Vegan German Chocolate Cupcakes

I have a sister-in-law, Missy who is vegan. I know that a lot people think that it is a crazy way to eat, but there are so many delicious things to eat that are vegan and I am true convert when it comes to vegan cupcakes! Missy introduced me to the cookbook Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (Thanks Missy!).

I think that vegan cupcakes are so much better than the ordinary cupcake. They are so moist and yummy. I usually don't make vegan frosting since I still love a good cream cheese frosting, but this German chocolate frosting is vegan and it is great! The only difference from a normal recipe is that it uses coconut milk instead of sweetened condensed milk. So, give this recipe a try! It will make you all fall in love with vegan cupcakes!!!

Vegan German Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes. Adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

For the Cupcakes:
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract, chocolate extract, or more vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350˚F and line muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract, and other extract, if using, to the soy milk mixture and beat till foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat till no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are okay).

Pour into liners, filling three-quarters of the way. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely.

For the Coconut Pecan Topping:
1/4 cup rice milk
2 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
1 pinch of salt
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups wide chip unsweetened coconut
1/2 chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

While the cupcakes are cooking:
Whisk the rice milk and starch together in a small bowl and set aside.
Combine the coconut milk and sugar together in a stainless steel saucepan.
Over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, cook the milk and sugar until it starts to boil.

Turn the heat down to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Whisk the rice milk mixture one more time.

Slowly pour the rice milk mixture into the coconut milk mixture stirring constantly.
Continue to stir this until it darkens and gets very thick and smooth, about 7 to 15 minutes (It took closer to 15- 20 minutes for me).

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, coconut and pecans. Cool to room temperature before frosting the cupcakes.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

These cookies are always a hit. I made them for the Super Bowl this year and everybody loved them. They can be a little time consuming, but they are definitely worth it!!

Oreo Cookies

Mix together:
2 packages Devil Food Cake mix
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup flour

Mix together and roll into balls. Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes. Do not over bake. Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Mix together:
1 8-oz. package cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 lb. powdered sugar (about 4 cups)
2 tsp. vanilla

Sugar Cookies with Butter Cream Frosting

Valentine's Day and Christmas. Those are the two holidays that I always make sugar cookies. But let's be honest, sugar cookies are good anytime! This is the sugar cookie recipe that I have grown up on. It came from my Grandma. I love this sugar cookie recipe because it is so easy to make. Some sugar cookie recipes take such a long time. They require you to put the dough in the fridge for a few hours before you start to roll it out. With this recipe, you can start rolling out dough right away.

Sugar Cookies

Cream:

1 cup crisco

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 tbs vanilla (I used 1 tbs because I used real Mexican vanilla)

Add:
4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

4 cups flour

Roll out and use cookie cutters to make desired shapes. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes. Cool completely then frost and decorate.

Butter Cream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 package (32 0z.) powdered sugar

1 tsp almond or vanilla extract

Milk

Mix first two ingredients together, then start adding a little bit of milk. Add enough milk to make desired consistency. Once the consistency is right, add the extract and food coloring if desired.

Double Chocolate Layer Cake

I know that it has happened to you...it happens to us all. We sometimes have this craving for chocolate and when we do, we have to have it! This happened to me not too long ago and this yummy cake is a result of my chocolate cravings! I new that if I made it for just myself and Bubba, we would eat it all...So we had a bunch of friends over to share it with. This is a big cake so make sure to invite lots of friends! The recipe is delicious and moist. The coffee in it really brings out the chocolate flavor!

Double Chocolate Layer Cake
Adapted from Gourmet.

Ingredients:
3 oz. fine quality semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cup hot brewed coffee
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup well shaken buttermilk
3/4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 300F and grease 3 9-inch cake pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper and grease paper.

Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl with an electric mixer, beat eggs until thickened slightly and lemon color (about 3 min with standing mixer or 5 min with a hand mixer). Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla and melted chocolate mixture into eggs, beating until well combined. Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely.

Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

4 cups powdered sugar

4 tbs cocoa powder

4 tbs heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

In a work bowl with an electric mixer, cream butter. Sift the sugar and cocoa powder together and gradually add to the butter, beating well after each addition. Add the cream and vanilla and beat until well blended and fluffy.

Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides.