Chocolate Cupcakes with Fudge Frosting - Vegan

ad-hoc recipe. this is my basic chocolate cake - light, not too sweet and chocolatey. The fudge frosting is a delicious mixture of right (tasty agave!) and wrong (corn syrup and shortening!) that is a dense counterpoint to the texture of the cake.




Chocolate Cupcakes
makes 1 dozen standard cupcakes

1 C + 2 T AP flour
1.5 t baking powder

.25 C canola oil
.5 C + 1/3 C sugar
.25 t salt

1 C boiling water
3/8 C cocoa powder (6 T)(use Hershey's Special Dark for a really dark, black chocolate)
.5 t instant coffee powder
1 t vanilla extract
.5 t vinegar


Preheat the oven to 350 and line one standard muffin tin.

Use a fork to whisk together the flour and baking powder in a small bowl, set aside.

Pour boiling water over cocoa powder in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Add remaining wet ingredients and set aside to cool briefly.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the oil and sugar until lighter in color and texture, scraping the bowl once or twice. With the mixer running on low speed, incorporate the flour mixture; process until well combined, scraping the bowl once. Incorporate the chocolate mixture with the mixer on low, scraping the bowl as needed.

Portion into tin and bake 22-26 minutes. The cakes are ready when they spring back when lightly pressed. Cool in pan 5 minutes before unmolding. Cool completely before frosting.


Fudge Frosting
makes enough to top 1 dozen cupcakes

.25 C non-hydrogenated shortening
.25 C non-hydrogenated margarine
.25 C corn syrup
.25 C agave nectar

.5 C cocoa powder

With an eelctric mixer, cream the shortening and margarine until well combined. Beat in corn syrup and agave until smooth. Sift in cocoa powder and beat on low until combined - the frosting will the thick and glossy.

Chill briefly, as needed, to firm up frosting before topping cupcakes. Pipe onto cakes or dollop and smooth with a hot offset metal spatula to create a lovely sheen.





note: if you've ever eaten a Berger cookie, this is more or less the fudge that tops those confectionary wonders.

Raspebrry-Blueberry Muffins - Vegan

altered only slightly from "Bakery-Style Berry Muffins" in Vegan Brunch

Oversized, sweet and full of berries, these fall somwhere between being hearty muffins and naked cupcakes. The use of whole wheat white flour makes them slightly more healthful without endangering their flavor.



Raspberry-Blueberry Muffins
makes 12 muffins

1.5 C AP flour
.5 C white whole wheat flour
.75 C sugar
1 T baking powder
.5 t kosher salt

.5 C soy yogurt
.5 C canola oil
.5 C + 2 T non-dairy milk
2 t vanilla extract

1.5 C mixed fresh or frozen berries - break up large berries

large-crystal raw sugar (optional)


Preheat oven to 350F and grease a twelev-cup standard muffin tin.

In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients; make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour in the wet mix. Stir together with a spatula until just combined. Fold in berries.

Portion batter into prepared pan and lightly sprinkle the top of each muffin with raw sugar, if desired.

Bake 25-30 minutes, until tops are golden brown and spring back when gently pressed.

So, I'm graduated

well, well, it's been about a month since I last posted anything useful to this blog, and I'll tell you why. Finals. Final finals.

Projects include, but are not limited to:

- Business Proposal and Loan Request for theoretical bakery
- Presentation of Materials and handouts (almond glee French macarons) for said Proposal

- final notebook for Dessert and Plating, including some crayon drawings of finished plates that I'm a bit happy with

- final notebook for Wedding and Display Cakes
- Wedding Cake Brochure for theoretical bakery

last, but not leaset, a three tier dummy wedding cake in fondant

this guy, right here:

bottom tier: armadillos

middle tier: mountains

top tier: black birds flying

topper: caramel tumbleweed

Now that I'm graduated, I'm keeping my dead end job and using my free time to tend the annual vegetable garden and to develop my personal professional style, clean up my work and perfect recipes.

More posting, better posting.

