve or sifter, but I didn't find I needed to. In a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water. Make a well in the flour mixture and gradually pour in the oil mixture, whisking as you go. Fold in the chocolate chips and about two-thirds of the raspberries. Spoon into prepared muffin pans; fill each about 3/4 full. Garnish with the remaining raspberries and sugar if you'd like.

Bake until the tops spring back when pressed lightly in the center with a fingertip, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for a few minutes, then remove cupcakes from pan and allow to cool or serve warm. These are best when eaten the day within a day or two of being baked. I haven't tried freezing them, but I don't see why you couldn't.

Little Apricot Cakes - vegan

A friend of mine has an apricot tree in her backyard (I know, California living is hard) and this year it is just bursting with fruit. Every time I see her, she wants to give me what seems like hundreds of pounds of the sweet fruit. I've resisted thus far (though I admit to having jam thoughts) and I've only brought home a small number. In addition to his unbelievable dislike of peaches, Mr Official Taster also steers away from apricots. sigh

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting - vegan

Have you been looking for your go-to, un-fussy, everyday chocolate cake (or cupcake!) recipe? Look no further, folks, because I've got it for you. I first came across this eggless chocolate cake sometime last fall, filed it away pinned it, and rediscovered it recently. The first time I made it was disappointing, not only because I forgot the baking soda, but because it wasn't terribly chocolatey. I did some thinking, some chocolate craving, made some bread, and tried again. The results were fantastic.

Gingerbread Lite - vegan

So it turns out that sometimes having three days off in a week means that I'm not terribly productive. And by not terribly productive, I mean I caught up on the fall tv season, Netflix, Alex Delaware, & Jack Reacher. I did do about 20 loads of laundry in between, though, so that counts for something, yes?

Also, on the counting-for-something side of the scale, I did extensive (2 episodes worth) research in preparation for Mr Official Taster's birthday and produced these cupcakes. I even managed to photograph them, despite both the oversight and the help I had.

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Chocolate & Vanilla Frosting - dairy free

Even though we lost an hour of sleep Saturday night, I am so glad the clocks are pushed back. It's still (somewhat) light at 7pm! To celebrate the extra daylight, Mr Official Taster and I put in some thought and heavy lifting and created a little garden on our balcony over the weekend (more on that here). Unfortunately, our ten day forecast looks like it did when we lived in Seattle. But soon, I hope, it will be both warm and dry, and we can have dinner outside and enjoy our baby garden. Eventually, we might even be able to eat from our garden. Here's hoping.

As soon as I came across this recipe, I knew I had to try it, and Mr OT welcomes any excuse to finish off a bottle of beer. Since this recipe only uses a little, I waited until the weekend so he would be around to drink chivalrously help. As wonderful as chocolate cakes are, I didn't have a party to bring one to, and cupcakes are, well, easier and cuter, so they won. But if you have something or someone to celebrate, go forth and make the cake. It will be both impressive and delicious.

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Chocolate & Vanilla Frosting - dairy free

inspired by Bon Appetit

Especially with the chocolate frosting, these cupcakes are for serious chocolate lovers. The frosting is super intense, and I think I actually like the cupcakes with vanilla frosting better. Using milk chocolate rather than dark would make it sweeter.

The recipe works with the same quantities of real salted butter and milk. Instead of cupcakes, you can make a cake! Line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and then grease and flour over the parchment. Baking time is approximately 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Double the frosting recipe.

Cupcakes (yields 24)

I used Rogue Brewery's Chocolate Stout, but several other breweries also make versions. Guinness is probably the next best thing. 

3 large eggs, separated
2 1/4 C all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
14 Tbsp (1 3/4 sticks) vegan butter, room temperature
1 1/4 C plus 3 Tbsp sugar
3/4 C chocolate stout, regular stout, or porter
2/3 C freshly brewed strong coffee or espresso

Preheat oven to 350F and line muffin tin with cupcake papers. 

