I am not a vegan. I’ve dabbled in a strictly plant-based diet now and then, because it makes it makes me feel good. But on a permanent basis, it’s just not going to happen. I like butter way too much. And eggs. And milk. Oh yeah, and cheese too. Being a vegan would also eliminate my top three super-fast dinners that I make when the cupboards are bare and the grocery budget is depleted (pancakes, omelets, and quesadillas.)

That said, sometimes you are in need of a good vegan dessert recipe. I’ve tried quite a few, and I don’t often find the results very tasty. Most depend on an excessive amount of baking powder for lift, which results in an off-flavor and unpleasant texture. I stumbled across this recipe on allrecipes.com, and I have to say, I am impressed. It’s not going to be the best vanilla cupcake you’ve ever eaten (it’s hard to beat a cupcake made with real butter, and topped with buttercream), BUT upon tasting this little cupcake, you would not guess that it is vegan.

The recipe’s creator cleverly substitutes coconut oil for butter, and then makes an impromptu ‘buttermilk’ from vinegar and soymilk. The ‘buttermilk’ reacts with the baking soda to provide lift, without having to use a crazy amount. The frosting I came up with on my own, and is something I would use again on brownies or non-vegan cupcakes. Note, the original recipe mentioned that this does not rise well as a cake, and that you can experiment with different nut milks or oils. I used soymilk, because it is creamy and we had it on hand. I would also make this with hemp or coconut milk.

We were invited to have dinner at our neighbor’s house, and their son cannot eat any dairy or eggs. I offered to bring a vegan dessert, and they kindly accepted. Jen told me that her son was hoping I’d bring birthday cake (as this is something he almost never gets to enjoy at parties), so he was over the moon when I showed up with cupcakes. Yes! Continue Reading »