The official Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World recipe review! (to be updated)
Reviews added to http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=20910.0, or to this thread, will be compiled here! If I missed a review, let me know.
Basic cupcakes
Basic chocolate cupcake
another classic (willwolf)
amazing, especially with peanut butter frosting!! (jessacita)
edible, muffinlike and disasterous. nothing to rage about at all!they all tasted off to me. and i have good success w/ all my own cupcake recipes, so i dont think its my technique. i dunno. has anyone else had failures like this? its gotten to the poiint where i have just thrown them out b/c no one will eat them! (LA)
(with peanut buttercream) knocked my socks off! (AP)
(with chocolate buttercream) DH loved them, the rest are going into work so I don't eat them! (ranu)
They aren't perfect (nothing to decorate with, really)..and they stuck a bit..but they are darn tasty...and they look ok, too! (AC)
made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream filling and chocolate ganache topping for Triple Chocolate Cupcakes. (tryp66)
filled with peanut buttercream frosting, chocolate ganche on top, and a swirl of pb frosting on top pf that. it was for my omni-boyfriend's birthday and he LOVED them. (random4180)
I made basic chocolate cupcakes but added 2 tb peanut butter to the batter (I decreased the oil slightly too). They came out great! Then I frosted `em with peanut buttercream (icephrosty)
Made them (which I've made before) into a cake, and it turned out beautifully! I used an 8x8 square pan, and it was pretty perfect. I think the 8" (?) circle pan would be great, as well as an 11x7. I think it baked for about 20-25 minutes. I added chocolate chips. Yum! (AC)
I use this recipe everytime for chocolate cake/cupcakes. Simple, easy, delicious. (sog)
Chocolate ginger cupcakes (rich chocolate ganache)
Delicious! I've made the basic chocolate cupcakes several times, and they've never failed. The ginger is great in these, and pairs very well. I had crystallized ginger chips, so they were maybe smaller than usual pieces, and maybe a more subtle flavor. The ginger is definitely noticeable, though. The ganache is so easy, and so good. I think they do need to stay in the fridge in a warmer environment, because the ganache might melt. I used chocolate extract, and a bit of almond. These are easy, overall, and really good. (AC)
Great if you reeeeally like ginger, which I do. Some people felt it overpowered the other flavor, but no one suspected they were GF when I added it to the chocolate gluten freedom ones, so maybe in some cases that's a good thing. (Lauuren)
These were delicious! I loved the little "pockets" of crystallized ginger, but other than that, the ginger flavor was kind of subtle. I think next time, I will use fresh grated ginger instead of ground. I had fresh cherries so I decided to chop them in the processor and make cherry butter cream frosting. It was tasty, but the cherries added WAY more liquid than I anticipated. I had to play around with it A LOT to make a stable frosting. I took these to a lake weekend with my college friends. Everyone gobbled them up! (lotus)
Chocolate mocha cupcakes (fluffy buttercream)
very good (bumblb)
doubled it and made it into a bunt cake. It was so good and so moist! I topped it with the chocolate sauce from JOVB but subbed the soymilk with cold coffee. OMG it was so good! It got rave reviews! (biodancer)
This didn't work so well for me. I made an 8" round cake. It's ok, but just mediocre. I can't really taste the coffee much, and it's just kind of an aftertaste. I didn't do the buttercream, however, and I'm sure that would have made it better. I did do a coffee glaze that surprisingly didn't add much. Hmmm. (AC)
Chocolate orange cupcakes (orange buttercream)
edible, muffinlike and disasterous. nothing to rage about at all!they all tasted off to me. and i have good success w/ all my own cupcake recipes, so i dont think its my technique. i dunno. has anyone else had failures like this? its gotten to the poiint where i have just thrown them out b/c no one will eat them! (LA)
awesome. Unfortunately it was very hot yesterday and the frosting had trouble staying firm, leading to some spillage; but they firmed up in the fridge and were fine. I used zest in the batter. Also, in anyone else's book, does the directions for the Orange Buttercream frosting not tell you when to add the lemon zest? Mine didn't, so I just added it with the extracts. (feelinsoreal)
I didn't enjoy these at all, but I'm not a fan of chocolate and orange together. I made them for a coworker's birthday, at his request, and he liked them a lot. The texture was nice. (icephrosty)
I made these with the Orange Buttercream, and homemade candied orange peel and chocolate shavings on top, and they were a hit! (Lauuren)
Cookies n cream cupcakes (fluffy buttercream)
made them (fee)
COOKIES N CREAM!!!!!!!!!!! (secondbase)
with mint joe-joes (ponycakes)
super rich and tasty (willwolf)
they were so good - and were gone super fast! I think they were the only things to sell out (they were definitely the only vegan treats there). people (vegans and non-vegans) loved them. woo hoo! (laurabs)
(With homemade chocolate ice cream!) the cookies are a great addition to the cupcake batter itself, AND in the frosting! (jessacita)
one of my faves (secondbase)
Yummy! Everyone liked them. Of course. (KMK)
loved those! They were a huge hit, and I was the only vegetarian at the party. Tip - if you don't want to spend $5 for one package of cookies (seriously, Paul Newman?), the 365 Whole Foods brand of oreo-esque cookies are only $2.50/box and you get enough cookies for two dozen cupcakes, including the frosting and the half-cookie decoration. (feelinsoreal)
by far superior (feelinsoreal)
i. love. oreos. also, i like that the frosting *can't* be piped, so that I don't have to try and mess it up. bostom creme.pretty cool idea, though i wound up having more pastry creme than could fit, and the creme was actually not very sweet to me. i halved it, though, so the proportions might not have been precise. (fb)
were devoured! i kinda messed those up, too, and thought they may not go over well. how delightfully mistaken i was. i swapped the entire cup of soy milk for kahlua, and i think that's why they sank in the middle. i make up for it by dolloping a big ole smoosh of icing in the middle, so it wasn't so obvious. (queen bee)
really good. when i did the frosting for the C & C ones, i did like the frosting recipe suggests and halved the recipe (since it was just for topping - not topping and filling). the C & C variation doesnt mention halving it but it was definitely the perfect amount. (ppc)
My least fave probably. I didn't dislike it, just didn't like it as much as the others. Probably coz I'm not the biggest fan of buttercream frosting in large quantities and I think I put too much on. I want to try them again, but make the mint icing instead and put the crushed up Mint Newman O's in that. I think that would be to die for! (tryp66)
huge hit with kids (THHF)
LOVE. our absolute favorite. (bumblb)
definitely add to both the batter & the frosting! The cookies in the actual batter give the cupcakes a great texture. I wouldn't skip it. (jessacita)
I actually prefer them using the vanilla cupcake recipe & adding cookies to that to adding cookies to the chocolate cupcakes. Also, If you are piping the frosting, make sure to really finely crush up the cookies you put in the frosting or else they will clog your frosting tip. (lisa)
They were very successful. The people there weren't kids, but they loved it! (melthibs)
used vanilla batter instead of chocolate as previously suggested. My nieces and nephews and kids gobbled them up. Personally, however, I was just not impressed with them. I generally make the vanilla cupcakes with canola oil instead of the margarine method because I find it more reliable, but the texture is more muffin-y than if I use earth balance and cream it with the sugar (although when I do that the cupcakes tend to sink). But I am finding that I am just not a fan of vegan buttercream frostings. Even if I whip it until light and fluffly, to me they taste heavy and greasy and are lacking some flavor elements--very much along the lines of the stuff that comes in a can. Maybe it comes out differently with lemon or chocolate, but I think I'm going to steer clear of vanilla in the future. (jkl)
rose nicely and had a nice texture. the kids wolfed down the Cookies N Cream Cupcakes within five minutes. (mdv)
Made them for Easter, a great cupcake enjoyed by the young and the young at heart. The chocolate cupcake, with crushed Oreos blended in, were light, fluffy, rose nicely and were not overly sweet. Chocolate cupcake texture and taste doesn't get much better than this. The buttercream frosting, with crushed Oreos mixed in, is very sweet. Alone this frosting is way too sweet for me. But a generous dollop of this frosting on a fluffy cupcake makes for the perfect cupcake-frosting marriage. (Saskia)
Despite it being almost 100 degrees out yesterday, and being crazy for wanting to turn on the oven, I made my first batch of cupcakes from WCTOTW! I went simple and whipped up a batch of the Cookies N Cream ones...followed the recipe EXACTLY, except that I ran out of sugar, so I don't think I got quite the 3/4 c. into the batter (no worries, they were sweet enough). I prepared the fluffy buttercream frosting and chopped up the cookies with my Pampered Chef chopper to mix in. Frosted them and placed them in the fridge so that the heat of the kitchen wouldn't affect them. After dinner, I had my BF test one..and he ended up eating two! They were really tasty, not too sweet, and the texture was perfect! I can't wait to experiment with more of these goodies over the weekend! (iowachick)
made them with strawberry creme oreos, per Meikmeikas suggestion(I am probably spelling that wrong). I'm not a huge fan of cookies and cream anything, but they were good. My husband and daughter liked them. I will say that I way prefer the chocolate cake recipe from JOVB. These fell in the middle and were a bit crumbly. I probably wont make them again. (nmpixie)
I have made these soooo many times and they are ALWAYS a crowd pleaser. I even did an all-vanilla version using yellow Joe-Joe's. (icephrosty)
Amazing. The icing was like crack. I'm not sure I will add the cookies to the actual cupcake next time--I couldn't really tell they were there, and neither could my testers. I think they would probably be just as good without the cookies in the batter. The icing is where it's at, anyway. The omnis loved them, and one kid even ate one and looked at me and said "I want to be vegan." (veganrun)
They are just as good without the cookies in the batter. I forgot to add them the first time I made these, but added them the next time. I don't think anyone could tell the difference. (lotus)
Awesome - how could they not be? Even better in my opinion when you add a little mint - but use extract, because we couldn't taste it when we just used the mint-flavored cookies. I always use Newman-Os and they're great. (Lauuren)
This is the best chocolate cupcake I've ever had. I'm not a chocolate cake fan (in fact I tend to just be a frosting fan really) but I could eat this cupcake alone, maybe just with some powdered sugar. It was soft and richly chocolate, and right in between fluffy and dense. Yum. (aggplanta)
the cupcakes are gooood, the frosting is good (just two o's) I used cake flour as I always do and the cupcakes were very delicate and soft. (eoberhauser)
after sitting even for an hour or so, the sugar melded into the frosting a bit and it was much better. We can add some more ooooo's now. (eoberhauser)
Super awesome!! Very rich...wouldn't recommend eating more than one in a single sitting. Used a combo of Dutch and regular cocoa and also Newman O's. (kristinv)
SO. GREAT. I made them for my english class and everyone loved them. everyone needs to make these, now. (sog)
These are awesome. Cookies n Cream anything is awesome, so what do you expect? My only suggestion is to make these for an event or something where they're all sure to get eaten up at once. I had them sitting around in my kitchen for a few days and the cookies got soggy. (algae)
Flavor extracts and liquors
German chocolate cupcakes (coconut pecan fudge frosting)
These are fabulous! They are a variation under Your Basic Chocolate Cupcake recipe, using the chocolate cupcake with the Coconut Pecan Fudge Frosting. (willwolf)
I've used the frosting on vanilla cupcakes too, and it's wonderful - I really wish I'd had this recipe when I made a big German chocolate cake because it would have spread better than the one I used. (Lauuren)
Absolutely delicious! I've made the basic chocolate cupcakes several times, but I think this was actually the best batch. I followed the recipe exactly, but didn't use liners. The frosting is a perfect "German chocolate" type frosting, and tastes amazing. These are some of my favorite cupcakes! Mine took fewer than 18 minutes-about 16. (AC)
Peanut butter bombes (peanut buttercream, chocolate ganache topping)
just made these, sooo delicious (willwolf)
They are fantastic!! These are the Your Basic Chocolate Cupcakes + Peanut Buttercream + Rich Chocolate Ganache. Soooo good! (willwolf)
one of my faves (willwolf)
Peanut butter chocolate heavencakes (peanut buttercream, rich chocolate ganache topping)
spectacular!(tryp66)
very popular (melthibs)