Separate the eggs- the whites should go in a medium bowl and the yolks can just go into a small bowl or measuring cup. Separate them when you first take them out of the fridge, and they can come to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Place chopped chocolate in small metal or glass bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water and set aside.

Meanwhile, cream butter and 1 1/4 C sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy and pale. Add egg yolks, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Add lukewarm chocolate and combine. Then add stout and coffee. Beat in flour mixture in two additions until just incorporated.

With clean, dry beaters, beat egg whites and remaining 3 Tbsp sugar in a medium bowl until stiff but not dry (I interpreted that as stiff and still shiny) - approximately 8 minutes. Fold egg whites into chocolate batter in three parts.

Spoon into cupcake papers. Fill each mold 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the cupcake tops spring back after pressing lightly with your fingertip (or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean). Allow to cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. 

Chocolate Frosting (covers about 12 cupcakes)
1/2 pound bittersweet or dark chocolate (54% to 60% cacao), chopped
1 C nondairy milk (I used almond)
1-2 tsp vanilla

Combine chocolate, milk, and vanilla in a glass or metal bowl (you can reuse the one from the batter. one less to wash!) and set bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water and stir until melted and smooth. Chill chocolate frosting until slightly thickened and spreadable, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours. If you're impatient like me, place frosting in freezer until thickened and spreadable, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Spread frosting over about half the cupcakes. 

*This is too thick to pipe, but if you want to be able to make those pretty piped tops, try adding some butter at the beginning so it's more of a buttercream. Maybe 1/4-1/2 stick??*

Vanilla Frosting (covers about 12 cupcakes)

1/4 C (1/2 stick) vegan butter at room temperature
1 C (~100g) confectioners' sugar 

1 tsp vanilla extract
non dairy milk (I used almond)

Cream the butter and mix in vanilla. Add sugar, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. If frosting is too stiff, add milk 1 tsp at a time and beat until well combined. Spread or pipe frosting over the remaining cupcakes.

Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes - vegan

Even though I had grand plans to see the beach over the long weekend, both Mr Official Taster and I were a bit under the weather. So, no beach. Instead there was a lot of bad tv (Netflix makes it too so easy!), nose blowing, and general hibernating on the couch.

However, I started feeling better on Monday, and yesterday I was ready. Cupcakes cure a lot. And these count as healthy, for the same reason that carrot cake does - they are fruit/vegetable based. Clearly, being made of avocado, they have lots of vitamins and antioxidants and good fat and healthy stuff. I know, I know, you are thinking how bizarre it is to have avocado in a chocolate cupcake. Kaitlin over at Whisk Kid claims she can't taste the avocado, even in the frosting. I agree that I can't taste it in the cupcake by itself, but I think it's there in the frosting. But it's ok that it's there. Because it's gooey and yummy all together. Avocado frosting is a lovely spring green, which might come in handy to celebrate St. Patrick's Day next month. If you just can't handle the idea of avocado frosting, I suggest you try some mocha frosting.

Avocado Cupcakes - vegan
adapted from Joy the Baker

I successfully halved both this recipe and the recipe for the frosting and made 12 cupcakes. It seemed like a better idea for just the two of us. This same recipe can also make a cake! Check out Joy's post for cake-specific directions.

3 C flour
6 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 C sugar
1/4 C vegetable oil
1/2 C soft avocado, well mashed, about 1 medium avocado
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 C water

Preheat your oven to 350F and line cupcake tins (24). 

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. For the smoothest batter, sift the ingredients together prior to whisking.

In a smaller bowl, mash the avocado and then whisk in sugar, oil vinegar, and vanilla. Once combined, mix in the water. 

Add the avocado mixture to the flour mixture all at once, whisk until mostly smooth, and then divide among prepared cupcake pans. 

Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. You can also test by lightly pressing a finger on the top of a cupcake - if it bounces back, they are ready, but if your finger leaves an impression, continue baking and check again in a minute or two. 

Remove from the oven, and allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Remove from pan and finish cooling on a wire rack. 

