Second Adventure in Green Tea Cupcakes

This week I tried the Green Tea Cupcakes recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World, since I still had some matcha powder that I wanted to use up. The green tea flavor is intense--you must be a serious green tea lover--but I thought that they turned out great. The cake, like all the cupcakes from this cookbook, is so moist, and, also like all the cupcakes in this book, is ready in a flash (Everything I've made from this cookbook has been essentially a one-bowl cupcake). The glaze was perfect, too, although I added more rice milk to the recipe because I really wanted a glaze--not a frosting--since I knew the perils of a too-thick frosting on a delicate green tea cupcake. The only thing that would have taken longer would be if I had made the pretty little fondant flowers that they made in the cookbook, which, needless to say, I did not do. Instead, I toasted slivered almonds and arranged them three of them in the center of each cupcake--it looked cute (picture forthcoming).

Vegan Green Tea Cupcakes (from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World)

Toast slivered almonds for about 4-5 minutes at 375, shaking the pan halfway through.
Lower the heat to 350. Line muffin tins.

In a large bowl, whisk together:
½ C soy yogurt
2/3 C rice milk
¼ t vanilla extract
1/3 C canola oil
½ t almond extract

Beat well to blend in yogurt.

Sift in:
1 ¼ C flour
1 t baking powder
¼ t baking soda
3-4 t matcha powder
¼ t salt
¾ C sugar

Beat a little longer to break up any large lumps.
Fill liners 2/3 full and bake 20 min.

Green Tea Glaze
With a fork, beat 2 T margarine to a fluff.
Mix in 1 C confectioners' sugar and 1/8 to ¼ t matcha powder to form a crumbly texture.
Slowly beat in 1 T rice milk, ¼ t almond extract, and a drop of vanilla extract. If icing is too thick, pour in an additional teaspoon of rice milk. (I added probably 2 or 3 more teaspoons of rice milk.)

Adventures in . . . Disaster

This week I made Mexican "hot" chocolate cupcakes, which I found in an article from the Chicago Tribune (Aug. 15, 2007). The recipe comes from Stephanie Samuels of Angel Food Bakery (never heard of it, but okay). I love mexican hot chocolate, so I thought I'd give the recipe a whirl.

I should have seen the warning signs. A mexican hot chocolate cupcake recipe that doesn't call for actual mexican chocolate? That's odd. A chocolate ganache that you add corn syrup to? corn syrup? That's gross. Plus, melting chocolate in the microwave? really? And then there were the bigger, glaring signs that I somehow ignored: a recipe that calls for 3 cups flour, 3 cups sugar, an entire container of sour cream, and yet says it yields only 18 cupcakes? Now that is just a lie. And for the final problem with this recipe: it said to bake the cupcakes for 15-18 minutes on 325 degrees. This is very strange, since almost all cupcakes bake on 350 for 20-24 minutes. And I did not want molten chocolate cakes--I wanted cupcakes.

Despite all the warning signs that there was something wrong with this recipe, I tried it anyway. It turned out okay. The big problem is the number of cupcakes it makes--I made 24 overflowing muffiny ones plus 24 minis (all of which sank) plus had a few cups of cupcake batter left (it was enough already). This recipe needs to be chopped in half, first of all. I baked them at 325 for what ended up being, oh, 30 minutes, and even then the toothpick never came out clean. Okay, so maybe these cupcakes aren't the kind that you can test that way. Either way, I would suggest hitting the temperature up to 350 and cooking for at least 20 minutes, unless you want something that more closely resembles soup.

Then I don't know what to say about the frostings. Definitely ditch the chocolate ganache recipe and use a standard one. Plus I just think making 2 frostings and piling them on top of each other is total overkill. On the one hand, these cupcakes were sort of gross. On the other hand, they were sort of gross in a good way . . . .

Well here's the recipe, most of which I wouldn't follow:

Mexican "hot" Chocolate Cupcakes

Get a mug of hot coffee (need 1 ½ C). Heat oven to 325. Line muffin tins.

In a microwave-safe bowl, put:
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 ½ sticks butter
Heat in microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring between intervals, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Combine in a large bowl:
3 C sugar
3 eggs
Beat with mixer on low speed.
Slowly beat in chocolate-butter mixture. Stir in sour cream; set aside.

Combine in a medium bowl:
3 C flour
1 ½ t baking powder
1 ½ t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
¾ t salt

Okay, now it's time to put it all together. Beat in dry ingredients alternately with the 1 ½ C coffee to the chocolate mixture—dry/coffee/dry/coffee/dry.

Fill tins ¾ full; bake 15-18 minutes.

Frosting:
Beat 2 sticks butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy.
Beat in 1 box (1 lb) confectioners' sugar and 2 t cinnamon until smooth. Beat in 1 t vanilla and set aside.
[I forgot to mention this in my earlier rant, but this frosting recipe is missing a key ingredient--anything to make this not just a huge lump of unmoveable frosting. I added a few tablespoons of whipping cream, since I had it on hand for the chocolate glaze anyway. It was still too thick to spread, so you have to pipe it.]

Spicy Chocolate Glaze:
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 8 oz bittersweet chocolate and ½ C whipping cream.
Heat in 30-second intervals until chocolate has just melted, about 2 minutes.
Whisk in:
2 T unsalted butter
1 T corn syrup
1/8 t ground red pepper
1/8 t cinnamon

Let glaze cool slightly. Spread frosting on cupcakes. Dip tops into glaze. Refrigerate to set, about 30 minutes (I never put cupcakes in the refrigerator; it screws up the consistency.)

Adventures in . . . Chocolate Cabernet Cupcakes

I found these cupcakes on "iVillage." It's a recipe from one Martha Vining. I added a standard chocolate ganache, because what is a cupcake without frosting?

These were pretty good, and they had a perfect round top. I don't think I would make them again, though; they could definitely have been more moist.

Chocolate with Cabernet Cupcakes: (I made 12 regular size + maybe 12 or so minis)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
3/4 cup cabernet sauvignon
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare muffin pans with white paper baking cups.
2. Into the large bowl of an electric mixer, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cocoa powder.
3. Add the oil, vanilla, eggs and wine.
4. Beat with the electric mixer at low speed for 30 seconds. Turn the mixer speed to high and continue beating for three minutes, scraping the sides occasionally.
5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the dried cherries. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pans. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.


Chocolate Ganache: (this made more than I could use)
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 C half-and-half
2 T unsalted butter

Place chocolate in stainless stell bowl. Heat cream and butter in saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk.

Adventures in . . . Vegan Margarita Cupcakes

On the last day of classes, I had a party called "Death by Alcohol." It was a sort of twisted parody of the party that the college throws at the end of fall semester called "Death by Chocolate." I made all alcoholic cupcakes, including these Margarita Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. (They are the ones sort of in the back, with a sugared rim.) Something was weird with the consistency--maybe they were underbaked? maybe this is just vegan weirdness? Either way, like all the recipes I've tried from Vegan Cupcakes . . . they took about 10 seconds to make (I had squeezed the lime juice already to make something else), and the frosting was really the best part--wow.

Mucho Margarita Cupcakes (from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins.
In large bowl, beat together:
1/4 C freshly squeezed lime juice
1 1/2 t finely grated lime zest
1 C rice milk
1/4 C canola oil
2 T tequila
1/2 t vanilla extract
3/4 C sugar

Sift in:
1 1/3 C flour
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

Mix until batter is smooth. Fill liners 3/4 of the way, and bake for 20-22 minutes.

Margarita Icing (YUM!):
Blend 1/4 C margarine (softened) with a fork till soft and fluffy, then stir in:
1 T rice milk
3 T lime juice
1 T tequila
a very tiny drop of green food coloring

(at this point, all I had was a glob of margarine and a liquidy puddle, but I soldiered on, and it turned out great.)

Sift in 2 C confectioners' sugar and blend with an electric mixer on low speed until creamy and smooth. Then attempt to roll the cupcake edges in sugar to give the margarita look (I sort of failed at this.).

Adventures in . . . Guinness Gingerbread Cranberry Cupcakes

This recipe comes from the blog dessert-lounge.blogspot.com. Cut + paste the url to see the original recipe + photo:
http://dessert-lounge.blogspot.com/2007/11/guiness-ginger-cranberry-cupcakes-with.html

These cupcakes were gorgeous, but I wouldn't make them again. For one thing, they took forever to make, and for another, they didn't have the greatest texture: the tops got sort of hard and chewy (maybe I overbaked them?).

Guinness Gingerbread and Cranberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cupcake:
1 C Guinness
1 C molasses
1 1/2 t baking soda
2 C flour
2 T ground ginger
1 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/8 t ground cardamom
3 large eggs
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar (packed)
3/4 C vegetable oil
3 C fresh cranberries (this is a lot of cranberries! i might have put fewer in)

Candied Cranberries:
1 1/2 C water
1/2 C sugar plus more for rolling
1 C fresh cranberries

Cream Cheese Frosting--I used the recipe from Ina's Coconut Cupcakes w/o the almond extract--see below.

To make candied cranberries: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, dissolve sugar into 1 1/2 C water. Lower heat to barely a simmer. Add cranberries and simmer for 5 minutes, or until softened. Remove from heat and strain cranberries. Discard liquid. When cranberries are cool enough to handle, roll in granulated sugar. Place on waxed paper.

