December 14, 2010: Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes

Hello.
It's almost Christmas time.  It's cold outside, we've got a teeny Christmas tree in our living room, and I'm in the mood for Christmas music.
Last night was the last of a 12 week consciousness changing class that I've been taking at church.  It's because of that class, and the incredible support of the group, that I have chosen to focus more on my blog, and really let my passion for food propel my life to new heights.  It's a beautiful thing to just do what you love.

For some reason I felt compelled to bake Pumpkin Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Icing for the final class.  I figured it'd be nice to have something sweet and seasonal; and who doesn't like pumpkin!? The vegan part came into the equation because Jeff, one of my true vegan co-workers, gave me a box of Ener-G Egg Replacer.  He urged me to use it when I baked the Guinness Stout Ginger Cake, and I told him that I needed to use egg to follow the recipe to a T because I didn't want to risk a disaster.  Then I assured him that I'd use the egg replacer soon, in my next baking adventure.
The cupcakes also turned out vegan because I am currently reading The Artful Vegan, the Millenium Restaurant's Cookbook.  The book is incredible, exciting, inspiring, and I can't seem to put it down.  With that said, there is a recipe in the book for Coconut Cream Icing.  It's used on their Vegan Carrot Cake as a Cream Cheese type icing.  Tell me an icing made with Coconut Milk and Coconut Oil doesn't sound AWESOME!
Well I certainly think it does.  Unfortunately I didn't have most of the ingredients in the house to make this fancy gourmet vegan icing.  Nor did I have time to hit up Whole Foods or Westerly to acquire the ingredients, so I did a little research on the web, and found a similar recipe at Elana's Pantry.

To make a long story shorter...I made Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes using recipes I found and adapted from a few too many sources... I used the Ener-G egg replacer to replace 2 eggs... I put way too much batter in each cupcake tin... and I added a bit too much baking soda...
... but it's alright, not every cupcake can be a success.  Some cupcakes just have to come out like muffins with crispy tops.  That doesn't mean that they can't taste good, and look good.  I made these for my friends in class, and I admit that I was afraid to even share them. The Coconut Icing was not good, so I skipped yoga to buy some at Whole Foods.  The vegan icing I bought was even worse than the icing I had made! Haha!
I did, however, take the "failed" cupcakes to class.  I explained to my friends that I really am a good cook, and vegan baking just isn't my forte.  You know what? They liked them.  They really liked them! Or at least they said they did : )

Maybe they weren't so bad.  Working at an awesome Vegan restaurant and bakery I know that vegan cupcakes can be just as delicious, moist and fluffy as traditional cupcakes.  I got some pointers from one of the bakers, and it's time for me to try again.


...and then you'll get the recipe

cupcake with my Coconut Cream Icing, hehe