another enthusiastic endorsement. I made them Tues for DH's birthday and they were even better the next day. Today, Thurs, they are starting to get a bitter taste; don't know why. Followed the recipes exactly but used a simpler chocolate ganache topping. In the chocolate cupcakes I used almond extract as suggested but you can taste it in the finish and it doesn't go with the pb. So don't do that! (jkl)
Chocolate gluten freedom cupcakes
really good. Nice texture! I would make them again as-is. (pp)
I had to sub out almond flour instead of quinoa flour, but everything else was the same. I only ended up with nine (but that could have something to do with me eating the batter with a spoon). I didn't have time for a buttercream frosting, so I dusted them with powdered turbinado sugar and added a swirl of orange icing left-over from sugar cookies. I have no idea if she liked them since I just handed them off to her, but my husband ate two and I ate one before I could rescue the six remaining ones for her. Neither of us are gluten-intolerant, but seriously, you would never know they were gluten-free. Yummy. (krs)
These have turned out more dependably than any other GF cupcakes I've made. I basically rely on this recipe every time I need something GF and just do a variation, like use a different flavor frosting, or one of the variations listed under the Basic Chocolate Cupcake. (Lauuren)
Golden vanilla cupcakes
classic (willwolf)
amazing (jessacita)
they're not as fancy as the ones in the book, or the ones posted on this thread, but they're my first try. I think I did a pretty good job for my first try. (laurabs)
edible, muffinlike and disasterous. nothing to rage about at all! they all tasted off to me. and i have good success w/ all my own cupcake recipes, so i dont think its my technique. i dunno. has anyone else had failures like this? its gotten to the poiint where i have just thrown them out b/c no one will eat them! (LA)
good, but I didn't make any frosting, so it was very basic. (melthibs)
tasty classic. really vanilla-y! and i hate yellow cake. (fb)
made up my own variation based on these- and it worked! I used the cinnamon icing from the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip recipe to make Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes, and they were awesome, if I say so myself. Here's what I did if anyone wants to try it out: -Prepare the Golden Vanilla Cupcakes with a teaspoon of cinnamon (as recommended in the Variations). I also made them Really Golden (with the turmeric) and used applesauce instead of canola oil, but those choices are optional -Prepare the Cinnamon Icing, adding an extra heaping TB or two of powdered sugar to make it thicker (mine was way too liquidy with the recommended amount; I just did a guesstimate measure with a regular spoon)
When cupcakes cool or are 95% cool, carve out a cone in the middle of the cupcake a'la the Tiramasu cupcakes (or other cupcakes like them; the technique is described with the Tiramasus) and set cone aside -Fill cavity with cinnamon icing, at least close to the top
Press cupcake cone back into cavity slowly so as to gradually press icing out over the top of the cake; spread spilled-over icing with a knife (the paper prevents icing overspill down the sides) (feelinsoreal)
I made french toast cupcakes with these, and added 1 tsp cinnamon to the batter. I topped `em with the creamy maple frosting and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. They were a huge hit! Everyone kept asking me what I put in them and they all said it was the fluffiest frosting they'd ever had. (icephrosty)
put them in a muffin tin. Out came 6 huge, delicious little bundles of vanilla joy! I poked a hole in the middle and shoved in some sliced, fresh strawberries. I made the lemon buttercream and piped it into the middle and then topped it with even more frosting. Topped it off with another slice of strawberry and it was very tasty! (secondbase)
(with peanut buttercream) definitely another VCTOTW winner! (willwolf)
with chocolate buttercream filling and chocolate ganache topping and those were wonderful as well! (tryp66)
good (bumblb)
fabulous (jkl)
I think this is my favorite vegan yellow cake. I just did an 8 inch round cake, and it worked well. It rose beautifully, and only fell very slightly with cooling. The texture is almost perfect, but still a large crumb. I added extra vanilla, and used the almond extract. Yummy with the vanilla buttercream. I used canola oil. (AC)
Why didn't anybody warn me that these are like crack? Dios mio! They're so delicious! I can't stop eating them. I used the oil variation, and it is so moist and chewy and awesome. This is the best cake I've ever had in my whole life. Period. (veganrun)
wonderful!!! I know I have made them before but this batch came out absolutely moist and delish!!! (babysgotsauce)
I found the recipe online and am glad I tried it. The first time I made them into cupcakes and my mom really enjoyed them. The second time I made them into a 9" cake and it turned out well. It is a nice simple cake that is perfect to dress up. My dad really enjoyed it and could not believe it was vegan. I so neen to invest in this book. (monkey7)
I used this recipe to make cupcakes for a tiramisu flavoured 'cupcake-in-a-jar' for my sister-in-law for Christmas. Nice simple vanilla-y cake, would be good to 'dress up' with icing and variations but plenty tasty just as it is. My cupcakes rose really well and were nice and fluffy (oww)
The first time i made these, I failed miserably. I think I probably added too much baking soda. I made them again two days ago, but I only had white whole wheat flour, and they came out amazing! I frosted them with the chocolatey buttercream recipe in the back of the book, and they are gone now. They'd be even better with regular flour. (sog)
I made these this morning for my 40th birthday. I usually go for chocolate cupcakes, but I felt like vanilla for some reason. I thought these came out really well - moist with a nice vanilla flavor. (peaceablepalate)
Flavored golden cupcakes
Lemony vanilla cupcakes (lemony buttercream)
Simple and beautiful. The cake isn't very lemon-y, though - I'd recommend the Lemon Gems from VWAV (with VCTOTW lemon frosting) if that's what you want. I've added a little yellow food coloring to both the batter and the frosting, and it worked fine, but I think they're prettier with the paler natural color. (Lauuren)
Mix ins vanilla cupcakes
I've added chocolate chips, crushed oreos, and sprinkles (to make a "funfetti" cake) and all turned out great. (Lauuren)
Really golden cupcakes
did this for my Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes, and they were awesome (feelinsoreal)
Strawberry tallcakes (fluffy buttercream frosting)
I haven't tried one yet but the batter was good! I'm going to eat mine later; right now they're chilling in the fridge. I basically stuck to the recipe but I did add a teaspoon of strawberry extract to the batter. (feelinsoreal)
Definitely the easiest ones in the book that come out looking this fancy. The only downside is because the fruit is fresh, they won't stay perfect looking at room temp for very long. (Lauuren)
Sexy low-fat vanilla cupcakes (with fresh berries)
I used this to make the base for the lemon-blueberry cupcakes. It doesn't rise quite as magnificently as the golden vanilla, and the texture isn't quite the same. But, by itself it's still good. (it's just that the golden vanilla ones are amazing) (fb)
a favorite standby base recipe, then different flavored toppings and frostings.... i like that it's low-cal (dalida)
I don't know what I was expecting with "low fat," but these were quite terrible. They seemed dry and muffin-like. So, if I'm trying to lose weight or whatever, I think I'll just eat half of a real cupcake. Yuck. (veganrun)
Simple vanilla and agave nectar cupcakes
very tasty and no sugar (willwolf)
These are soo good. The texture is more sponge-cakier than the golden vanilla cupcakes, and the agave just makes the vanilla flavor better. I never thought agave alone had much flavor, and I'm not one into subbing agave for sugar everywhere, but these were just really really awesome. However, they dry out fast. When I make the chocolate version, I'll freeze them. (fb)
simple with a sweet, rich flavor. LF likes these and she isn't into sweets. i think they are a touch sweet from the agave and they def have an agave flavor. i like them with chocolate mousse on top! (baypuppy)
A pretty versatile recipe - it even turned out when I used all whole wheat flour. (Lauuren)
Chocolate agave cupcakes
Very chocolatey, nice texture, and not too sweet (good). I like these better than the regular chocolate cupcakes in here, and I think it's worth the agave nectar (it's really not that expensive). The agave itself doesn't seem to add to the flavor, but I think it just bakes well since the vanilla ones turned out so well too. (fb)
Everything I dislike about agave for making cookies turns into everything I like about it for cupcakes. I love the tender, moist crumb and soft, delicate flavor. This was one of the best cupcakes I've ever had. It's not in-your-face sweet, but I never felt like any flavor was lacking. I added the espresso powder to amp up the chocolate flavor, in addition to some chocolate extract. I topped with a chocolate ganache that I threw together, to get the chocolate party going. Quite different from the regular chocolate cupcake, but perfect in its own way. Yum. (veganrun)
Vanilla gluten freedom cupcakes
had a nice texture, but I thought they tasted like really really sweet cornbread, probably due to the corn flour. If I make them again, I might try potato flour or more white rice flour instead of the corn flour. They tasted more like you should eat them with chili instead of chocolate frosting. (pp)
(with lemon buttercream and toasted coconut) and they turned out delicious. I used whole grain flours and didn't detect a "healthy" taste at all. My picky husband couldn't tell they were GF. (icephrosty)
The only cupcakes I've made from this book that elicited multiple comments about tasting funny. I'm not too knowledgable about GF baking, so it might be my fault. However, I've found that by adding additional flavors to these (like any of the "mix-ins" options under variations), they pass the taste test better than when letting the vanilla stand alone. (Lauuren)
Classic cupcakes
Banana split cupcakes (fluffy buttercream frosting, quick melty ganache)
banana split!! (i used strawberry preserves instead of pineapple though) (ponycakes)
so delicious, top 3 (willwolf)
Everyone reading this thread needs to stop what they are doing and make the BANANA SPLIT CUPCAKES. They are the best thing EVER, and I have tried 80% of the cupcakes in that book (including all the variations) (secondbase)
OH MY GOD YES....amazing. for serious. i make them with strawberry preserves instead of pineapple though..so. delicious. (ponycakes)
one of my faves (willwolf)
one of my faves (secondbase)
I cannot stress enough how wonderful these are!! They also make a great presentation with their swirly mounds of buttercream frosting, drizzles of chocolate ganache, and toppings of chopped walnuts and colorful sprinkles. Soooo good! (willwolf)
huge hit with kids (THHF)
with strawberry jam for a another friend who is lactose intolerant. I think I could sum up the whole experience as a two-day series of catastophies. It was all my fault, of course, but still a horrible mess. To begin with, I swirled the jam/chocolate a couple of times as per Isa's instructions, but that apparently isn't sufficient. Sinking would be an understatement. They completely collapsed after taking them out of the oven, leaving me with a dozen donut-shaped cupcakes. I cooled them overnight and decided to fill the collapsed cavities with frosting the next morning before taking them to my friend. Since my beaters died months ago, I tried whipping the frosting with my immersion blender. When I couldn't get it light and fluffy enough, I decided to put it in my Vitamix. Needless to say, I blended too long and I ended up with frosting soup. I plopped the whole container in the freezer and took it out about every half hour to blend again. I finally gave up and stuck it in the fridge and went to see my friend with only lemon sugar cookies. I ended up blending the frosting again later in short spurts until it was smooth and thick (but definitely not fluffy). Then piped it on and topped with ganache and walnuts. No cherries, though, since I hate marachinos and no sprinkles since every freaking brand has cornstarch in them (hubby has a corn allergy). So now since I was planning to take them to my friend but it's too late, we are stuck eating them all. Not that they aren't good, but they are so sweet I almost can't handle it (which is really saying something). I ended up having a bit of leftover frosting, but I'm thinking if it would have been fluffier, I would have ended up using less to get the same big mounded effect. Oh well, live and learn (and always have the proper kitchen equipment). (krs)
rose nicely and had a nice texture. I prefer the flavor combination of these over the cookies n cream (mdv)
i love making these as banana cupcakes! fun and moist (baypuppy)
They were good, the better was delicious! They were ugly, though, without the frosting, so you'd have to frost them to give them away. They came out greasy, too. A lot of the cupcakes in this book do. Maybe it's the altitude difference? Does anyone else have this problem of them being oily? (nmpixie)
