We’ve been having a bake sale at work to raise money for Comic Relief. I made my vegan banana muffins last week but unfortunately, my bananas weren’t quite bake-ready (brown and squishy), so they weren’t as tasty as last time. Still good, just not epic.
So, once my bananas had browned, I thought I would bake again to redeem myself. Cupcakes this time!
As I have been thoroughly converted to vegan baking, I treated myself to a cupcake cookbook by vegan superstars Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.
I actually want to lick every page! The book is filled with scrumptious-sounding recipes and gorgeous photos of delightfully over-the-top cupcakes. There is your basic Chocolate Cupcakes and Vanilla Cupcakes but there is also plenty of more adventurous creations like Pistachio Rosewater Cupcakes, Mucho Margarita Cupcakes and Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes. I really like that each cupcake recipe has several variations to try out and there are loads of different options for the icing and decoration.
Today I went for the Banana Split Cupcakes but I omitted the dark chocolate because I don’t like it and the pineapple preserves because I didn’t have any. Sieving the mashed banana was a chore (really need to invest in a hand blender!) but was definitely worth it for the smooth, moist result.
I topped my cupcakes with (a slight variation of) the Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting. My frosting was a little runny as I couldn’t find shortening anywhere at my local shops but it was so very tasty! I may or may not have eaten the leftovers with a spoon…
The book contains not only recipes but ‘Part One’ includes useful sections such as an ingredients glossary, tools glossary and – my favourite section – ‘Troubleshooting: When Bad Things Happen to Good Cupcakes’. This is basically a help section for common cupcake mishaps – vegan or not. The book is written in a casual but charming manner, with short notes from the creators on each recipe. The only downfall is that there isn’t a picture for every single recipe and for food pervs like me, that’s a shame.
After my first attempt was a success, I’m dying to try out more recipes. Next on my list are the Chai Latte Cupcakes, Apple Cider Cupcakes and Cappucino Cupcakes filled with Espresso Crème. My mouth is watering just typing that!
Thanks for reminding me about this book – I got it just over a year ago. Can recommend the Cashew Cream Cardamom Cupcakes!
Oh, yum! Thanks for the recommendation. =D
And you’re most welcome – happy baking!
I love their Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar book, it converted me to successful vegan baking and the science behind it. I’ve not tried anything from the cupcake book though. the recipes sound delish 🙂
Ha, I added the cookie one to my Amazon wishlist after I bought this one! I do love a good vegan cookie. =)
This is my favorite cupcake book, vegan or not. Nobody can tell they’re vegan, it makes the perfect amount (a dozen) and they are all delicious!! What’s not to love?
It’s awesome, isn’t it?! I didn’t tell people at work that they were vegan (at least not before they’d eaten them) because I know people have pre-conceived notions of what vegan food is like (bland, boring, gross…), which is ridiculous because they got a lot of lovely comments!
Can’t wait to try out more recipes!
I totally do the same! One of my favorites is the cappuccino…happy baking!
YUM! I’m going to get so fat because of this book! 😉
Yeah, but what a way to go! 🙂
This is agreat little book! I also bought vegan cookies invade your cookie jar ! Also pretty tasty too!
That’s next on my list. Love vegan cookies! =)