One-Bowl Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

I have a recipe on nesting and homesteading stuff coming your way, but there are a few things I want to add before I make it live. Instead, a recipe! Now, I’ve made a lot of vegan cupcakes throughout the years. Of all the recipes I’ve tried, this one is my favorite. The texture is perfect, springy and moist. They are sweet but not TOO sweet.

Weekends are made for cupcake baking, don’t you think?

And sprinkles make it all the more gratifying!

ONE-BOWL VEGAN CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart’s One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes 

What you’ll need . . .

• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cacao powder
• 1-1/4 cups turbinado sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch salt
• Ener-G Egg Replacer for 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard size muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
2. Whisk together the egg replacer in a small bowl and set aside. (For reference, it’s 1 tablespoon replacer with 4 tablespoons warm water.)
3. Whisk together the flour, cacao powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 
4. TIP: I love using a small batter bowl for cupcakes because it makes distributing the batter a breeze!
5. Add the replacer eggs, coconut milk, oil, and vanilla extract into the bowl and whisk everything until smooth.
6. Portion out into the muffin tins so they are 2/3 full. 
7. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Then let cool fully before frosting.

Then frost with your favorite chocolate frosting. I used this recipe.


We’re definitely making these again for Ada’s birthday cupcakes (SHE TURNS FOUR! AHHH!), so it was fun to test the recipe out early. I might do something more fun to decorate them.

Any ideas?

ENJOY!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

Cookie Dough Stuffed Cupcakes

You see . . . Pinterest wasn't a thing when I started blogging many (many) years ago. I get aggravated at how food blogging (and everything else, it seems) has become this ever-escalating let's-see-who-can-come-up-with-the-craziest X, Y, or Z. In other ways, however, I get struck by genius at every turn. Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it, Pinterest gives me inspiration, even for the foods I share on my own blog because sometimes I like to push the limits.

So, I'm two weeks too late for this to officially be a birthday cake. Still, I wanted to whisk up something delicious for dessert to celebrate the big 3-1. And I took two existing recipes on this site and used this stuffed cupcake recipe (thanks for sharing, Tyler + Pinterest gods) as my inspiration.

Sprinkles = optional, but highly recommended.

(VEGAN) COOKIE DOUGH STUFFED CUPCAKES
with a chunky peanut butter + coconut "fudge" frosting

What you'll need . . . 

• 1 recipe-ful of Half Dozen Chocolate Chippers (do not bake, leave out baking powder)
• The cupcake batter from the Big Hunk O'Love Cupcakes recipe*
• The Frosting from the Big Hunk O'Love Cupcakes recipe

* These peanut butter + chocolate + banana stuffed cupcakes are delicious too! You should try them! As a note: I used CHUNKY peanut butter in the frosting this time around.

Method . . .

1. Make your cookie dough and then spoon out into 12 equal sized balls. Freeze for a couple hours until hardened.
2. In the meantime, make your cupcake batter. If you're waiting for everything to freeze, place it in the fridge while you wait. Just be sure to take it out 20 minutes or so before baking.
3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard cupcake pan with paper liners, then fill each 2/3 full + otherwise evenly distribute cupcake batter.
4. Place one frozen cookie dough ball into each cupcake, then place in the oven for 10 minutes. Then rotate 180 degrees and bake for another 20-25 minutes. Until toothpick inserted into the cupcake (not the cookie dough) comes out clean.
5. Take cupcakes out of the oven to cool completely before frosting.
6. Then spread frosting and decorate however you wish. I like to keep my cupcakes in the refrigerator, which makes the frosting turn into that refrigerator fudge consistency. Do whatever you like. It's your party!

// YUM

This recipe makes 12 large cupcakes for a fraction of the cost they'd be at the bakery. No, really. I can't believe how much a good cupcake costs these days. I'd much rather make my own. And if you really strip this recipe/process down, you'll see it's is far less daunting than it seems.

I promise.

What sweet or savory treat did you eat to celebrate your birthday this year?

And be sure to check out another amazingly fun (never)homemaker hybrid recipe -- Half Dozen Chocolate + Peanut Butter Swirl Cookies. Might be one of my favorites . . . ever.

Like what you just read? Browse more of our posts + recipes on Pinterest. You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

Autumn Harvest Cupcakes

Favorite from the METHOD archives:

I came across the whole Iron Cupcake phenomenon on Flickr . . . and, I must say, what an awesome group! Using my baking skills to make treats using strange and -- as with last month's choice of basil -- unusual ingredients is not only fun, but also challenging (that's the idea, I suppose).

This month's ingredient is cheese . . . so, I tried inventing a weird, but yummy combination using feta & vanilla, or cheddar (with this chocolate my husband found with hot peppers in it), etc. But when I thought about what I'd most like to eat, and brie came to mind immediately. It may be playing it safe, I'm not entirely sure.

I just like brie. Plain and simple.