These are pretty much perfect. I was slightly worried because I haven't made too many completely successful vegan cupcakes, but these are really good. I doubled the recipe, but came out with 20 cupcakes. I know that I filled a lot of them too full, but it wasn't a problem. I used strawberry preserves. I didn't use a blender for my banana, but just made sure to mash them really well. I swirled a few times, but my topping stuff stayed mostly swirled at the top (no sinking, though). They look great, taste great, and the texture is great. P loved them, and said they are very much banana split-like. I topped some with vanilla buttercream, strawberry, and nuts ,and some with banana chocolate mousse, strawberry, and nuts. (AC)
Awesome. If you can't find pineapple preserves, don't stress - I've used strawberry and apricot and both were still devoured. My husband always wants to have more chocolate, though. My Whole Foods carries a maraschino cherry without all the chemicals that's not quite cartoon red, and they still look great on top. (Lauuren)
So good! I've made them without the pineapple preserves mixed in, and they turned out fine. With the sprinkles and chocolate drizzle, these look so impressive. I make them when I'm trying to "wow" someone. (veganrun)
I added cinnamon to the dry mix because I automatically do everytime I'm baking something with banana. I'm glad I did! These are fantastic cupcakes. I topped them with leftover chocolatey buttercream from my golden vanilla escapade and sprinkles. (sog)
The Elvis (peanut buttercream)
extremely good! I gave most of them to a friend as a thank you gift and spent at least a day or two feeling resentful about it! (asenath)
These are pretty good, but more muffiny. Not super sweet, and the banana/pb flavors are only mild. (fb)
Tropical paradise (coconut glaze, pineapple topping)
Brooklyn brownie cupcakes
disastrous attempt. I followed the directions exactly & made sure to not overfill the liners (as the instructions noted), and they sank HORRIBLY! Into messy, mushy, sunken blobs. I couldn't even get them out of the cupcake tin without them just caving in on themselves into a little ball. They tasted all right, but looked really terrible. Those were to share with my co-workers on my birthday, so needless to say... I had to scramble to get something else made! (jessacita)
pretty good, esp. considering it was my first edible home-made "brownies". the tops cracked like the picture! (magicalness!) but the cherry preserves i used weren't fully blended, so there was the random weird piece of cherry. (fb)
Mine came out horrible. I did not overfill the liners - I was very careful - and they all caved in anyway! They were not salvagable in the least. Will not make again. (icephrosty)
These worked really well for me. They sunk just a little in the middle, so next time I won't fill them as much. They are very rich, but so delicious! I used mixed berry yogurt in addition to the cherry preserves, so mine were extra berry-y. (lotus)
Brooklyn vs Boston cream pie cakes (golden vanilla cupcakes, rich chocolate ganache topping)
liked these, but didn't love 'em (secondbase)
fantastic, in my top 3 (willwolf)
one of my faves (secondbase)
one of my faves (willwolf)
one of my faves!! Perfectly chocolatey and creamy! (dalida)
These were pretty good, but I'm not sure about the pastry cream. The flavor wasn't quite right for me - not bad tasting or anything, just not what I expected/remembered pastry cream tasting like. Also, I had a lot left over, since it's hard to get that stuff into the cupcakes! Every one at work liked these though... they asked for something "not too chocolatey" (fb)
more difficult but very deelish....worth the extra prep work (dalida)
Made these for the birthday of one of my biggest omni doubters, to rave reviews. Somehow the pictures had us expecting more of a filled donut type cream - it was more liquid-y than that, but it still worked perfect in the cupcakes. I made the royal icing from VWAV to decorate the tops. (Lauuren)
Carrot cake cupcakes (with cream cheese frosting)
wow--they're amazing! I even had my dad taste the frosting before putting them on the cupcakes (they're for his birthday tomorrow), and he said he would never know it wasn't made with real cream cheese! Which is great news because I really dislike Tofutti on its own, but used in a frosting--wow! For the cakes, I added nutmeg, ground cloves, and allspice & about tripled the amount of cinnamon (I always do this for spice cakes), and yummmmmm! I already can't wait for another one tomorrow! (jessacita)
with the pulp that gets left over after making carrot juice, and it turned out not tasting like carrots (i've never had carrot cake before). This one was also too sweet to my tastes, but i loved it when i made a second batch with 1/2 the sugar! The carrot pulp acted kinda like applesauce-egg though... (applecider)
they kind of fell. I hate watching cupcakes fall to their doom after leaving the oven. It's like "No! No! Stop! That's far enough!" sigh... I dunno, I always want less other-junk in my carrot cake. No coconut, not walnuts, no raisins, no friggin pineapple... and when i made them i actually neither had walnuts nor raisins and i subbed with roasted almonds and dried rainier cherries. Those paired pretty well with the flavor, but next time i shall seek less other-stuff and more CAKE. (fb)
These are very good and perfectly spiced. They stay nice and moist for a few days too. The cream cheese frosting is one of my favorites. (icephrosty)
These definitely pleased a very picky birthday girl who likes very few types of desserts. The first time I made them, I cut hearts out of raw carrot slices to decorate the tops, but overnight in the fridge they made they shriveled up and leaked. The next time, I got some of those veggie chips and crushed up just the carrot ones and sprinkled them inside a stencil to spell my sister-in-law's name, and it was *awesome.* (Lauuren)
Loved these! Better than any omni carrot cake I ever ate in my pre-vegan days. (kristinv)
Good shit! I haven't made a carrot cake for years, and these went down really well at my house! Simple, easy, tasty, nice amount of spice but not too many crazy extras. Just a really good carrot cake. (oww)
I omitted the raisins from this (as Z won't eat raisins in baked goods), and used only 1/2 cup of sugar, and I think this was plenty sweet enough. They were so moist and amazing! Love the spice level, too. I didn't do the cream cheese frosting--I think that's so heavy, so I made a lemon glaze. It was light and spring-like. Yum! (veganrun)
Chocolate and vanilla marble cupcakes
for those times when you can't decide between the two (willwolf)
turned out tasting like marzipan. The only difficult part was the dual-spoonage. (applecider)
made half batch; did not rise so well; they were pretty dense. but, my margarine was pretty melted when i used it. still tasted good, though. i meant to bring them to a meeting but my omni bf ate them all first! (fb)
So I cheated. I made a batch of golden vanilla and a batch of basic chocolate, then followed the directions on how to incorporate the batters. I topped them with swirls of fluffy vanilla buttercream. I thought they turned out really good, except I overfilled a couple of the liners. It's so hard to judge the amount of batter going in when you're pouring it out of two measuring cups at the same time. Next time, I'd use less chocolate batter because the last few cupcakes were pretty dark (the actual recipe for marble cupcakes compensates for that though.) (icephrosty)
I once did the exact same thing as icephrosty ^ ! I did chocolate frosting, and it was extremely rich. The cupcakes were very overfilled, but good. (AC)
I made these with a chocolate cream cheese frosting, and one of my coworkers dubbed them "softserve cupcakes." I've also subbed the peanut butter cupcake batter for the vanilla half to make a chocolate and PB marble cake (and marbled together chocolate and PB frostings too) and they were gorgeous! (Lauuren)
Very good. I made them as an 8x8 cake instead of cupcakes. (dannibazaar)
Marble cake is awesome. I followed the directions as written and I wouldn't say it was to difficult, but they didn't end up with the greatest swirl pattern. But the taste it what matters, right? I also did chocolate and vanilla frosting swirl and they looked pretty nice. (algae)
Chocolate cherry creme cupcakes (basic chocolate cupcakes, fluffy buttercream frosting)
my husband keeps asking me to make the cherry chocolate creme again for him to work potlucks (Lauuren)
After eating nearly every recipe in this book, most of them multiple times, this is still my husband's favorite. (Lauuren)
Black forest cupcakes
Chocolate mint cupcakes (basic chocolate cupcakes, quick melty ganache)
I looooved these (fee)
very yummy. (ponycakes)
pretty good, but as far as chocolate cupcake goes, i still prefer...cookies 'n' cream (fb)
My husband would usually rather eat chocolate and mint together than anything, but that was his second favorite (Lauuren)
for a family potluck (I'm the only vegan- hell, I'm the only remotely vegetarian person in my family) and they were a hit. no one would ever guess they were vegan because they taste so rich and decadent. and they look adorable to boot (random4180)
very popular (melthibs)
My prior comment on these is definitely a poor representation - the chocolate mint are probably the most popular chocolate flavor I've made (except maybe coconut-lime). The frosting is runnier than most of the frostings in this book, and some people have complained it tastes too much like toothpaste (especially if I use too much of it and not enough ganache), so I usually nix it and make the chocolate mousse topping with some mint extract added to it. I made a GF version of this variation for a vegan bake sale, and they sold faster than coconut-lime. (Lauuren)
My mom had a taste for mint choolate cookis but also wanted cupcakes. She saw this recipe and told me to make them. They were a big hit with both of my parents. The frosting was minty but the chocolate cupcake helped keep it from being too minty. I liked how the frosting only uses a little amount of shortening compared to the large amounts normal buttercream uses. For some reason I only got 11 cupcakes but I might have overfilled 1 or 2. For the ganache, I used almond milk and it seemed to work well. Overall, my family liked them and they were fun to make. (monkey7)
I love chocolate and mint anything, so it was hard to go wrong with these. The second time I made them was for a vegan friend on her birthday and I can definitely say that they were waay better than the chocolate cupcakes/muffins she made. But she says that she always uses less sugar than American recipes call for, so maybe these were too sweet for her. Regardless, sweet and simple does it for me. (algae)
Crimson velveteen cupcakes (with old-fashioned velvet icing)
They were good, but not super wonderful. I also didn't get the right food coloring so they ended up looking much more brown than red. Still tasty, though. (asenath)
one of my favorites. very light chocolate, moist, rich. i've been meaning to make it without food coloring, but im afraid my brain is going to perceive them as tasting different because of it. (fb)
hands down my favorite icing so far from this book. The "pudding" changes the icing entirely; my mom said it tasted like white chocolate icing. Not as fluffy as buttercream; it's more of a thick glaze, but i like it way better (also melts less quickly than buttercream) (fb)
everyone loved them! My ex-boyfriend's new(ish) girlfriend exclaimed that they were the best cupcakes she's ever had. I swear someone says that everytime I take vctotw anywhere. Awesome. (lotus)
very popular (melthibs)
I decided to use blue food coloring instead of red because it's his fav color. I topped them with tofutti cream cheese icing and they were a big hit. I love the subtle chocolate taste these cupcakes have, plus they aren't crumbly or oily. (icephrosty)
I made the red velvet recipe as a whole cake, baked at the same temperature, for about 30-33 minutes. It works out fine. (fb)
I knew that I wanted to make this a cake (for bday), and I had every intention of making it a red one, but I didn't have enough color. Mine just turned out brown, so I just added a couple more tbs of cocoa. I was a bit afraid of the result, but still a very tasty cake. My cake did crack on the top, which wouldn't have been pretty, but I had plenty of buttercream frosting. Everyone loved it, and I would make it again, but red. I like the extracts. (AC)
I get asked to make these all the time. They're the reigning favorite of DH and most of my friends, so they get taken to every party I'm invited to. I always use the cream cheese frosting. AC is right about the color not being that pretty, so I use colorful baking cups to make up for that. (icephrosty)
I thought they came out horrible. They were greasy the way some vegan brownie recipes are greasy and looked and tasted like greasy chocolate cake or perhaps a less dense greasy brownie. There was none of that red velvet uniqueness or richness. I am very disappointed in this recipe. : / (THHF)
i wasn't impressed with these. tasted off and the texture was weird for me (baypuppy)
I made these again. They are my mother's favorite, so I made them for mother's day. I think they turned out even better this time. I'm not sure what I did differently, but they were so moist and fluffy and yummy! Even more so than usual. I topped them with cream cheese frosting. (lotus)
I haven't made the cupcakes and the frosting together. For the red velvet cupcakes I used a cream cheese frosting, because I was scared of the cooked frosting, and it's a popular combo and everyone loved it. Later, I used the cooked custard frosting on chocolate chai cupcakes, which went over really well too. (Lauuren)
