Scary Good Snickerdoodle's

Vegan cinnamon swirl cupcakes topped with a fluffy vanilla frosting and cinnamon sugar

Named the Witch Head Nebula for its spooky resemblance to a witches head. This reflection nebula gets its color from the bright blue star Rigel in the upper right corner. Don't fear, this witch is located about 1,000 light years away.

This post was supposed to be in time for Halloween but obviously I'm a bit late. I've also been a bit late on starting my term project which got pushed aside until a week or so before it was due (hey, at least I didn't start on it the night before it was due! So that is an accomplishment I suppose). In the past few weeks I went to three concerts (The Walkmen, Interpol, & Jarrod Gorbel-- each was amazing in its own way), had to evacuate my apartment (again) due to a wildfire, and caught a cold. All in all, that is why I've been a bit late. That always seems to happen this time of the year too. I blame the changing seasons, not my misappropriation of time of course.

mmm... cinnamon sugary deliciousness

I love this time of the year; the crisp weather followed by the changing of the leaves is serene (especially so in Colorado - the Aspen tree's changing color is so pretty). I feel as if I have to enjoy every second of it before it gets too cold outside and I want to go running indoors every chance I get (on a side note, I am not looking forward to winter in Colorado).

I also love all of the yummy things to bake this time of the year. I, however, woke up one morning last week and decided to see if I could cut out all fat and sugar from my diet for a week, because I get weird urges like that, (leaving me to essentially only eat vegetables and oatmeal) and surprise -- I managed! Not wanting to scarf down triple chocolate molten lava cake (although that sounded tempting) I decided to ease back into the flow of things by returning to vegan desserts that are low on sugar but high in taste. That didn't sound too cheesy, did it?

I also ordered a bunch of healthy baking cookbooks online (such as Babycakes, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World, and one on baking with olive oil) so watch out and be prepared for some new recipes!

Vegan Snickerdoodle Cupcakes:
(recipe courtesy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World; makes ~12)

1 c. soymilk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 c. + 2 tsp vegetable oil
1 1/4 c. flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c. sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp orange extract
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp brown sugar

Vanilla Frosting:
1/2 c. Earth Balance (or refined coconut oil)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 c. powdered sugar
1/8 - 1/4 c. soy milk
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. raw sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with liners.
2. In a small bowl, mix together soymilk and vinegar and set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the cinnamon, brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil.
5. Add the remaining oil and the orange and vanilla extracts to the soymilk mixture. Stir together and add to the dry ingredients.
6. Beat with a mixer or by hand until the batter becomes smooth.
7. Divide the batter evenly among the baking cups and spoon about 1/2 a teaspoon full of the cinnamon mixture into each cupcake. Swirl it into the batter with a knife.
8. Bake for 19-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool and frost with vanilla frosting and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Frosting:
Beat the Earth Balance and vanilla together then add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until desired frosting consistency. In a separate bowl combine the cinnamon and sugar and top each frosted cupcake with the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Martian Velvet

Red velvet cake topped with "cream cheese" frosting and red sprinkles

I love Mars and all of the "bad" sci-fi inspired by it (Stranded, Mission to Mars, the list goes on). Named after the Roman god of war because of its blood like color, iron oxide on the surface is responsible for giving Mars its reddish appearance.

Its been a while since I've updated my blog because a lot has been going on recently... I went to Vegas to visit the family and my darling baby, Gizmo. I also moved into a new apartment which was the most annoying and stressful move. Paul & I moved into another apartment in the same building (actually directly next door), sounds easy enough right? Wrong!! We had to move out of our former apartment on the 15th and couldn't move into our new apartment til the 18th so we had to move everything into storage only to move it all back to the same location just a couple of days later. I tried to be very efficient about packing at first then towards the end of the day things got messy (our old couch ended up getting tossed over the balcony, by accident of course)... Well the dust has finally settled and the wi-fi is up and running again which means... Martian Velvet Cupcakes!

These cupcakes were de-lic-ious as well as vegan. I used Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese for the frosting. The cakes had a great consistency and were very moist. Best of all, nobody was able to tell that they were vegan!

Vegan Red Velvet Cake:
(makes about 22, slightly adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World)
2 c soy milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 c flour
4 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2/3 c vegetable oil
4 tsp vanilla extract
2 ounces red food coloring

Better Than Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 c Earth Balance, room temperature
1/2 c Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 c powdered sugar

I love these cupcake liners that match the red velvet cakes and my new red kitchen :-)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with baking cups.
2. In a large bowl, mix together vinegar and soy milk, set aside.
3. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
4. Add vegetable oil, food coloring, and vanilla to soy milk mixture.
5. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and beat until smooth.
6. Evenly distribute batter among baking cups and bake for 20 minutes.
7. Once the cupcakes have cooled completely frost and add a sprinkling of red sprinkles.