Avocado Frosting - vegan

8 oz fresh avocado, about 2 small to medium, very ripe avocados
2 tsp lemon juice*
1 lb powdered (confectioners') sugar, sifted (use more for a thicker frosting)
1/2 tsp vanilla

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl if you're using a hand mixer, beat the avocado and lemon juice with the whisk attachment until smooth and slightly lighter in color (3-4 minutes). Be sure to scrape the sides down periodically to make sure you get all the chunks. Sift in the powdered sugar a little at a time and then add the vanilla. Beat until smooth. If not using right away, store in the refrigerator. 

*The lemon juice is critical as it keeps the avocado (and your frosting!) from browning. Fresh or bottled both work.

Free Printable - Patriotic Cupcake Wrappers

Perhaps you're aware that it's a holiday weekend? Maybe you are going to whip up some appropriate cupcakes? Great! Now head on over to Food Art Party for some free 4th of July cupcake wrappers to elevate your cupcakes to the next level. 

Have a great weekend!

It's All a Facade

I, and I suspect many other food bloggers out there, want you, the reader, to believe that I always make my own bread, cinnamon buns, and cake. We want you to trust our authority, make you feel like you can do it all (sometimes feel like you should do it all), believe that the recipes we share with you aren't one time things. They are part of our normal, day-to-day lives, and, gosh darn it, we love it.

But there's a dirty little secret in the world of blogging (or at least my world). Sometimes, we make cupcakes from a mix. {insert astonished intake of breath}

It's shocking, I know.

I'm not super-woman, and sometimes I just want a cupcake. Like now. With very little effort.

Enter: the box.

I do admit to helping the box a little, though. This time I added some almost-ready-to-be-done raspberries and blackberries to my batter. Fruit + cupcake = healthy breakfast. Right? Any type of berries will work, as will chocolate chips, syrups, chopped nuts, and lots of other things your cabinets already hold.

So, please, know that you don't always have to make cupcakes from scratch, and when you do use a mix, dress it up a little and then call it your own, because naming rights are half the battle.

DIY Wedding Cupcakes

Meringue Bouquet Cupcakes

Today's lovelies come to you via Martha Stewart Weddings. I can't think of too many better ways to start off a Monday morning than a whole gallery of pretty cupcakes! These all include recipes, too, so if you want to make these for fun, for a party, for a friend, or for your very own DIY wedding, you can. Recipes, directions, and helpful hints included.

Mocha Cupcakes with Chocolate Glaze

Vegan Valentine Cupcakes - Red Velvet with Raspberry Buttercream

I had Thursday and Friday off last week. Thursday I ran errands, did laundry, took a nap, you know, the essentials. Friday, however, I found myself with some time on my hands and an urge to bake, since I haven't had a chance in a while. So after bumming around online for a while, I determined that I had a craving for red velvet cupcakes. It sounds like a strange desire, but I think they were just on my mind after seeing these and these. {I also saw these lovelies, but that's a different story.}

I remembered really liking the ones I made last year, so I went back to that recipe. For once, I also wanted to have a holiday treat posted well before the holiday in question so that you guys would have plenty of time to get yourselves together to make it.

So, red velvet cupcakes (which are chocolate, by the way) with....drumroll please.... raspberry buttercream! Yep, a classic combination rendered in vegan form. Chocolate + Raspberry = Delicious

 I used fresh raspberries for my frosting, but I think you could use frozen if you thaw and drain them first. Also, a note on the cupcake recipe: this time I used soy milk rather than almond milk and only vanilla extract (as opposed to part almond extract). They were still yummy, but I missed having the hint of almond I had last time. Also, if you have picky or ambivalent-about-vegan-baking eaters, Official Taster thinks he can taste/feel the graininess sometimes associated with soy milk. I didn't notice, but I wanted to let you know.

This time, I made a combination of heart shaped and mini cupcakes. For the hearts, I used some Reynolds heart baking cups I had on hand. I'm not sure if they still make them, or if they are a seasonal item, but this is what they look like.

Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting

For cupcake recipe, please reread this post

For the frosting:
1/2 stick vegan butter
1/4 C fresh raspberries
splash of vanilla
2-3 C confectioners' sugar

In a small bowl, beat the butter until it's light and fluffy. Add the raspberries and vanilla and blend well. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar and continue to beat until the frosting has become stiff enough to spread or pipe. Frost and enjoy!

Notes:
If you add the sugar slowly, the frosting blends beautifully and you avoid the slight graininess that occurs sometimes in quick buttercreams

If you use regular butter, I would also add a dash of salt.

Any other berry should work as well. Blackberries would make a pretty color!

Happy 4th!

I hope everyone is having a happy and safe 4th of July! I know this is a repost, but I wanted to remind all of you of these cupcakes if you're trying to come up with something to make. If you want to use a box mix of some sort, just fill them and decorate them and no one will know they're from a box :) Read the original post here.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Flower Power

Sorry I've taken such a long break from posting! I've been kept busy by summer school and the job that (sometimes) pays the rent. Today is Friday (yay!) and even though I don't have any more Friday Morning Flowers at the moment, I do have something related. Edible flowers! On cupcakes!

The other week, one of my friends here, E, turned a year older (and a year wiser, right?). To celebrate, she invited a few friends to a laughter-filled brunch. Now, E is someone who has both fed (pun intended) my baking interest and benefited from it. A couple years ago, she gave me 1000 Cupcakes for my birthday. I haven't tried all 1000 recipes yet, but I've been meandering my way through. Anyway, for her birthday, I made her chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting. Pretty standard, right? So to jazz it up, I added some fresh pansies from one of my many container gardens. Unfortunately, I was already running late to the birthday brunch, so I didn't have time to photograph them, but I did save a couple for me!
I really love how fresh flowers add that extra wow factor. I even got an actual "wow" from the birthday girl! It's the easiest way I've found to decorate quickly and impressively, and you can use large flowers to quickly cover a big area, like a cake.

Of course, not all flowers are edible, and you should always use organic, chemical-free flowers. I found this website to be pretty helpful. There are even some recipes to try.
In this picture, I have two colors of pansies, a miniature rose, a mint sprig, geranium, lavender, and a day lily. Below is a hibiscus. All of these are edible and plucked from my garden. If you choose to use day lilies, be aware that their name is true. Each flower only lasts one day.
Some flowers and herbs can even add additional flavor, so if you use mint leaves, lavender, geranium, scented roses, etc. make sure the flavor they add complements your dessert.

Patriotic Vanilla Filled Cupcakes - Gluten and Dairy Free!

I've been trying to think of a good gluten free recipe to post here because I've only posted vegan recipes thus far. It seems only fair to share the love since I sell both vegan and gluten free items in my Etsy store. For me, gluten free is much harder, maybe because I don't have a problem with wheat. I haven't had to work around it, except for Etsy and the occasional custom order. Dairy, however, I've worked around since I can remember, and family events always have lots of milk-free dishes. So I wanted my first gluten free foray into the blogosphere to be a good one. I think I succeeded.


These cupcakes are not vegan, just dairy free (check the notes for how to make them corn free and soy free), but please, if you experiment, let me know! I wanted to conquer the gluten before I also eliminated the egg whites. My next step would be to try using Ener-G egg replacer. What would you try?

I saw these cupcakes earlier this week, and I wanted to do something equally fun, but even awesomer. So after a little consultation with Official Taster, I decided on white cupcakes filled and topped with buttercream: red or blue filling, white frosting, and red and blue sugar sprinkled on top. Voila! Cupcakes perfect for Memorial Day or the Fourth of July.

Cupcakes!

Cupcakes! Specifically, Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes! Pretty exciting. I also made these at my parents' house when I was feeling the urge to bake. This recipe was great because it didn't require any special vegan ingredients (like Ener-G Egg Replacer), so everything I needed was available without an extra shopping trip.

If you're skeptical of vegan desserts, as I know many people are, try this recipe. Two parents, an aunt, and I all thought they were super yummy. These cupcakes are very moist and, I think, the most delicate cupcakes I've ever made. I think you'll find them very easy, as well.