All right, there wasn’t much that I kept the same about these. I cut down the milk to a half cup of almond milk. I added 1 cup of beet juice and ¼ c. whole wheat flour. I left out the chocolate extract (I don’t know where to find that but wish I did!) and upped the other extracts. I also left out the food coloring. And I left the frosting off and baked it in a loaf pan. However, it was delicious and even loved by a three-year-old. The color was a dark reddish brown. If I used just normal cocoa powder instead of dutch-process I bet they would have been pretty much red from the beet juice. This was super moist and I recommend trying this variation! (conniex)
I loaned this cookbook to a friend, who used this recipe to make a cake. It was super good! I'll have to make these for myself soon. One slice was not enough! (kristinv)
I made these because a girl I worked with at my internship requested it. Red cake doesn't get me too excited, but everyone else raved about them. They definitely have an interesting flavor. (algae)
Gingerbread cupcakes (with lemony frosting)
another good one. (ponycakes)
really potent ginger power. practically spicy, which is what i like. really is gingerbread. (fb)
go-ooood. They kind of remind me of the Kickass Molassess Cookies from this site, but in cupcake form. (pp)
They were delicious. I was a little worried that the amount of ginger and molasses in the recipe would make them too spicy but I guess it got evened out by the maple syrup. I added a little extra lemon to the frosting because I didn't think it was lemony enough on it's own. A good choice all around (biodancer)
They had great flavor. They definitely need to be adjusted for high altitude, and they came out really oily. The tinfoil wrappers were soaked through, and everyone got greasy. I will make them again, but try it with less oil. (nmpixie)
I made these at Thanksgiving and they were pretty good but nothing super special. Maybe I'm just not a ginger person! (icephrosty)
I made these during the holidays, and everyone ate and liked them, but they weren't a stand-out favorite or anything. (Lauuren)
Maple cupcakes (with creamy maple frosting and sugared walnuts)
I topped my french toast cupcakes with the creamy maple frosting and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. They were a huge hit! Everyone kept asking me what I put in them and they all said it was the fluffiest frosting they'd ever had. (icephrosty)
They are closer to muffins, and that's perfectly fine by me. (fb)
I made a variation of the Maple Cupcakes last night, so they turned out more like "French Toast Cupcakes." They were fucking amazing. SO GOOD. I can't wait to get home from work to have another. (jessacita)
Really good!! I thought the batter was too sweet, but they came out perfectly. I did a cream cheese frosting instead of the maple, and it went very well. These are something you could give as gifts, or bring to a party for sure. (nmpixie)
Peanut butter cupcakes (quick melty ganache)
(with chocolate ganache on top and choco mousse filling) (ponycakes)
classic combination (willwolf)
Instead of doing the chocolate ganache, I did the chocolate buttercream frosting because I already had all the ingredients. Then I topped them with chopped peanuts and a chocolate-covered peanut on top. These were so delicious. The batter was absolutely divine. I think it's the molasses that does it. (KMK)
(with chocolate buttercream) aaaaa-may-zing! I think my favorite so far. I figured the fat in the peanut butter would be enough, so I replaced all of the oil (except about 2 tsp.) with applesauce, and they were still super-moist & delicious! Yum yum yum! A hit with my co-workers, too. (jessacita)
Super light and fluffly cupcakes. Very tasty. (iluvtomatoes)
has never failed. and it has a pretty good balance of peanut buttery-but not overpowering. The rise nicely, with a crisp top before refrigeration. (fb)
took to an omni potluck last winter and they were gobbled up. Unfortunately, there were so many other desserts that quite a few ended up coming home with me. Too bad I had to eat them all myself (krs)
very good, but not as good as I was expecting. I believe this to be something I did though, because they came out too muffin-like. I didn't use paper liners, made them in a very muffin-y pan, and used ground up peanuts-peanut butter. I didn't have the ingredients for any of the VCTOTW frostings/icings, so I used a vw one. They are still tasty. I just noticed that it does call for "natural peanut butter," which is I guess what I used. I also remembered that I used apricot-applesauce for the oil (with a little oil added). So, that probably accounts for the muffin-like texture/density. (AC)
Just "meh". I'm usually a big fan of PB but these didn't do it for me. I like the ones in JOVB better, but they have chocolate too... (icephrosty)
In my head, I thought these were going to be chewy and muffin-like--boy was I wrong! They were definitely a cupcake, with a fine, tender crumb and great flavor. I also like that they have enough flavor that a simple drizzle of chocolate is all they need to taste good and look fancy. Love these. (veganrun)
I accidentally used rice milk in these instead of soy milk, but they turned out fine anyway. (Was worried the rice milk would be too thin.) Yummy and not overly sweet. I didn't bother even frosting these...they're so good on their own! (kristinv)
I've made these a few times and each time they are delicious. I use crunchy pb and top with chocolate buttercream. They are little more dense than most cupcakes and definitely decadent, but super delicious. (lotus)
Pineapple right side up cupcakes
Fortuitously, there was a bottle of Malibu staring me down in the kitchen, so I added a few splashes to the crushed pineapple topping to make Piña Coloda cupcakes! I also garnished them each with a raspberry like Isa recommended. I don't really think raspberries go with it, but they needed some color. Next time I will add shredded coconut instead, I think. Or a piece of fresh pineapple. Very good and easy! You just plop the topping on with a spoon. No messing piping. And the only "special" ingredient is a can of crushed pineapple. (KMK)
really good and everyone liked that the pineapple cupcakes had some spices in them. (ppc)
The cake part came out really dense for me - I'm pretty sure I over-stirred. But it was still tasty. I don't think it would have come out beautiful like the Golden Vanilla ones anyway, because of the small amount of oil. Also, I wasn't sure about measuring the pineapple - how much juice to include or not include. BUT the topping was really tasty (I subbed brown sugar for white sugar) (fb)
I was afraid to make these for a long time because the description says they need to stay in the fridge, and I usually bring cupcakes to work or parties and leave them sitting out at room temp for a day or so. I made them without the topping, but used the orange buttercream from elsewhere in the book instead, called them "pineapple orange," and they looked awesome, everyone ate them, and they held up just fine. (Lauuren)
S'mores cupcakes (quick melty ganache, shaved chocolate, fluffy buttercream frosting)
yum to the extreme. (ponycakes)
these were great, rose great, then i made them again, and the batter seemed way too liquidy and they sunk. and again. not sure what magic i did the first time, but i really want to try these again, so i'm eyeing the batter texture before putting them in the oven next time. (fb)
They were heavenly! (tryp66)
These definitely have to be adjusted for high altitude baking. They also had a lot of oil and were kind of greasy. Great flavor, though. Next time I will halve the oil. (nmpixie)
I've made these twice for my dad, who adores camping and dessert. The first time, I made them exactly the way the recipe states. He loved them, but everyone agreed they needed more chocolate and something more reminiscent of marshmallows. The next time, I used the cake recipe to make big cake layers, put ganache and Dandies in between, covered it in peanut buttercream, and topped it with tons more ganache and Sweet and Sara marshmallows that I "toasted" with a lighter. I know I stole this idea from someone's blog, I'm not sure which, but it was possibly the best cake I have ever made. (Lauuren)
Fantastic, but mucho mucho greasy! Next time I'll half the oil and sub some applesauce....but otherwise, they were great! I did a layer of chocolate ganache, then the buttercream - it could have used a little more chocolate though - maybe chocolate chips next time! (erinmonster)
Fancy cupcakes
Apple cider cupcakes (fluffy buttercream frosting or super natural agave icing, caramel brown rice glaze)
yum to the extreme. (ponycakes)
I think the Brown Rice Syrup Glaze tastes terrible... I don't want to use regular buttercream because I don't think that flavor would mesh well with the apple cider, but I can't just leave them naked! I am thinking of maybe just dusting them with powdered sugar & cinnamon, but I'm afraid that will be boring. I've planned on trying these since I got the book TWO YEARS ago, and really thought I'd love them. I think the cupcakes on their own are okay (not great), but I certainly do not like them with the glaze... Any suggestions? Maybe I can make a caramel sauce to drizzle over them? (jessacita)
odd. Super sweet, didn't rise well. It seemed like there was too much liquid in the recipe (even though I measured the apple cider after cooking), but the agar helps in this respect. And as much as I like agar, I don't think its texture lends itself to cake... maybe other baked goods, but not here. My omni mom loved them though. (?) Oh well. (fb)
doubled the recipe and ended up with around 30 cupcakes! they were so good though, even though i had to finagle the recipe a bit. for the icing, i made the vanilla buttercream, but added pumpkin pie spice to it. then i sprinkled the tops with cinnamon. didn't make the brown rice glaze stuff. they were a huge hit! (AP)
the apple cider ones came out nicely for me. i do agree though that the brown rice stuff was nasty. id go with a different caramel sauce thing, or do what ap did and make vanilla icing and add some spices. (ponycakes)
These were awesome for something totally different. I used the agave icing on them, and it was really runny, so I've never really wanted to make it again, but with the caramel glaze on top of these, it worked really well. (Lauuren)
Apricot glazed almond cupcakes
kind of chewy, but i think i over mixed. i used the TJ's reduced sugar apricot preserves, which paired really well with the almond. (fb)
delicious! I love that there isn't a heavy, fatty frosting on these. I just ate two and I don't feel guilty! I will definitely be making this again (secondbase)
Very pretty with relatively little effort and no need for margarine or powdered sugar. I made these for a friend of mine who lives on gas station hot dogs and claims to be indifferent toward dessert, and he and everyone else loved them. Especially good for people who really like almond-flavored things. (Lauuren)
These were okay, but maybe I'm just not "sophisticated" enough for them. The apricot preserves in them made them too messy and they just aren't as exciting as all of the chocolatey recipes. (algae)
I made these as the "adult" cupcake choice for my daughter's second birthday party. Everyone thought they were great! The cake itself had a wonderful marzipan-like flavor and that paired really well with apricot (I also used TJ's reduced sugar apricot glaze and it was good, but I think something with even less sugar would be even better as the cake was very sweet). The sliced almonds on top added a nice finishing crunch. Will definitely make again. (hopfrog)
Blueberry lemon creme cupcakes (lemony vanilla cupcakes, lemon buttercream, blueberry compote)
yum to the extreme. (ponycakes)
i used the low-fat version of the vanilla for this, and it didn't rise as well but it was decent. (fb)
the cupcakes came out real messy looking. i probably did something wrong, and people will hate me for it i'm sure. but! they look fun to me so yay (spearoflight)
I made the lemon buttercream and piped it into the middle of golden cupcakes and then topped it with even more frosting. Topped it off with another slice of strawberry and it was very tasty! (secondbase)
I liked the lemon blueberry ones the best, but I've always loved lemony things. (Lauuren)
awesome. I had two last night and I'm ready to sneak in another one in a sec. definitely one of my absolute faves from the book! I forgot to mention that since I used fresh blueberries that I froze myself, resulting in no thawed blueberry liquid (as stated in the recipe), I added 1/2 cup pomegranate juice to the compote. It was just the right touch! (feelinsoreal)
yummy. but melted in heat quickly (baypuppy)
I used to claim that desserts without chocolate or peanut butter in them weren't worth eating, but of the few flavors I actually tried myself, this was my favorite. Maybe I was somewhat swayed by their beauty, though. I typically use both fresh blueberries and candied lemon peel or lemon zest on top, and it wows 'em. (Lauuren)
Cappucino cupcakes (espresso creme)
with some chocolate frosting. (ponycakes)
delicious!!! I topped them with coffee buttercream and took them to work. Everyone loved them! (secondbase)
holy shit. these are awesome. i topped them with the suggested buttercream and then 3 coffee beans and a sprinkle of dark cacao powder. the filling didnt taste too great on its own, but with the cupcake, it was perfect. (kelsi)