Chocolate Cake with Berry Filling - Vegan

An incredibly simple and delicious chocolate cake. Moist, light and soy-free if you say so.



Basic Chocolate Cake
makes one 8-inch round layer cake or 2 dozen standard cupcakes

2.25 C AP flour
.75 C cocoa powder (a blend of dutch and regular rocks)
1 T baking powder
.25 t ground cinnamon

.5 C canola oil
1 2/3 C sugar

.5 t apple cider vinegar
2 C non-dairy milk*, measured over the vinegar
1 T vanilla extract

*coconut milk works quite well, but a blend of soy and almond milks is fantastic

Preheat the oven to 350 and oil two 8-inch round pans or line pans for 2 dozen cupcakes.


Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, powder, cinnamon and pepper and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the oil and sugar until lighter in color and texture, scraping the bowl once or twice. With the mixer running on low speed, incorporate the flour mixture; process until well combined, scraping the bowl once. Add the milk mixture and vanilla and mix on low, scraping the bowl once, until well integrated.

Portion into pans and bake 30-40 minutes for rounds, 22-26 minutes for cupcakes. The cakes are ready when they spring back when lightly pressed. Cool in pans 15 minutes, cupcake pans 5 minutes, before unmolding. Cool completely before frosting.



Chocolate Coating


5 oz semisweet chocolate, chips or finely chopped
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chips or finely chopped
6 fl oz non-dairy milk

1 t vanilla extract

Combine chocolates in a heatproof bowl.

Heat the milk to boiling in the microwave and pour over chocolate. Stir just to distribute the milk through the chocolate pieces and let stand, without stirring further, for 5 minutes. Starting in the center, stir the chocolate into the milk until the mixture begins to become cohesive. Increase stirring radius to homogenize the mixture. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Let cool til slightly thickened but not set before using.

Assembling the cake

1 recipe basic chocolate cake, baked in 8-inch rounds, sliced to level as needed
(if you prepared as 2 rounds, split to make 4, prepared as 3 rounds, let them be)
.5-.75C raspberry-blackberry preserves (depending on number of layers)
1 recipe chocolate coating, cooled slightly

Place one layer of cake, cut side up, on serving platter. Spread .25C of preserves evenly over cake, stopping about .25-inch short of the edge all around. Place second layer on top of coated first. Repeat the application of preserves on this round once or twice more, depending on layer number, taking care to position the final layer cut side down. The final layer should not have preserves on top.

Pour the chocolate coating onto the center of the top layer, letting the chocolate distribute itself over the cake. Egg on as needed, but do not overwork the coating. Wipe excess coating from servign platter as desired.

If desired, let the leftover coating set further until it is pipable and use a paper cone to decorate the cake top.

Kliene Apfelkuchen - Vegan, Wheat Free

A slightly sweet cake with a spiced sugar and apple topping. Both the conventional and wheat free varieties are easy as all get out to prepare. Consider subbing in pears for the apple, or chopping either fruit to a small dice and folding the pieces directly into the batter, as I've done for the GF cupcakes.



Kliene Apfelkuchen
makes one 10" cake or a dozen cupcakes

for the cake
1 C AP flour
.5C white whole wheat flour
or
1.25 C oat flour
.25 C brown rice flour
1 T potato starch

2 t baking powder
.5 C non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
.5 C sugar
1/8t apple cider vinegar
.5 C non-dairy milk, measured over the vinegar
.5 C unsweetened applesauce

for the topping
2 medium baking apples (rome, cortland, empire, etc)
1 T lemon juice
.25 C light or dark brown sugar
.25 t coriander
.25 t cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350ºF for the wheat version, 325ºF for the wheat free. Oil pan(s) or line with paper cups.

Slice the apples to about 1/8" thickness and place in a microwave-safe bowl with lemon juice and water, turning to coat the pieces. Nuke on high 45-60 seconds. Remove from microwave and set aside. If making cupcakes, it is desireable at this point to chop the apple more finely to better fit the smaller cake.

