Cupcakes
CUPCAKES...I mean who DOESN'T love them? I for one, adore cupcakes, so I decided I would share one of my favorites with you; the infamous Red Velvet. Red Velvet wasn't always my favorite, in fact, the color turned me off more than anything; it just didn't feel right. Beyond the color, Red Velvet cakes just wasn't one of the cakes my mom usually made, so I wasn't accustomed to eating it, and boy I could kick myself now for shunning this thing of beauty.
Before I decided to become vegan, I made a living baking and selling cupcakes, and THIS is when Red Velvet came up on my radar. The phone rings and on the other end there was a bright and bubbly customer stating she had been referred by a friend, and she needed 12 dozen cupcakes. I reply, "Absolutely!" and go on to ask, "what can I bake up for ya?" She asks about Red Velvet cupcakes and I immediately blurt out, "Yes", immediately followed by explicatives in my head about why I just stuck my foot in my mouth and placed my reputation on the line. Well if you know me, my motto is, "GO BIG OR GO HOME!". I knew I had to make good on my word with a high quality product, so I researched and researched until I found a recipe that looked like it could actually deliver the quality cupcake I was commited to selling. A tweak here and there, and here you have it; the perfect Red Velvet Cupcake.
Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Yield:16 - 18 cupcakes
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup plus 3tbsp cashew milk
1 tbsp distilled vinegar
1tbsp plus 1.5 tsp Energy Egg Replacer
6tbsp warm water
2 tablespoons natural red food coloring
1 1/4 teaspoons vinegar (white or apple cider can both work)
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 cup water
For the "cream cheese" frosting
8oz vegan cream cheese , room temperature
1/2 cup earth balance , room temperature
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar , sifted
2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
For the cupcakes:
2. Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
3. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a bowl and set aside.
4. In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix oil, and sugar, until combined. Combine cashew milk with vinegar and allow to sit for five minutes. Combine egg replacer with warm water and stir until smooth, then add it, along with cashew milk mixture, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla and water to the oil mixture and whisk until combined. Add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time and mix on low, scraping down sides occasionally, and mix until just combined. Be sure not to over mix, or the batter will come out tough.
5. Line a 24-cup cupcake pan with paper liners, scoop the batter into the liners to 2/3 full, and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.
For the "cream cheese" frosting:
1. Whip the earth balance and vegan cream cheese together in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until creamed. Gradually add powdered sugar to the mixture and scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
2. The frosting can be used right away, or stored in the refrigerator up to a week.
3. Frost cooled cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting.