I tried these once and was totally unsatisfied (I did some weird fraction of the recipe and subbed the instant espresso though), but this time they were muuuch better. I was afraid the coffee flavor would be too strong, but it wasn't. But the creme and the cupcake had the perfect balance for coffee flavor, though a bit too sweet for me. (fb)
I made these in the middle of summer and called them "frappucino" and everybody loved them. I got some comments that there was too much coffee in them, but I think some maybe people just don't like coffee as much. (Lauuren)
Cashew butter cardamom cupcakes (cashew butter frosting)
to DIE for. (secondbase)
probably my favorite, soooo wonderful (willwolf)
INSANELY GOOD. Rich and delicious and cardamom-y. I didn't make the frosting (I tend not to frost cupcakes unless they're actually for an occasion), and I really don't think it needed it. I'm glad making these cupcakes has made me realize the goodness of cashew butter! (fb)
Chai latte cupcakes
the first kind I made from this book, and still one of my favorites! They're more muffin-like than cupcakes if you just top with powdered sugar, and I love them! (jessacita)
i actually got this recipe off of ppk before i had the book. coolest idea for a cupcake, no frosting required, spices in perfect balance! not spicy. (fb)
They are awesome! I wanted to take some pictures, but I don't have my camera. They're my favorite so far. (melthibs)
the cupcakes were delicious but I did not care for the topping. I think next time I will modify the cinnamon glaze to include chai flavors and just use that. (feelinsoreal)
These are good but definitely a little more muffin-y than most of the others, because of the tea flavor and the lack of frosting. I modified these to be chocolate-chai too and they came out great as well. If you're looking to frost them, I thought they went best with the cooked frosting meant for the red velvet cupcakes, with some ginger added to it. (Lauuren)
Fantastic! I was inspired to try these because a cupcake shop by our house has vegan chai cupcakes that were good, but I thought I could do it better - so when I saw this recipe, I had to give it a try! And WOW, so delicious - however I made an icing instead of the suggested topping - I used the Fluffy Buttercream Icing, adding a pinch of cinnamon, cardamon and cloves....I kept them in the refrigerator and they stayed moist for 4 whole days! (erinmonster)
The Earl of Grey cupcakes (super natural agave icing)
really good. (too sweet for my tastes though). (applecider)
Chocolate stout cupcakes
I was super stoked to try those, but they didn't really work out as well as I had hoped... kind of dry. Next time I'll definitely concoct some sort of frosting for them instead of using the dry topping the book calls for (secondbase)
didn't make the crumble topping. lame. just dusted with homemade powdered sugar. not disappointed. (baypuppy)
they dont taste beery to me but theyre delicious.he texture is super light and fluffy but taste fudgy when youre eating them.awesome. (i used some watered down soymilk cus i ran out, then added a little bit of ww pastry flour to thicken up the batter a bit. otherwise i followed it exactly) (ppc)
Every one who ate these agrees - best chocolate cupcakes out of the cookbook (that might have something to do with us being college students, but whatever). I wish I had tried them sooner! The stout just imparts a subtle "malt" flavor (à la chocolate malt shake), and the stout itself gives it a nice texture. I made the crumble topping too, and that was equally awesome. I'll have to find more people to drink the leftover 10 oz of stout... (fb)
topped them with a whiskey-laced chocolate frosting - and they're soooo good. I tried making the crumb topping in the book, but I funked something up because the crumbs got way too wet & not "crumby." At any rate, the cakes are fantastic!! (jessacita)
i made mini chocolate stouts - i think i baked them for around 15 minutes but check em with a toothpick for doneness. (ppc)
These got rave reviews from everyone who tried them, although they agreed the stout flavor was really mild or nonexistant in the cakes. I made the crumb topping, but also added a glaze by adding some stout to the Brown Rice Caramel Glaze (instead of some of the milk) - that reportedly brought out some of the beer flavor, and it made them much prettier! (Lauuren)
The first time I made these I didn't think they tasted stout-y enough, so the second time I made them I replaced 1/4 cup of the soymilk with more stout, and I really liked that addition. Also, the second time I replaced half the oil in the crumble topping with more stout. I have made these with both cocoa powder and carob powder, and they turned out just fine with carob. I don't know if you guys know this, but two groups of people who REALLY love beer are rock climbers and geologists. My climbing club is about half geologists, and they LOVED these cupcakes. They thought they were so funky and different. I think I'd like them a bit more with a frosting instead of the crumble topping--I'm going to put stout in the frosting. (veganrun)
My favorite recipe in the book! (tough choice, I know!) I love the crumb topping. The powdered sugar dusting sinks into the crumb topping after a day, so if you're not serving right away, might want to wait on dusting with the sugar. (kristinv)
Coconut lime cupcakes (lime buttercream icing)
super bombstander (secondbase)
yum to the extreme. (ponycakes)
I made those for a picnic birthday party for my friend and she loved them. (secondbase)
has some dense, somewhat oily frosting since I ran out of powdered sugar...the lighting was kind to them, and covered in coconut, they look better. They're still pretty good.. I made a huge double batch for a class I had and now I have to resist eating the 5 or 6 I have left in the fridge. (nuchita)
one of my faves (secondbase)
great! (lisa)
i liked the coconut-lime-rum ones best, (queen bee)
I used my new cupcake decorating set and they look freaking awesome. I so wish I had a camera. (pp)
I know I made some substitutions, but I forget what exactly they were. I didn't use any vanilla extract, just coconut extract & extra lime juice I think. They sunk a little in the middle as they cooled, but it actually worked to my advantage. I halved the frosting & just put a small amount on the middle, but piled it around the top edges of the cupcakes, then sprinkled colored shredded coconut around the top & put starburst jelly beans in the middle, so they looked like little crazy colored birds nests. Everyone really liked them, both the appearance & the taste. (lisa)
These cupcakes are unbelievably delicious, with a subtle and perfect balance of lime and coconut flavors. I recommend a few tips/modifications to the recipe: 1. Make 1/2 of the icing recipe. The icing is very sweet. If you heap on too much icing, the sweetness will be cloying and overwhelm the cupcakes. 2. After you've creamed the icing's shortening, margarine, and confectioner's sugar, add the lime juice slowly and sparingly. The consistency should be firm enough so that when a spoon is drawn, the icing is drawn up and doesn't settle back. The icing gets runny and goopy if you add too much lime juice. 3. If you have a pastry bag or other decorating tool, use it to ice the cupcakes. You'll get very pretty, professional-looking results that are worth the extra effort. 4. Sprinkle a tiny bit of lime zest on top of each iced cupcake. The green is an appealing contrast to the white icing. (primobabe)
By far the MOST popular and most requested flavor I've made, and for good reason. I like to cut half-slices from tiny key limes for the topping, because it's adorable. I've also used all coconut milk in the batter (when I was out of the others) and they came out great anyway. I almost always increase the amount of lime zest, probably double at least. And just so you know when choosing liners &c., the cakes come out pretty yellow (at least they have for me). (Lauuren)
Dulce sin leche cupcakes
I made this without the caramel ribbon, since I don't have & dislike brown rice syrup. These have a gentle coconut flavor, just a touch of citrus because of the zest, and are very soft. I don't know if the amount of brown sugar really impacts the flavor that much. (fb)
The caramel sunk all the way to the bottom for me, so they were a bit messy to eat, but still delicious (yes I got to eat these!). I usually add the brown sugar to the Brown Rice Caramel Glaze even when I'm not making these, because it seems to help the consistency. (Lauuren)
I made these for my parents and they liked them. They were not as big a hit as the chocolate mint cupcakes though. I did not add the lemon zest to cupcakes and omited the dry soy milk powder from the caramel sauce. The cupcakes were soft and flavorful and the caramal sauce stayed in the middle. My mom liked that they were sticky and gooey from the glaze. I'm not sure I would make these again. (monkey7)
Green tea cupcakes (green tea glaze, almond flowers)
came out flawlessly!!!the recipe calls for 3-4 tsp of tea powder in the batter, i used 4 tsp, but i think i would go a little tiny bit less, but my mother enjoyed them as they were. the texture and cooking time were spot on! and the glaze is so cute all drippy over the sides. plus, its awesome to eat green cake. (LA)
i use matcha i 'steal' from work that has a little (not much) sugar mixed in, so i always used a little extra, and i've had some issues with sinking with these. not sure if it's the result of the tea, extra sugar, or something else. but they're damn tasty fallen cupcakes; like an edible green tea latte, which i'm all about. (fb)
i didn't make these BUT i ate them at a potluck. i was surprised - very good. light and tender. (baypuppy)
The first time I had one of these was at a meeting someone else brought them to, and I was very impressed by their simple elegance and interesting flavor. So I went out and bought a tiny $10 jar of matcha powder to recreate them and after that they didn't seem as great as they should have been. But they're still pretty cool cupcakes, and the marzipan flowers are simply adorable. (algae)
Seems to be a recurring theme, but I didn't make these, only ate some my friend had made. I thought they were great! Very moist, not too sweet, the icing was creamy and smooth and the almond flowers super cute. The green tea flavour was not particularly strong but the cupcakes were a very cute green. (blinknoodle)
Hazelnut cupcakes (mocha hazelnut mousse filling, rich chocolate ganache topping)
I'm thinking of making some hazelnut mocha again this week.. (nuchita)
insanely good.. I have an inappropriate attachment to them. Like big, spongy Ferrero Rocher balls. (nuchita)
Can you get your hands on some Bob's Red Mill Hazelnut meal/flour? I ground up some hazelnuts for the garnish, but man I wouldn't want to do that for the whole recipe...Also, when I hollowed out the middle of some of them, I dropped a whole toasted hazelnut in there before piping the filling in.. for that nice FR-like surprise. (nuchita)
I liiike these. The cupcake itself comes out kind of more muffiny than anything, but the mousse makes it a cupcake - really rich and decadent. The hazelnut flavor isn't super strong, but then again I was using hazelnut syrup rather than liquer. (fb)
Based on the other reviews about the cupcakes not being super hazelnut-y, I decided to forego the tofu filling and go with Martha Stewart's Hazelnut Cream for the filling. I only got 10 cupcakes out of the recipe. The cupcake flavor was like lightly flavored white cake. The filling was very hazelnut-y, so it was a nice balance - I think I would have been disappointed if I went with the filling in VCTOTW. I used the ganache topping and sprinkled chopped hazelnuts on top to up the hazelnut flavor. (hh)
Linzer torte cupcakes (rich chocolate ganache topping)
Lemon macadamia cupcakes (lemon buttercream)
took to an omni potluck last winter and they were gobbled up. Unfortunately, there were so many other desserts that quite a few ended up coming home with me. Too bad I had to eat them all myself (krs)
so good I can only describe them as orgasmic. Yum. (krs)
These were pretty mild (both the lemon and macadamia part). Went stale fast. In sum, just ok. (fb)
Lychee cupcakes (coconut glaze)
disgusting. I think my book must have a typo somewhere in it because they were not doughy and not sweet at all. And the coconut glaze tasted like paste. I love lychees and was excited to test the recipe out... oh well. That's the only failure I've had in the book (secondbase)
Not cool at all. The coconut glaze was pretty good (a bit runny, but it was really hot in my kitchen), but the cupcakes did not turn out at all. I think maybe the authors used a particular brand of canned lychees in syrup, because I did everything as the recipe stated :/ It's too bad, too, because I love lychee flavor. I'm hoping to engineer this recipe to turn out to my liking. (fb)
Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes
sank in the middle and stuck to the liners (willwolf)
i used 1/2 black cocoa and 1/2 regular for these, and they turned out great. rich chocolate with a hint of cinnamon; i only used the tiniest pinch of cayenne because i was afraid of spicy cupcakes (i seem to detect cayenne as way spicier than most people do). i didn't use corn flour (didn't have any), and ground up roasted almonds in a coffee grinder instead of almond meal. (fb)