Combine remaining topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Cream together the margarine and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Incorporate the milk and applesauce at low speed. Scrape the bowl down before sifting in the flours and baking powder. Mix at low speed just until combined.

Portion the batter into prepared pan or baking cups. Arrange apple slices on top of cake in concentric circles and spread topping evenly over the fruit. For the cupcakes, divide the apple pieces between cupcakes and top each with a tablespoon of topping. Alternatively, fold the diced small pieces into the batter, portion as above and top with brown sugar only.

Bake 30-40 minutes for the cake, 15-25 for the cupcakes. The kuchen are ready when the internal temperature exceeds 190ºF and/or a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pans 10-15 minutes before unmolding. Let cool completely on wire rack before slicing.

Vanilla Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and Dark Chocolate Ganache

Vanilla Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and Dark Chocolate Ganache
“vegan kandy kake”





The peanut-butter and chocolate flavor combination is indisputably delicious, and the addition of a light vanilla cake elevates this pairing from a sweet snack to a luscious dessert. Anyone who grew up in the Northeast United States should be familiar with the Tasty Baking Company’s classic snack cakes, KandyKakes – small rounds of vanilla cake with a peanut butter topping enrobed in milk chocolate. This is a vegan version of those sweet snacks, with a sliceable size that makes it much easier to share.


The Cake
Basic Vanilla Cake
makes two 8-inch rounds or two dozen cupcakes

3 C unbleached all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
.5 C oil
1 2/3 C sugar
.5 t salt
2 C non-dairy milk
1 T vanilla

Preheat oven to 350

Lightly oil 2 8-inch round pans, line bottoms with rounds of parchment paper and lightly oil parchment; set aside.

Sift together the flours and baking powder into a medium bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together oil and sugar with paddle attachment until lighter in color and texture, about 5-10 minutes. Scrape the bowl before incorporating the vanilla. Reduce speed to low and beat in 1 C of the milk. Stop and scrape the bowl completely. Add half of the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined; scrape the bowl before returning to low speed to just incorporate the remaining milk. Add the remaining flour mixture, beating on low until just combined. Remove bowl from mixer and scrape with a spatula to ensure homogeneity.

Portion batter into prepared pans and bake, 30-50 minutes, until the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes before inverting onto rack; right the cakes to cool completely before icing and assembling.


The Filling
Peanut Butter Frosting
makes about 1.5 C

.25 C non-hydrogenated margarine
2 T non-hydrogenated shortening
.5 C creamy natural peanut butter
1 t vanilla extract
1/8 t salt
1.25 C confectioner’s sugar
1-2 T non-dairy milk

In a medium bowl, beat together the margarine and shortening until well combined. Beat in the peanut butter, molasses, vanilla, and salt on high for several minutes until well combined. With mixer on low, beat in sugar gradually; once sugar is fully incorporated, raise speed to high and beat 5-7 minutes, until lighter in color and texture. Add milk and beat until fluffy.

Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, for 3 days. Allow frosting to come to room temperature and beat lightly before use.


The Coating
Basic Chocolate Ganache
makes 2 C

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate pieces
.5-2/3 C non-dairy milk
1 t vanilla extract

Combine chocolates in a heatproof bowl. Scald milk over high heat and pour over chocolate, reserving a few tablespoons for adjustment. Let mixture stand about half a minute before stirring with a rubber spatula until well combined, adding the remaining milk as needed to create a smooth ganache. It may be necessary to briefly microwave the mixture to melt the chocolate completely – do so with caution as you do not want to overheat the chocolate. Heat the bowl in 10-15 second intervals, stirring well after each, just until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Use the ganache immediately.


The Assembly

Slice the domed tops from cooled cakes. Place one cake, cut side up, on a cake round. Spread Peanut Butter Frosting over top of cake only, leaving the sides clean. Place second cake, cut side down, on top of frosted cake. Pour warm ganache onto the cake and spread with an offset spatula to create a smooth, even coat. Let cool at room temperature until ganache is set. Store at room temperature for up to one day or refrigerate for up to 3 days.