Frosting:
Beat the Earth Balance, cream cheese, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and beat until fluffy.

Gizmo loves cupcakes

Dog Days of Summer

Sirius A & Sirius B like.... PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY!

Vanilla cake with a jelly interior topped with peanut butter frosting


Sirius, which is the brightest star in the night sky is part of binary star system (compromised of Sirius A and Sirius B). Most stars are actually part of a binary star system! A mutual gravitational bond causes the two stars to elliptically orbit around one another. Sirius A is a white main sequence star while its companion, Sirius B is a faint white dwarf. Early in their lifespans, Sirius A & B were two bright bluish stars with Sirius B being the more massive of the two causing the star to quickly exhaust its resources eventually collapsing to a white dwarf star (~120 million years ago). Due to its prominence in the constellation Canis Major (Big Dog) Sirius is known as the Dog Star and the Ancient Greeks believed the appearance of Sirius foretold upcoming summer conditions therefore the season following Sirius' appearance became known as the Dog Days of Summer.

Let me just start by saying that I absolutely love these cupcakes! Peanut butter and jelly is a classic flavor combination that just can't be beat. As an added bonus, these delightful cupcakes are vegan! I cut back on the amount of sugar I put into the batter and instead opted to use a little agave nectar and maple syrup giving these cakes a warm rich taste without being overly sweet. I recommend using a high quality jelly to make them extra special, I used Bonne Mamman Four Fruit Preserves from Whole Foods.

I made these cupcakes to commemorate the 4th of July, I mean what is more American than a classic PB&J sandwich? I had a wonderful 4th of July, my friend Nick & I went on a fun road trip to Sulfur Springs (which is absolutely beautiful) and lounged in the hot springs for the better part of the day. We got some great Indian food for dinner and I must say that I never would have imagined that Indian food would be so tasty and authentic in a small mountain town. Then we finished off the day with fireworks in Winterpark.

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend!

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes:
I also think these cupcakes would be fabulous with a swirl of honey. Makes about 1 dozen.

Vanilla Vegan Cake:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/2 tablespoon light maple syrup
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Jelly

Peanut Butter Frosting:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup Earth Balance (or any vegetable oil spread), room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 - 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons coconut milk

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with baking cups.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl combine agave nectar, maple syrup, coconut milk, oil, and vanilla.
4. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth.
5. Evenly distribute batter amongst baking cups and bake for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Once the cupcakes have cooled cut a dome (about 1 inch in diameter) into the center of the cake using a very sharp knife; cut the tip of the cone off and set the top aside.
7. Fill each cake with about 1/2 - 1 tablespoon of jelly and replace the cone tops to the cupcake.

A picture I snapped of Venus from my balcony while the cupcakes were baking (I know, I am a complete amateur at astro-photography!)

The final product.... yum!!

Frosting:
Beat the peanut butter, Earth Balance, and vanilla together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add milk until desired frosting consistency. Top each with a small dollop of jelly.

Nick & I at Sulfur Springs

Callisto Colada

Coconut cake with fresh pineapples baked inside topped with coconut frosting and a cherry on top

The Jovian moon Callisto was discovered in 1610 by Galileo. The surface of the moon is heavily cratered and there is a strong possibility that a subsurface ocean of liquid water exists making this moon a good candidate for future human bases among the Jovian moons.

The best part of these cupcakes is that they are completely vegan! I did have a frightening moment whilst baking these though... About 6 minutes after I popped these cakes into the oven did I notice the unopened bottle of apple cider vinegar, after shouting out a few select words did I take them out of the oven. Vinegar is an important ingredient in vegan baking as it is used for leavening and flavor enhancement. So I divided the tablespoonful of apple cider vinegar among the half baked cakes stirred it around then put them back into the oven and hoped for the best.

I must say that these cakes turned out fabulous despite my baking flaw! This was my first time baking vegan cupcakes and I honestly wouldn't have been able to tell that they were vegan had I not baked them myself! They were very delicious and make for the perfect summertime treat.

They came out super cute despite my misadventure

Piña Colada Vegan Cupcakes:
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup fresh pineapple, diced
1/4 cup coconut flakes

Coconut Vegan Frosting:
1/2 cup Earth Balance (or refined coconut oil)
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 cups coconut flakes
15 Bing cherries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with baking cups.
2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl combine oil, milk, vanilla, and vinegar (don't forget the vinegar!!).
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, beat until smooth.
5. Fold in coconut flakes and diced pineapple. Evenly distribute batter amongst baking cups (makes about 15) and bake for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Let cool completely then frost!
7. Dip the frosted cupcakes in coconut flakes and top each with a cherry.

Frosting:
Beat the Earth Balance and vanilla together then add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until desired frosting consistency.