(added cinnamon to the buttercream) I used my new cupcake decorating set and they look freaking awesome. I so wish I had a camera. (pp)
amazing! I topped them with a cream cheese frosting (tinted with a bit of red food coloring), and it complimented the rich chocolate flavor really well. I think next time I will just sprinkle powdered sugar on top (I'm not the biggest fan of frosting), but this time, it was for a Valentine's-themed get-together, so I was trying to work in a way to top them with something pink... These cakes have a great texture & are just delicious. Everyone loved them! (jessacita)
I enjoyed them so much that I baked them for a local Cupcake Bake-off. And while I didn't win(I lost to a chocolate w/ marshmallow filling cupcake) I plan to bake them again because they got such rave reviews. The Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcake is sweet, moist, flavorful and rich in chocolate flavor. It is kid-friendly, yet will impress those with a sophisticated palette. The Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcake is an exquisite blend of coconut milk, cocoa powder, corn flour, almond meal, cinnamon, with a pinch of cayenne pepper to give it a a little kick. The recipe is easy to make, and results in moist cupcakes with low even domes, perfect for frosting. Early peeks at your cupcakes while they're still in the oven might result in sunken middles. I learned the hard way. Patiently measure, stir and bake. I topped these cupcakes with a buttercream frosting swirled with ground Mexican chocolate, orange zest, cinnamon and a touch of Kahlua. Perhaps the only problem I have with this recipe is it's name. Don't get me wrong, it's a fabulous recipe. It just doesn't taste like Mexican hot chocolate, and I grew up on Ibarra and make Mexican hot chocolate regularly. But don't let that stop you from baking them. It's a very special and memorable cupcake recipe. (saskia)
The tops of these have always sunk for me. I'm told they still taste *amazing* and my husband who thinks all food should be spicy prefers them to regular chocolate, but I really like making cupcakes because they're fun and pretty and tools of conversion, and don't actually get to eat them, so I only made these twice, and when I couldn't get nice tops, I sorta gave up. Would love any tips from someone who's gotten them to turn out pretty. (Lauuren)
These sunk for me too and I made no substitutions at all. All of the other cupcakes I've made from this book have turned out. (intheend)
With chocolate mousse
Mucho margarita cupcakes (margarita icing)
super bombstander (secondbase)
one of my faves. (extra tequila in the frosting!!) (secondbase)
while the icing was too runny for my tastes, even after adding more powdered sugar, they were tasty. (feelinsoreal)
made them (queen bee)
Yes, the frosting was a tad runny, but it was limey et tequila-ish. Love! (melthibs)
wasn't bad, but it wasn't pretty either. Probably wasn't the best choice for a first time baker such I was at that time. (melthibs)
(minus the green food coloring...I ended up using green sprinkles)...SO YUMMMY! The hint of tequila and lime in the frosting was perfect! (iowachick)
I go to school with mostly women who moved to Texas at just-over-drinking-age to go to grad school. Hence, they consume more margaritas per capita than pretty much any other demographic. And they freaking LOVE these. I roll the edges in the India Tree rainbow sparkling sugar, which I'm pretty sure is what's pictured in the book. (Lauuren)
I made these for a Mexican themed party and everyone really liked them! They definitely have a margarita flavor, the icing is sweet and limey. The cupcakes are a nice light texture. (aggplanta)
These are one of our favorite cupcakes ever! They are easy to prepare, the cupakes are light, fluffy, and moist, and all very margarita-y. The icing was also runny for me. I played around with it and added some Tofutti cream cheese, but even with extra powdered sugar..still runny. The flavor is excellent, though. I used margarita salt in it. I did the green food coloring, but can't really tell, and made my own decorating sugar with turbinado and food coloring. I also did some unsweetened coconut on a couple. Will make again. I have quite a bit of icing leftover. (AC)
Orange pudding cupcakes (rich chocolate ganache topping)
They were delicious and tasted even better the day after making them (storing them in the fridge). However, they have a very adult sharp orange taste and my kids, who normally like orange flavored cakes, did not like these. I would also say that there was noticably extra time involved in these--grating and squeezing the oranges (I used three in all), plus making the pudding and filling the cupcakes. It wasn't horrific, but these aren't cupcakes that you should try in a pinch or if you're tired. (jkl)
my favorites (melthibs)
The cupcakes themselves were very moist and yummy. The orange pudding was tasty on its own, but the flavor got completely lost among the ganache and marmalade. Next time, I will forgo the filling, or else use orange buttercream, as suggested in the book. (nmpixie)
I was short about a 1/2 cup of OJ but it didn't seem to matter. I just used more zest. They came out very light and fluffy HOWEVER, when I attempted the pudding... it wouldn't set for some reason. It wouldn't thicken in the pot, at room temp, in thefridge/freezer or when I added extra arrowroot and corn starch! I ended up tossing the "pudding" and doing the ganache topping. It tasted good but was super runny. I think I'll only use 1 Tbsp of syrup if I make these again. Overall, I wasn't that impressed. (Shannonmichelle)
So so good. These reminded me of the Jaffa cakes that we used to get in England. I leave most of my cupcakes out of the fridge when they don't have melty frostings, but these should have gone in the fridge too, because they dry out (I blame that on the orange juice). The orange pudding filling is good as a filling, but I probably wouldn't eat it by itself. Also, I didn't have marmalade, so I used apricot preserves instead, and no one could really tell ^^ (fb)
I don't personally like orange and chocolate together, but the bf does and he says that these were really good. I did, however, use chocolate chips instead of the orange pudding filling, and he said he was glad because he thought there wouldn't have been enough chocolate otherwise. I'd be interested in these as the "Creamsicle" variation, because the orange smelled delectable when these were cooking. Also, I didn't squeeze my orange juice--just used store-bought, and with the zest he said they seemed plenty orange-y. Also, since I added the chocolate chips, there was a ton of batter, and I probably should have made an extra cupcake or 2 instead of trying to jam all the batter into 12 liners--this made the tops really domed and the marmalade and ganache slid off a bit. (veganrun)
Pistachio rosewater cupcakes (fluffy buttercream frosting, rosewater glaze)
i had no pistachios, and tried using extra rosewater, and it tasted pretty rosey when going in the oven but not so much after. denser than the golden vanilla, but i can live with that. (fb)
My sister chose these as one of the 4 flavors we made at our cupcake-making party right after I got this book. The rosewater was hard to find, and I didn't care for these, although several other people did. They didn't go as fast as the other flavors, though. (Lauuren)
I made these into teeny tiny mini cupcakes for a roommate's party. I used some weird paper cups that that had a rolled rim instead of regular cupcake liners, so they were kind of hard to eat, but they were still pretty yummy and got eaten up by everyone. The rose flavor was a bit too strong and flowery, being in both the cupcake and the frosting, so I'd maybe reduce the amount or find another flavor that went well with it instead. (algae)
Pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes (cinnamon icing)
I got the most compliments from these (fee)
(more muffin-y though) (ponycakes)
very good and quick to throw together (I wasn't sure how this would be as I'd never had pumpkin and chocolate together, but these are delicious.) (willwolf)
I used the cinnamon icing to make Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes, and they were awesome (feelinsoreal)
I mixed black and white chocolate chips. I didn't change anything with the portions in the recipe, and put one cup of sugar and 1/3 C of oil, like it said. Very chocolatey and it didn't taste very much like pumpkin. It was very sweet. My new roomate and her new "boy friend" loved her. I thought they were good, but I haven't made the cinnamon frosting, yet, but don't really feel like making it because the cupcake is already very sweet, I think. (melthibs)
They're one of my favorites from the book, and have been a hit with others. Sooo yummy! (jessacita)
a hit! They were yummy. I think next time I'll use nuts instead of the chocolate chips. I made a buttercream, and added cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. On to the next recipe, maybe sunday... (nmpixie)
delicious & very well received, only thing i did different was i used almost all soft packed brown sugar in place of the white. i made the cinnamon glaze too- it's really good & covered all 12, not just a drizzle like the recipe said. (ppc)
those are sooo good with the cinnamon glaze, i used pumpkin liquer instead of soymilk and it was awesome - i bet if you have a vanilla vodka or something like that it'd be amazing too. (ppc)
Ooooh pumpkin liquer sounds awesome. I put cinnamon glaze swirls on top. I was surprised how strong the cinnamon was in those little swirls! I just used the powdered sugar, cinnamon, EB, and vanilla and didn't use the soymilk because I thought it would be too runny that way. I think someone else mentioned in the reviews that it was more chocolatey and cinnamony than pumpkiny, and I agree. They are very moist and tasty though! I can't wait to make more cupcakes! (algae)
Perfect. Just perfect. People think pumpkin + chocolate is weird, and this shows them that they're wrong. These also rise perfectly. (fb)
I brought these to a lock-in for some 14-year-olds who typically chow down on prepackaged snacks the whole night. They kids adored them, and the adults supervising kept congregating in the kitchen due to their presence. The cinnamon icing is good on more than just these - I've used it on chai, Mexican hot chocolate, and soynog (not a VCTOTW recipe) cupcakes, too. (Lauuren)
Rum raisin cupcakes (rum glaze, rummy buttercream frosting)
made them (queen bee)
made them into: apple rum chocolate chip cupcakes! i took the same rum raisin recipe (which i do like, btw) and swapped dried apples for raisins, eliminated the molasses entirely, and added dark rum and chocolate chips to the batter. then i made some chocolate buttercream frosting, but added rum to that, too. lordy, i think they are delicious. (queen bee)
With orange
Tiramisu cupcakes (cream cheese frosting, golden vanilla cupcakes)
tiramisu!! (ponycakes)
super delicious, just made these for Christmas, took half to my aunt and uncle's house for dinner who raved about them and asked for the recipe (also, you can skip the Kahlua and just use strong coffee or espresso by itself to saturate the cake interior which is what I did with some for those who can't consume alcohol) (willwolf)
LOVE. they are divine. My dad had one & said it was the best cupcake he has ever had!Coming from someone who's used to dairy- and egg-laden desserts, I take that as an especially nice compliment! (jessacita)
fantastic and use kahlua. They were very, very well-received by nonveg family last Christmas. (willwolf)
made them twice in the past week and they are among my favorites in the book. I use my own little liquer concoction because I think just Kahlua isn't nearly enough. The first time I added half kahlua, half baileys. The second time I used 1 part kahlua, 1 part baileys and 1 part amaretto. My friend proposed to me after biting into one. I think it's safe to say they were a hit!! (secondbase)
one of my faves (willwolf)
Made these for DH since he loves tiramisu and he really liked them. I used the sexy low-fat vanilla cupcakes as a base. They looked very pretty and it was worth the effort. (icephrosty)
Based on past experiences eating tiramisu, and how fancy these looked and sounded in the book, I really kind of thought they would be the best cake I'd ever made. They were definitely a hit and disappeared in one afternoon(!), but they didn't quite live up to the imaginary hype I had created for them in my head. It might be my head's fault, though. (Lauuren)
Toasted coconut cupcakes (coffee buttercream frosting)
i made them into a mini cake for my birfday. there was some extra batter so i made a few mini cupcakes. very tasty (: (ponycakes)
I had to sub out half the flour with white rice flour because I didn't feel like grinding wheat at that time of night, but it didn't seem to make much difference. They still rose, but maybe not quite a much as they would have. I also used instant coffee in the buttercream instead of coffee extract. Overall, I would have to say these are very yummy. Chocolately, coconutty, with the coffee punch from the frosting. Couldn't manage the toasted coconut rim so I just rolled the whole top in coconut. The cupcake itself isn't too sweet, which balances well with the sugary sweet frosting. I think the next time I make them, I will toast all the coconut, not just what goes on top. (krs)
DROOL. one of my favorite from the book. good texture and just the right level of sweet (baypuppy)
