Recently, a vegan friend (yes, omnivores and vegans can be fond of one another) sent me a darling little book called Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I have never attempted to bake without my precious Diablo and Poseidon eggs (and Publix eggs before them), but I may well do so after reading some of these mouth-watering recipes. The margarita cupcakes look especially interesting . . . one is forced to purchase tequila to create them. One is probably expected to have a margarita or two while stirring, as well. I'm just sayin'.
There are some terrific tips in this book, and even I—Queen of 300,000 Baking Sessions—learned a thing or two. According to the authors, a surefire way to get people to look at your blog is by posting pictures of cupcakes.
Okay. Here are a few of my cupcake babies . . .
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| New Year's Eve Cupcakes |
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| Vanilla Snow |
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| Auburn National Championship |
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| Chocolate Buttercream |
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| Deep Chocolate Madness |
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| Milk Chocolate with Strawberry Buttercream and Chocolate Ganache |
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| Chocolate Cherry Fudge |
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| French Vanilla with Chocolate Buttercream |
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| Milk Chocolate Minis with Vanilla Icing and Cocoa Sprinkles |
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| Chocolate with Mint Cream and Ganache |
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| Fresh Strawberry with Strawberry Buttercream and Chocolate Ganache |
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| French Vanilla with Chocolate Ganache and Vanilla Buttercream |
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| Vanilla Snowball Cupcakes |
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| S'Mores Cupcake |
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| Vanilla with Vanilla Buttercream |
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| Triple Chocolate |
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| Marshmallow Dream |
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| Chocolate with Chocolate Buttercream and Deep Chocolate Drizzle |
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| Banana Chunky Monkey |
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| Triple Chocolate in a box |
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| Strawberry with Strawberry Buttercream |
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| Strawberry with Fresh Strawberries, Strawberry Buttercream and Chocolate Drizzle |
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| Valentine's Day Collection |
I admit it: I am somewhat ovo-dependent . . . but I am going to try Lisa's cupcake book, because I love the way it is written.
Here are some tips from the book:
- "Baked stuff cools quicker and more evenly when set on a cooling rack. And without them the bottoms of cooling cupcakes can get soggy—so sad." Yup.
- For decorating, get a small metal frosting spatula (also referred to as a palette knife). Great for spreading thick frostings into a smooth, swooping finish.
- "Use an ice cream scooper with a release mechanism for easy pouring and filling."
- "Spray your batter pouring implement with cooking spray before dipping it in the batter."
- "Make sure that the cupcakes are fully cooled before filling or icing, unless otherwise indicated in a recipe. Spreading icing onto a still-warm cupcake is the work of fools."
- Cute toppers: Cinnamon sticks, vegan gummies, gel fruit slices, colorful, fun-shaped kid's vegan breakfast cereals (I use the regular, sugary, evil kind.), chocolate-covered pretzels, edible flowers, Scrabble pieces, small plastic farm animals, fake flowers
I love this: "The world is enraptured with this tiny cake—maybe it's our selfishness, knowing that the cake is 'Mine! All mine!' Maybe it's our obsession with beauty; cupcakes, like flowers, seem to have the perfect proportions to capture our eye. Maybe they speak to the child in all of us, our yearning for a simpler time, where a little something sweet was a reminder that there was something to celebrate."
I have baked them with love for countless people, and I know this much: cupcakes make folks smile.
I like that.
Lisa might just find a little vegan sumpin'-sumpin' in her mailbox someday.
Love from Delta.
