I became a vegan last autumn for various reasons, but by becoming a vegan I had to cut out a lot of food. No more tiramisú or traditional egg challah. Nor could I partake in one of my favorite desserts, the cupcake. I can’t think of anything more indulgent than a personal cake that you don’t have to share with anyone. It was fate then that the ladies over at the Post Punk Kitchen should pen a book entitled Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. During winter break I searched in vain for this book, sadly it was no where to be found. I’m not entirely sure how many vegans live in Elkhart, Indiana–or in South Bend for that matter–and I wonder if perhaps I am the only one. Needless to say, there obviously wasn’t the demand for the book or else Walden Books, Borders, or Barnes & Noble would have had at least one in stock. Even during my four months in London, I was unable to find a copy: It wasn’t at W.H. Smith or Waterstone’s . I finally received it as a gift this May and haven’t stopped baking since. I suggest purchasing this book if you’re interested, it’s well worth the investment to be sure.
Here are some photos are my various attempts and processes (with my assistant and 10-year-old brother, Anderson):
To see the finished products, click on ‘continue reading’…
golden cupcakes with vegan chocolate frosting.*
chocolate cupcakes with vegan cream cheese frosting.
chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter and molasses frosting.
guinness stout chocolate cupcakes with a crumb topping.**
*this was my first attempt using a pastry bag with very stiff frosting.
**i made guinness frosting on a whim, that didn’t taste half bad (though you have to admit, beer frosting sounds nasty). It tasted kind of like lemon and smelled like bread dough. i am going to experiment more with it and post the recipe eventually.
