Yummy Vegan Cupcake Recipe

I've decided to take on the adventure of making vegan cupcakes for my sister-in-law's September baby shower so I found several recipes that I thought I would try out before I try to feed 40+ people with them. I've never tried vegan baking so I was a little afraid of how they would turn out. My fears were absolutely unnecessary because I made the first recipe this weekend and brought them down to Columbus for my sister-in-law and a few other friends to try. They FELL IN LOVE! Jess actually went so far as to say that they were now her favorite cupcake in the world, ever. I was then forced to promise that I would share the recipe here :)

I swear, you would never in a million years know that this was a vegan recipe by tasting these cupcakes. I must give a shout out to The Post Punk Kitchen and Shmooed Food (recipes from The Vegan Lunch Box) for these recipes - I tweaked them a little, but they certainly set me on the right track. Next time I think I would try to make them gluten free as well so literally everyone can eat them!

Yellow Cupcakes with Chocolate Amaretto Frosting

Yellow Cupcakes

1 T. apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 scant cups plain soymilk*

2 1/8 cups flour

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 1/8 cups sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1 1/4 t. vanilla extract

1/2 t. coconut extract

Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin cups with nonstick spray or line with paper cupcake liners. Set aside.

Place apple cider vinegar in the bottom of a liquid measuring cup and fill with soymilk until it equals 1 1/2 cups (*this is why it is 1 1/2 scant cups). Stir well and set aside, curdling is perfectly normal.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another mixing bowl whisk together soymilk mixture, oil, vanilla and coconut extract. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

Fill each muffin cup with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes then remove cupcakes from the pan and place on a wire rack. Let cool completely before frosting. Makes 22 cupcakes

Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread

2/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa Powder

3 Cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup plain soymilk

1 t. vanilla extract

1 1/2 t. almond extract

Melt "butter" in a small microwave safe bowl. Place melted "butter" in large metal bowl. Add cocoa powder and stir. Add powdered sugar and half of the soymilk, beat on medium speed adding remaining milk little by little until frosting reaches good spreading consistency. Mix in extracts.

Feel free to cut the frosting recipe in half if you prefer not to have leftovers. Also, this recipe is definitely delicious as is, but you could certainly leave out the coconut extract (though it is a very mild taste). The almond in the frosting makes it taste as though it's flavored with amaretto, you could always lighten up on that, too. Enjoy!!!