Luckily, my mother-in-law was in town visiting this weekend, and she helped create the rest of the recipe. Originally we planned to use zucchini. But the grocery store was out for some odd reason, so yellow squash made a great substitute. Then, we thought pumpkin might be nice (it's autumn, after all) . . . and cider . . . the list grew and grew with all those favorite fall staples.

So here are our Autumn Harvest Cupcakes -- to be eaten with or without the dark chocolate frosting.


AUTUMN HARVEST CUPCAKES

What you’ll need . . .

. . . for the cake part:

• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1-1/3 cups natural sugar
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup applesauce (unsweetened)
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups organic all-purpose flour (unbleached)
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1-1/2 cups shredded yellow squash

. . . for the cheese part:

• 2 rounds of brie (16 ounces in all)
• 2 tablespoons honey (we're talking HEAPING tablespoons, here!)
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (or however much you’d like to add, depending on your love of chocolate)

Method . . .

. . . for the cake part:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the oil, sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, cider, one teaspoon baking powder, and vanilla extract. Beat well with an electric mixer or in a stand mixer.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Mix until fully incorporated.
5. Fold the yellow squash into the batter.
6. Fill the cupcake liners half full – no more, as you’ll need room for the cheese, as well as extra batter to top it with.
7. Make the cheese mixture (instructions below).

. . . for the cheese part:

1. Cut off the top (rind) of the cheese rounds and scoop the soft cheese out into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Add the honey and mix the two together using a fork (until nice and soft).
3. Feel free to add more honey (or use less) to taste.
4. Add the chocolate chips.
5. Drop a teaspoon-ish amount into each cup. I found that once I was finished, I would have liked more cheese in mine, so you may also do the first 12 with 2 teaspoon-ish amounts of cheese, and the next batch without cheese. It’s up to you!
6. Top each cup with a bit of the remaining batter – until cup is three-quarters full.
7. Bake for approximately 23 minutes (or between 20-25). Let cool. And eat plain (my husband and his father preferred them this way) or frost with the following . . .

DARK CHOCOLATE FROSTING

What you’ll need . . .

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (or butter substitute, whichever you prefer)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2/3 cup Hershey’s “special dark” cocoa (or whatever dark cocoa you like)
• 1/2 cup milk (or soy milk -- even when I don't bake vegan, I tend to make it as non-dairy, etc., as possible)

Method . . .

1. Cream the butter and vanilla together with an electric mixer on low to medium speed.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture until fully integrated. Slowly add the milk to the frosting until you have reached your desired consistency. (You may very well not use all the milk.)

Wow. That post is ancient! (My photography since then has improved quite a bit, too!)

I made these cupcakes (and, by the way, the recipe makes 24 of 'em) two years ago. Yes, they are rather involved. Yes, they're worth every minute. I mean, what's better than spending an entire Sunday afternoon baking? I plan to make these treats again sometime soon.

Do you experiment with "weird" ingredients in your baking? Ever put cheese in cupcakes? Chocolate in pizza sauce? Or -- here's another question -- is this recipe just way too involved for you to want to try it? We'd love to hear your thoughts! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

Strawberry and Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Back when Stephen and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary (September 1, 2008), I surprised him with a special dessert. At first, I thought I'd make some dark chocolate-covered strawberries. But, I woke that morning and thought, "Wow. How CREATIVE you are . . . chocolate-covered strawberries. He'll never in a million years expect that!"

So, I decided to whip up something a little less cliche.

Now, I usually don't bake with fruit -- but these cupcakes satisfy even the most chocolate-peanut butter-addicted person. They're great for romantic occasions or if you simply want to eat something sweet and feel like you got your fruit in for the day. Oh, the excuses I come up with to eat cupcakes! (And cookies. And cake. Etc.)

What you'll need . . .
("normal" baking ingredients in parentheses -- what you see pictured above is vegan)

• 1/2 cup Earth Balance (or 1 stick unsalted butter)
• 1 cup Sugar in the Raw
• 1/2 cup applesauce (or 2 large eggs)
• 1-1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup Silk (or regular milk)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 fresh or frozen strawberries (I used fresh) -- sliced
• Dark chocolate chips

Method . . .

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Insert liners into a medium cupcake pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the Earth Balance (butter) and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (3-5 minutes).
3. Add the applesauce 1/4 cup at a time (or eggs one at a time). Beat well after each addition.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with the soy milk (milk). Mix for 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, fold in the vanilla, strawberries, and chocolate chips.
6. Fill the cupcake liners one-half to three-quarters full.
7. Eat lots of the batter. It's REALLY good.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.
9. Cool cupcakes in the pan.

For the chocolate frosting . . .

• 6 tablespoons Earth Balance (or butter)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup soy milk (or milk)

Method . . .

1. Cream the Earth Balance and vanilla together with a fork or electric mixer.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture until fully integrated. Slowly add the milk to the frosting until you have reached desired consistency. You may not use all of the milk (I only used about half). Beat mixture for 1 minute or until creamy.

Recipes adapted from Crazy About Cupcakes, which is a fantastic cookbook! 

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...