Dreamy Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Icing

Dreamy Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Icing

I too have succumbed to the pixie-dream-girl contagion. Not only did I buy the cutest pink and blue apron, but I spent all Saturday morning baking cupcakes with my girlfriend. The benefit to you being this magically fluffy sweet lemon cupcake which will distract you from the cold bite of winter by reviving those flavours of spring.

Ingredients:

1 cup soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1  1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt ( +1/4 tsp more if you’re using oil and not butter)
1/2 cup melted vegan butter or 1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup raw sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract ( x 2 if you’re using powder and not liquid)
1/4 tsp almond extract, caramel extract or more vanilla extract.  
 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350˚F / 180˚C degrees. Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners.
  2. Whisk the soy milk and vinegar vigorously in a measuring cup or small bowl and set aside for a few minutes so it may curdle.
  3. Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a smaller bowl and mix. Set aside.
  4. If using margarine: In a separate large bowl, use a handheld mixer to cream the margarine and sugar for ~ 2 minutes until light and fluffy. A simple whisk and determination will work fine as well. Beat in the vanilla and other extract (if using) and soy milk mixture (from step 2).
  5. If using oil: Beat together the soy milk mixture (step 2), oil, sugar, vanilla, and other extracts (if using) in a large bowl.
  6. Fold in the dry ingredients, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times. You need to mix it just right: eliminate all the clumps but don’t over mix it so that the cupcakes become tough.
  7. Fill cupcake liners two-thirds of the way and bake for 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack, and let them cool completely before icing.

Lemon Icing

Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup soften vegan butter
2 tbsp soy milk
juice and zest from one lemon

Directions:

1. For a thin glaze: melt the butter in a double-boiler, add the lemon juice, soy milk and sugar and whisk with a fork until all the ingredients dissolve. Apply with a teaspoon in a circular motion from the centre of the cupcake.

2. For a thicker icing, the kind you decorate with:  on a low speed, cream together the sugar and butter with an electric beater. Beat in the soy milk and lemon juice. Stir in the lemon rind.

Alternatively, you can dress them with a homemade strawberry ice-cream or chocolate mousse. Be warned, these are only for special occasions, the calorie on these is dramatic. If you make 10 cupcakes it’s 250kcal (margarine), 210kcal (oil) each without frosting. If you only make 8 cupcakes you’re looking at 360 (margarine),  340kcal (oil) again, without frosting.

This cupcake recipe is from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. For this and more delicious check out their book over at Amazon.com

 

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VeganUrbanite.com
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