Birthday Wishes

This weekend was Sean’s birthday. He requested peanut butter and chocolate cupcakes. I knew I had the prefect plan. After a killer BBQ on his and Sabrina’s roof, these where a the perfect sweet ending.

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes:

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
1-1/2 c unbleached white flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c brewed coffee
2 t pure vanilla extract
2 T vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 375-degrees.

2. Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar into a large bowl.

3. In a 2-cup measuring cup, measure and mix the oil, water (or coffee), and vanilla. Slowly and gently pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl and mix the batter with a whisk.

4. When the batter is smooth, add the vinegar and stir quickly. There will be pale swirls (and some bubbling) in the batter where the baking soda and vinegar are reacting. Stir just until the vinegar is evenly distributed throughout the batter (the color becomes more consistent throughout).

5. Pour batter into a lined muffin tin and bake for 25 minutes--testing with a toothpick. Remove to a cooling rack.




Peanut Butter Mousse
1/2 stick butter, room temperature
1 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
pinch of salt

In a large stand mixer, cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Ass the peanut butter and beat until incorporated. Stir in the powdered sugar and salt and continue beating. Add the cream and whip the mixture until its fluffy.

Chocolate Butter Cream Icing
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla

In a double boiler, heat the chocolate and cream. Stirring with a whisk to melt. Once the chocolate is all melted and there are no visible bits of chocolate. Place to top pan in a bowl of ice water. Using a rubber spatula, stir the chocolate to cool.

In a stand mixer, cream the butter. Once the butter is fluffy, add the sugar and vanilla and beat until incorporated.

Add the cooled chocolate to the creamed butter and stir until fluffy. This should take at least 5 minutes. If the mixture is too loose, transfer into a large plastic bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes before frosting.

To assemble to cupcakes, cut a cone out of the top of the cakes using a paring knife. Remove the piece and cut off most of the point of the cone so that you just have a thin cap. Using the knife, dig out extra cake from the cake to create a larger pocket. Set all cake aside for a different use. Using a small spoon, fill the cake with the peanut butter and replace the cap on top of the filling. Frost the cakes and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

For love or chocolate

I started a new job for the month of January. To win over my co-workers I quickly whipped this up. It worked like a charm. This will melt anyone’s heart.

Raspberry Filled Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes:

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
1-1/2 c unbleached white flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c brewed coffee
2 t pure vanilla extract
2 T vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 375-degrees.

2. Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar into a large bowl.

3. In a 2-cup measuring cup, measure and mix the oil, water (or coffee), and vanilla. Slowly and gently pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl and mix the batter with a whisk.

4. When the batter is smooth, add the vinegar and stir quickly. There will be pale swirls (and some bubbling) in the batter where the baking soda and vinegar are reacting. Stir just until the vinegar is evenly distributed throughout the batter (the color becomes more consistent throughout).

5. Pour batter into a lined muffin tin and bake for 25 minutes--testing with a toothpick. Remove to a cooling rack and frost.

Vegan Vanilla Icing
1 c shorting (transfat free)
3 c powdered sugar
½ T vanilla extract
1/8 c soymilk
4 drops of food coloring

1. Beat all ingredients on low, then high with an electric mixer, until fluffy.

Raspberry Filling
1 frozen bag of raspberries
1 cup of sugar
2 T corn starch
Water

1. Heat raspberries and sugar in a pot on the stove at medium high heat until bubbling.
2. Mix corn starch with just enough water to make a lump free slurry.
3. Add corn starch mixture to raspberries and stir, still on the heat, till the mixture is thick and clear and glossy.


Cupcake Assembly:
1. After cupcakes and raspberries are cooled to room temperature, you can start assembling.

2. Cut a cone shape out of the top of each cupcake. Cut the bottom part off of the cone of the cap, eat or discard.

3. Fill the cupcake with a spoon full of filling, place cap back onto to seal in the filling. This doesn’t have to be perfect.

4. Pipe the icing onto each cupcake

5. Decorate as you like.

Cupcakes A Go Go

November was super busy and I enjoyed a lovely 10 days in Mexico. It’s finals season so that has contributed to my cooking delinquency. However, the final project in my Social Entrepreneurship class is pitching my organic bakery concept, Patisserie Carbon. So with that in mind, I’ve been making cupcakes, like crazy.

I got these cute little mini muffin tins so that I can feed my whole class on my batch of cupcakes and people can taste both flavors without feeling guilty. I made vegan chocolate cupcakes, with a raspberry jam filling and a fluffy vanilla icing. I also made gingerbread cupcakes with a caramel butter cream icing. Of course everything is made with organic ingredients.

For the chocolate cake I used an old recipe from war times. It amazing me how good this tastes for being vegan, really.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
1-1/2 c unbleached white flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c brewed coffee
2 t pure vanilla extract
2 T vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 375-degrees.

2. Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar into a large bowl.

3. In a 2-cup measuring cup, measure and mix the oil, water (or coffee), and vanilla. Slowly and gently pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl and mix the batter with a whisk.

4. When the batter is smooth, add the vinegar and stir quickly. There will be pale swirls (and some bubbling) in the batter where the baking soda and vinegar are reacting. Stir just until the vinegar is evenly distributed throughout the batter (the color becomes more consistent throughout).

5. Pour batter into a lined muffin tin and bake for 25 minutes--testing with a toothpick. Remove to a cooling rack and frost.

Vegan Vanilla Icing

2 c shorting (transfat free)
6 c powdered sugar
1 T vanilla extract
¼ c soymilk

Beat all ingredients on low, then high with an electric mixer, until fluffy.

Gingerbread Cupcakes (Courtesy of Bobby Flay and The Food Network)
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour 

1 t baking powder 

3/4 t baking soda 

1/4 t salt 

1 T ground ginger 

2 t ground cinnamon 

1/4 t ground cloves 

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted 

3/4 c brown sugar 

2 large eggs 

6 T black strap molasses 

3/4 c water

1. Pre-heat the over to 3:50 degrees.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients and set aside.

3. In an electric mixer, bead the butter, brown sugar, eggs and molasses will well blended.

4. Gradually add the dry ingredients and water, alternating to form a thick batter.

5. Pour the batter into muffin tins with paper liners and bake for at least 20 minutes, checking doneness with a toothpick.

6. Cool on a wire rack and frost.

Caramel Butter Cream Icing
1 c sugar
½ c heavy cream
2 sticks butter
2.5 oz margarine
3 large egg whites
1-1/2 c sugar
1 T vanilla Extract

1. Heat the cup of sugar on medium high heat in a heavy bottom pan. The sugar will met and caramelize, take the sugar off of the heat and swirl the pan to make sure that all crystals dissolve and that the sugar doesn’t get too dark or burn.

2. Pour the cup of cream into the sugar and let it continue to cook. After 10 minutes, stir to pull the sugar off of the bottom of the pan and continue to cook so that the mixture thickens. Take it off the heat and set it aside to cool.

3. Beat the butter and margarine together on high, till fluffy, with an electric mixer, set aside.

4. In a heat proof metal bowl, over simmer water, like a double boiler, wish the egg whites and remaining sugar. The sugar crystals will dissolve and the mixture will get thing and turn white. Be careful not to cook the eggs.

5. Wisk the vanilla into the egg whites.

6. Add the egg whites and the caramel to the butter mixture. Beat on high until well combined and fluffy.

7. Put the mixture into the refrigerator to cool. Stir occasionally until it is the right consistency for piping.