To make cupcakes: Heat oven to 350. Line muffin tins.
Bring stout and molasses to boil in heavy medium saucepan over high heat. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. Let stand 45 minutes to 1 hr to cool completely.
Whisk flour and next 6 ingredients in large bowl to blend.
Whisk eggs and both sugars in medium bowl to blend. Whisk in oil, then stout mixture.
Gradually whisk stout-egg mixture into flour mixture. Stir in fresh cranberries.

Fill tins 2/3 full and bake for 20-25 minutes. Frost with cream cheese frosting and garnish with candied cranberries.

Adventures in . . . Vegan Apricot Almond Cupcakes

Today I tried 2 recipes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. It is an amazing cookbook, and I can't wait to try every recipe in it. These first two did not dissapoint. They were ready in a flash (no eggs and butter to cream), and they came out perfectly. I was skeptical because the batter was much more liquid-y than that of non-vegan cupcakes, but fear not!

Apricot-Glazed Almond Cupcakes (makes 12)

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tin.
In large bowl, combine:
1/3 C canola oil
3/4 C granulated sugar
1/4 C soy yogurt (sort of yicky, but I tried not to look at it!)
2/3 C almond milk
1 t vanilla extract
2 t almond extract

Sift into that same bowl:
1 C + 2 T all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

Mix until batter is smooth.

Add:
1/3 C almond meal + mix until combined.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full.

Then this is the fun part: "Using a 1/2 t masuring spoon, add apricot preserves to the center of each cupcake. Tap lightly on the preserves to get them mostly level with the cupcake batter." (p. 89)

I baked them for 24 minutes. They will still look very light (they won't get golden), but they were definitely ready.

Apricot Glaze:
Boil 1/3 C apricot preserves and 1 T water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. (This is slightly less apricot preserves than the cookbook recommends, but I think it was all that the cupcakes needed.) Bring to a boil, stirring often. Boil for a minute. Turn the heat off and stir the glaze for another 30 seconds.

I used a flat wooden spoon to apply a small amount of glaze to the tops of the cupcakes, and then I put a layer of slivered almonds on top.

Adventures in . . . Vegan Peanut Butter Cupcakes

This recipe also comes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. It is fantastic--very moist and tasty! Using chunky peanut butter gives the cupcakes a great texture.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache (makes 13--If you make only 12, some will be a little bit muffin-y).

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins.

In a measuring cup, mix:
3/4 C soy milk
2 t apple cider vinegar

In a large mixing bowl, cream:
1/2 C natural chunky peanut butter
1/3 C canola oil
2/3 C granulated sugar
2 T dark molasses
1 t vanilla extract
2 t ground flaxseed

Add soy milk mixture + mix until combined.

Sift into the big bowl:
1 C + 2 T all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt

Mix until just combined. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. I baked them for 23 minutes.

Vegan Chocolate Ganache
Bring 1/4 C soy milk to a gentle boil in a small sauce pan. Remove from heat and add 4 oz semisweet chocolate chips and 2 T pure maple syrup. Stil until fully melted and smooth.

Top with chopped peanuts!

Adventures in . . . Perfection

Ina Garten's Coconut Cupcakes are just perfection. Pictured above in mini form.

Here's the recipe, adapted to make 12 cupcakes + a handful of minis:

Preheat oven to 350. Remove 3 sticks butter, 3 eggs, ½ C buttermilk, and ½ package cream cheese from fridge. Line muffin pans.

Sift:
1 ½ C flour
½ t baking powder
½ t baking soda
¼ t salt

In another bowl:
Beat 1 ½ sticks butter and 1 C sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes.
Reduce speed to low; add 3 eggs, one at a time, scraping sides of bowl after each addition.
Add ¾ t vanilla extract and ¾ t almond extract.
Beat well until blended.

Add dry ingredients alternately with ½ C buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. [dry ingredients, buttermilk, dry ingredients, buttermilk, dry ingredients.] Beat just until blended after each addition.

Add 3 ½ oz coconut, and beat until blended. Scoop into tins. Bake for 25 minutes.

Cream Cheese Icing

Beat:
4 oz (1/2 package) cream cheese, softened
6 T butter, softened
¼ t vanilla extract
1/8 t almond extract

Gradually add:
about 1 2/3 C powdered sugar, sifted

Adventures in . . . Icky

These Green Tea (Matcha) Cupcakes sure are beautiful. Too bad they made me want to vomit. The recipe was from chokylit's cupcake blog, which I now am promising myself I will never test recipes from again. Yick!