I made these for a friend who went vegan for a week after checking out my Facebook album of photos of cupcakes I've made from this book. She and her friends and coworkers devoured them. I decorated them the way it says to in the book, but they were definitely overshadowed by the lemon blueberry creme I made with them - if I made them again, I think I would pipe the icing and do something fancier on top - these deserve to look beautiful. (Lauuren)
I thought these were awesome, although I used a coconut frosting recipe from VWAV (Coconut Heaven Cupcakes), because I didn't have coffee extract. The cupcake itself is not as tender as others, alllllmost muffin-y due to the chunks of coconut. It still holds together well, and is super delicious. I can't wait to try it with coffee frosting. (veganrun)
Loved these!!! Probably my second favorite recipe in the book. When I used to drink coffee, I sometimes bought a coconut-chocolate flavored coffee, so these cupcakes reminded me of it a lot. (kristinv)
These are possibly my favorite cupcakes that I've had from this book. I made them for a party and they were a huge hit. My boyfriend isn't a big chocolate or coffee fan but loved these as well. They are 100% worth making and I should make them again really soon. (algae)
Frostin's and fillin's
Brown rice caramel glaze
this was okay, not as "caramel" as i hoped. not bad but i will look for another recipe next time. (baypuppy)
An awesome standard caramel *sauce* - emphasis on the sauce, because it's pretty runny. But if you add the brown sugar like it says to for the Dulce Sin Leche Cupcakes, it's thicker, and after refrigerating, I was able to use it as the caramel in a homemade candy bar with pretty good results. Since then, I always add the brown sugar to it, regardless of how I'm using it - it's better thicker. (Lauuren)
Chocolate buttercream frosting
I was really impressed with the frosting! When I saw the pictures with the fancy, swirly frosting I thought, "Pshhhhh, they never actually turn out that way!" In my experience with piping frosting onto things (pre-vegan), the frosting always gets all goopy as my hands warm it up, and it ruins the cupcakes. Not the case with this frosting! Goes to show that vegan cupcakes are superior. (KMK)
Oh yes, the frosting is the best part! It is so easy to make it look awesome with a bag and star tip. I have had people boggle at my cuppers asking how I did that fancy swirl. So much fun. (Cali)
aaaaa-may-zing! (with peanut butter cupcakes) (jessacita)
I was surprised at how much the color lightened! It went from deep, dark brown to light brown (almost like a mauve-ish color) really quickly. And it was a lot fluffier than I imagined. (jessacita)
(with basic chocolate cupcakes) DH loved them, the rest are going into work so I don't eat them! (ranu)
made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream filling and chocolate ganache topping for Triple Chocolate Cupcakes. (tryp66)
Awesome and easy recipe. I actually just use all Earth Balance (no shortening) and I've never had a problem with it. Everyone that has tried it has loved it. I certainly can't blame them. (veganrun)
With coffee extract
Chocolate mousse topping
(with golden vanilla cupcakes) melted a bit from heat (baypuppy)
I was never a fan of frosting, so take this with a grain, but I think this is easier and cheaper to make and tastes better than the chocolate frostings, so I almost always use it where chocolate topping is called for. Add a little mint extract to use on mint cupcakes, orange extract to use with chocolate orange, etc., and it's just as versatile as the Chocolate Buttercream. (Lauuren)
Chocolate orange mousse
Mocha mousse
Chocolate banana mousse
So good! I had to use regular (non silken tofu), so I was expecting a bit of a grainy texture, but it's really not noticeable (would definitely use silken next time, though). I was afraid it wasn't going to set up, because it seemed so runny, but it did! I'm keeping the cupcakes in the fridge, but it didn't seem to be melting too quickly on the counter. The flavor is excellent, and rich, but not too rich. Will try the regular! I had it on banana split cupcakes. (AC)
Coconut pecan fudge frosting
Super delicious!! I love that there's no margarine in this recipe, as this type of frosting usually calls for a bunch. This frosting atop the Basic Chocolate Cupcakes makes for some fabulous German Chocolate Cupcakes. Before you take this frosting off the heat and add the rest of the ingredients, you have a a wonderful caramel type sauce. I may use this portion of the recipe alone in the future as an ice cream topping. (willwolf)
This is a great German chocolate frosting recipe - the best I've tried. I put it on the Chocolate GF cupcakes and the celiac in attendance took the leftovers home and froze them - she said they were also great defrosted. (Lauuren)
Amazing for the German chocolate cupcakes. I used soymilk, cornstarch, turbinado sugar, and sweetened coconut. I only used 3/4 cup sugar, and added a drizzle of brown rice syrup just to make up for the no molasses. Mine took quite a long time to thicken, but I also wasn't diligent about whisking continuously. After I finally started whisking, it took about 7 minutes, but it had already been cooking for quite a while. I think it finally came out to the correct consistency. I don't know how well it would do out in a warm environment, but I'm keeping them in the fridge just in case. I didn't have the whiskey to add. I think my 1/2 cup of pecans was too scant, so I'd just add more next time. Other than the long cooking time, perfect! I think it makes a bit more than is perfect for the 12 cupcakes. ..I just looked at the picture in the book, and the frosting looks a lot thicker (dry?) than mine. Huh. Well, I like the consistency I ended up with! (AC)
Fluffy buttercream frosting
use it for everything (veganchristine)
they're not as fancy as the ones in the book, or the ones posted on this thread, but they're my first try. I think I did a pretty good job for my first try. (laurabs)
very impressed! It came together quickly, didn't get melty, and held its shape once applied to the cupcakes. I made four batches (for four different flavors) and they were all perfect. (mdv)
with crushed Oreos mixed in, is very sweet. Alone this frosting is way too sweet for me. But a generous dollop of this frosting on a fluffy cupcake makes for the perfect cupcake-frosting marriage. (Saskia)
Best frosting ever! I haven't always had the best luck with vegan frostings, but the shortening does the trick. I halved the recipe, but ended up adding shortening, and didn't measure the sugar or milk. I just blended it up until it was the right consistency, and I had enough for the cake. I added about a tsp of chocolate extract, but I don't know if that added anything. Perfect consistency, and perfect flavor. P doesn't usually like frosting, but loved, loved this. Will make again. Mmmm. I'll try the chocolate next! (AC)
Great! My first homemade icing that actually worked! And it's so versatile - you can add any flavoring you want. I had been keeping my cupcakes in the fridge, so the icing was nice and firm, but when I took a cupcake to work, the icing melted a bit, sliding right off the cupcake - not sure if it was because I had them in the fridge or what....still awesome though! (erinmonster)
Wow! Holy sweetness! Maybe I'm just getting old, but this stuff is REALLY sweet. Not that I'm complaining, but I shared a frosted cupcake with my hubby this morning, and I was definitely at my maximum sugar intake level. Good vanilla flavor, and it really did turn out nice and fluffy! (peaceablepalate)
My thoughts exactly...I never end up making the whole recipe, half is always more than enough for me. (dannibazaar)
Not too sweet blueberry mousse
Mine starting separating soon after piping it - putting it in the fridge didn't seem to help, either... (Lauuren)
Raspberry mousse or topping
Peanut buttercream
Soooo good! (willwolf)
amazing with basic chocolate cupcakes (jessacita)
came out good but it still looked like just peanut butter. not all fluffy like yours... (sariea)
(with golden vanilla cupcakes) definitely another VCTOTW winner! (willwolf)
(with basic chocolate cupcakes) knocked my socks off! (AP)
chocolate cupcakes filled with peanut buttercream frosting, chocolate ganche on top, and a swirl of pb frosting on top pf that. it was for my omni-boyfriend's birthday and he LOVED them. (random4180)
100% tasty, but also just a tad melty. Not as fluffy as other buttercreams, but hey, it's peanut butter. (fb)
Very, very good! I could eat an entire batch of this myself. I made an almond butter variation and that was great too. (icephrosty)
the best pb frosting every. i try not to make it because i just eat it before it gets on whatever it is topping! (baypuppy)
I added a half cup of raw PB choc-chip cookie dough to this and it was DELICIOUS. I used it to frost chocolate cupcakes and added extra cookie dough to top things off. I bet adding choc chip cookie dough to the vanilla buttercream would be excellent too. (icephrosty)
I've never used this in any of the ways suggested in the book, but frosted an entire four-layer cake with it, marbled it with chocolate frosting for topping cupcakes, and used it on a chocolate peanut butter cookie-cake-pie, and it is *always* *extremely* popular. I have a classmate who brings up this frosting totally out of context to drop hints that I should make something with it for her again. It's really hard to get people who are hanging around to stop eating some while I'm making it, and I've eaten some myself when I really shouldn't have! I think the texture is a little harder to get right with the PB - twice (out of maybe...10-ish times I've made it), after adding the milk, the texture has suddenly gone all weird while I'm beating it, and got super sticky and not fluffy at all, and numerous attempts (more sugar, more milk, more beating, etc) could not repair it. Both times, I remade it a few hours later using the exact same stuff, and it was fine. My best theory is that it's possible to beat this one too long(?). It doesn't matter, though - the flavor of this stuff is out of this world, and it's worth having to find a different use for 1 of every 5 batches. (Lauuren)
Quick melty ganache
very tasty (iluvtomatoes)
now if i'm just doing a drizzle i just melt chocolate. it's not worth the effort of the maple syrup and whatnot... if i was glazing a whole cake, then maybe, but a drizzle requires so little icing that i don't bother anymore. (fb)
quick and tasty (AC)
Raspberry buttercream frosting
Too runny. However, I can never get shortening, and used all margarine instead. And my kitchen may have been warm. It firms up upon refrigerated, but at room temp it's too liquidy. It tasted good, though - I never like those weird raspberry flavorings, or ones that are too tart (doesn't go well in dessert). The barista-type syrup was perfect for this. (fb)
I love this because it's so beautiful when you add some pink to it - I use a powdered red food coloring I got at an Indian grocery. It goes great with chocolate - I've used it on the Chocolate Raspberry Blackout Cake from VWAV and that was awesome! (Lauuren)
Rich chocolate ganache topping
Soooo good! (willwolf)
wasn't crazy about it (veganchristine)
now if i'm just doing a drizzle i just melt chocolate. it's not worth the effort of the maple syrup and whatnot... if i was glazing a whole cake, then maybe, but a drizzle requires so little icing that i don't bother anymore. (fb)
made chocolate cupcakes with chocolate buttercream filling and chocolate ganache topping for Triple Chocolate Cupcakes. (tryp66)
Most versatile recipe in the book. Put this on everything you bake. To top cupcakes with it, it really takes a few coats, but it's awesome. I usually use this recipe anywhere that calls for the "quick melty ganache" because we like the thick one better. (Lauuren)
Super natural agave icing
With extracts
Coconut agave nectar icing
Thick chocolate fudgey frostin
This recipe is notable for its resemblance to the chocolate mousse recipe from JOVB (and so I knew this would be awesome). Takes a little bit of time to set, and when it does it gets *really* thick (so more like extremely thick mousse than fluffy or anything). We put this on the peanut butter cupcakes. Very rich. (fb)
The description that it's good for kids' birthday parties is pretty accurate - it tastes a lot more like a store-bought frosting in a can than the chocolate buttercream. To the people I typically bake for, that's not necessarily a good thing - but when you're in middle-of-nowhere Louisiana and can't find vegan powdered sugar anywhere (but somehow have magically procured soymilk powder), this does the trick. (Lauuren)
With liqueur
Vegan cream cheese frosting
I even had my dad taste the frosting before putting them on the cupcakes (they're for his birthday tomorrow), and he said he would never know it wasn't made with real cream cheese! Which is great news because I really dislike Tofutti on its own, but used in a frosting--wow! (jessacita)
Everybody seems to prefer this to the plain buttercream, so I use it wherever it seems like it would fit. I've made the chocolate, mocha, and walnut variations, and all worked great too. (Lauuren)
went very well (with maple cupcakes). (nmpixie)
Lemony cream cheese frosting
Orange cream cheese frosting
Coffee cream cheese frosting
Toasted walnut cream cheese frosting
Chocolate cream cheese frosting
I made the Margarita cupcakes over the weekend (minus the green food coloring...I ended up using green sprinkles)...SO YUMMMY! The hint of tequila and lime in the frosting was perfect!
sexy lowfat vanilla cupcakes are a favorite standby base recipe, then different flavored toppings and frostings.... i like that it's low-cal yo
I enjoyed the Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes so much that I baked them for a local Cupcake Bake-off. And while I didn't win(I lost to a chocolate w/ marshmallow filling cupcake) I plan to bake them again because they got such rave reviews. The Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcake is sweet, moist, flavorful and rich in chocolate flavor. It is kid-friendly, yet will impress those with a sophisticated palette.
The Mexican Hot Chocolate cupcake is an exquisite blend of coconut milk, cocoa powder, corn flour, almond meal, cinnamon, with a pinch of cayenne pepper to give it a a little kick. The recipe is easy to make, and results in moist cupcakes with low even domes, perfect for frosting. Early peeks at your cupcakes while they're still in the oven might result in sunken middles. I learned the hard way. Patiently measure, stir and bake.
I topped these cupcakes with a buttercream frosting swirled with ground Mexican chocolate, orange zest, cinnamon and a touch of Kahlua.
Perhaps the only problem I have with this recipe is it's name. Don't get me wrong, it's a fabulous recipe. It just doesn't taste like Mexican hot chocolate, and I grew up on Ibarra and make Mexican hot chocolate regularly. But don't let that stop you from baking them. It's a very special and memorable cupcake recipe.
Simple vanilla and agave nectar cupcakes
These are soo good. The texture is more sponge-cakier than the golden vanilla cupcakes, and the agave just makes the vanilla flavor better. I never thought agave alone had much flavor, and I'm not one into subbing agave for sugar everywhere, but these were just really really awesome. However, they dry out fast. When I make the chocolate version, I'll freeze them.
Raspberry Buttercream
Too runny. However, I can never get shortening, and used all margarine instead. And my kitchen may have been warm. It firms up upon refrigerated, but at room temp it's too liquidy. It tasted good, though - I never like those weird raspberry flavorings, or ones that are too tart (doesn't go well in dessert). The barista-type syrup was perfect for this.
I made the basic chocolate cupcakes (which I've made before) into a cake, and it turned out beautifully! I used an 8x8 square pan, and it was pretty perfect. I think the 8" (?) circle pan would be great, as well as an 11x7. I think it baked for about 20-25 minutes. I added chocolate chips. Yum!
Crimson velveteen cupcakes
-I knew that I wanted to make this a cake (for bday), and I had every intention of making it a red one, but I didn't have enough color. Mine just turned out brown, so I just added a couple more tbs of cocoa. I was a bit afraid of the result, but still a very tasty cake. My cake did crack on the top, which wouldn't have been pretty, but I had plenty of frosting. Everyone loved it, and I would make it again, but red. I like the extracts.
Vanilla Fluffy buttercream frosting
-Best frosting ever! I haven't always had the best luck with vegan frostings, but the shortening does the trick. I halved the recipe, but ended up adding shortening, and didn't measure the sugar or milk. I just blended it up until it was the right consistency, and I had enough for the cake. I added about a tsp of chocolate extract, but I don't know if that added anything. Perfect consistency, and perfect flavor. P doesn't usually like frosting, but loved, loved this. Will make again. Mmmm. I'll try the chocolate next!
Chocolate orange cupcakes (orange buttercream) - I didn't enjoy these at all, but I'm not a fan of chocolate and orange together. I made them for a coworker's birthday, at his request, and he liked them a lot. The texture was nice.
Cookies 'n' cream cupcakes (fluffy buttercream) - I have made these soooo many times and they are ALWAYS a crowd pleaser. I even did an all-vanilla version using yellow Joe-Joe's.
Carrot cake cupcakes - These are very good and perfectly spiced. They stay nice and moist for a few days too. The cream cheese frosting is one of my favorites.
Gingerbread cupcakes - I made these at Thanksgiving and they were pretty good but nothing super special. Maybe I'm just not a ginger person!
Crimson velveteen cupcakes - I get asked to make these all the time. They're the reigning favorite of DH and most of my friends, so they get taken to every party I'm invited to. I always use the cream cheese frosting. AC is right about the color not being that pretty, so I use colorful baking cups to make up for that.
Peanut butter cupcakes - Just "meh". I'm usually a big fan of PB but these didn't do it for me. I like the ones in JOVB better, but they have chocolate too...
Brooklyn brownie cupcakes - Mine came out horrible. I did not overfill the liners - I was very careful - and they all caved in anyway! They were not salvagable in the least. Will not make again.
Tiramisu cupcakes - Made these for DH since he loves tiramisu and he really liked them. I used the sexy low-fat vanilla cupcakes as a base. They looked very pretty and it was worth the effort.
Peanut buttercream - Very, very good! I could eat an entire batch of this myself. I made an almond butter variation and that was great too.
I made the Crimson Velveteen cupcakes this morning. I thought they came out horrible. They were greasy the way some vegan brownie recipes are greasy and looked and tasted like greasy chocolate cake or perhaps a less dense greasy brownie. There was none of that red velvet uniqueness or richness. I am very disappointed in this recipe. : /
Golden vanilla cupcakes
-I think this is my favorite vegan yellow cake. I just did an 8 inch round cake, and it worked well. It rose beautifully, and only fell very slightly with cooling. The texture is almost perfect, but still a large crumb. I added extra vanilla, and used the almond extract. Yummy with the vanilla buttercream.
eta: Sorry yours came out horribly, thhf :\
eta2: I did the canola oil
After reading the reviews I wonder what the problem was...???
After reading the reviews I wonder what the problem was...???
That's weird. Was it greasy inside, or just on the bottoms? I didn't think it was particularly rich, but honestly I had a hard time imagining it as red velvet..since mine wasn't red. It wasn't greasy, though, and it was a fine cake.
all over greasy and it was a really ugly cupcake...
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee29/DragonflySecrets/Mobile%20Uploads/0_1-3.jpg?t=1267814073
it is the one on the right...the one on the left was my second batch with a different recipe.
all over greasy and it was a really ugly cupcake...
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee29/DragonflySecrets/Mobile%20Uploads/0_1-3.jpg?t=1267814073
it is the one on the right...the one on the left was my second batch with a different recipe.
Whoa. That's pretty much why I would usually just rather do a cake, than a cupcake. I often have issues with cupcakes...
HMMmm... I have no idea what would make those cupcakes turn. I've made them 5-6 times, once as a cake, always consistent... I'd blame it on your leaveners, but then again your other recipe turned out well. It's a shame... when it turns out, that red velvet stuff is goood.
Speaking of vegan cupcakes, I am just wondering what else can I use as substitutes for eggs when making breads. I can see the difference between the one without and with eggs. Also, is honey considered a non-vegan food? Thanks a lot. Commercial Deep Fryer
Banana split cupcakes (fluffy buttercream frosting, quick melty ganache)
These are pretty much perfect. I was slightly worried because I haven't made too many completely successful vegan cupcakes, but these are really good. I doubled the recipe, but came out with 20 cupcakes. I know that I filled a lot of them too full, but it wasn't a problem. I used strawberry preserves. I didn't use a blender for my banana, but just made sure to mash them really well. I swirled a few times, but my topping stuff stayed mostly swirled at the top (no sinking, though). They look great, taste great, and the texture is great. P loved them, and said they are very much banana split-like. I topped some with vanilla buttercream, strawberry, and nuts ,and some with banana chocolate mousse, strawberry, and nuts.
Chocolate mousse topping
Chocolate banana mousse
So good! I had to use regular (non silken tofu), so I was expecting a bit of a grainy texture, but it's really not noticeable (would definitely use silken next time, though). I was afraid it wasn't going to set up, because it seemed so runny, but it did! I'm keeping the cupcakes in the fridge, but it didn't seem to be melting too quickly on the counter. The flavor is excellent, and rich, but not too rich. Will try the regular! I had it on banana split cupcakes.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs489.ash1/26718_10150163436825533_507120532_12213977_6174666_n.jpg
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs489.ash1/26718_10150163436820533_507120532_12213976_7001193_n.jpg
Chocolate Agave Cupcakes
Very chocolatey, nice texture, and not too sweet (good). I like these better than the regular chocolate cupcakes in here, and I think it's worth the agave nectar (it's really not that expensive). The agave itself doesn't seem to add to the flavor, but I think it just bakes well since the vanilla ones turned out so well too.
Dulce Sin Leche Cupcakes
I made this without the caramel ribbon, since I don't have & dislike brown rice syrup. These have a gentle coconut flavor, just a touch of citrus because of the zest, and are very soft. I don't know if the amount of brown sugar really impacts the flavor that much.
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