Happy Vegan MoFo and Happy New Year!

It's here!

Woohoo!  So exciting - there are so many awesomely talented and creative vegans out there, you should see what everyone's posting!  Yes, I am drooling just thinking about it.  Check out the full list of posters at veganmofo.com.  

This year, in a moment of unbridled confidence I decided to throw my humble little cupcake blog into the mix.  I am certainly not as established or talented as many of the other bloggers, but I love cupcakes and baking and I just can't help myself!  So, here we go!  I have been baking my 7-months pregnant and now not so little butt off, so get ready for a month of jam-packed (pun intended), lip-smacking goodness!

Guess what other time of year it is!  Its Rosh Hashanah time!  Yes, the Jewish New Year is here again.  This year, I have decided to improve on the apple cupcakes that I made last year (stay tuned) AND I am trying something new - with pomegranate!  In case you are not aware, there are a number of different foods that are traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah for different symbolic reasons.  Pomegranates are a popular Rosh Hashanah food, they are eaten so that our good deeds in the coming year will be as plentiful as the seeds in the pomegranate.  Yeah, I don't know if you've noticed, but pomegranates have a lot of seeds.  So, onto the cupcakes!

Pay It Forward Cupcakes

Pomegranate-Orange Cupcakes with Pomegranate Frosting

I feel like a freaking girl scout for coming up with this goody-two-shoes cupcake name, but it is the New Year so I should be on my best behavior.  Plus, veganism is all about compassion, so have some for me, this pregnancy has turned my brain into (vegan) jello!  Plus, one bite of these cupcakes and you won't give a crap what they're called as long as you can call for more!  

For the cupcakes:

3/4 cup soymilk (I use vanilla)
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
2 tsp vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp orange zest

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. 
In a large bowl, whisk together the soy milk and vinegar until frothy.  Set aside while you gather the rest of your ingredients.  Add in the oil, sugar, pomegranate juice and vanilla and mix until well combined.  Sift in the dry ingredients.  Mix until just combined.  Add the orange zest.  Mix well until there are no lumps.  Fill liners 3/4 of the way full, or kinda almost to the top - just use all of your batter, its fine.  Bake for 18-20 minutes until the edges are a little golden/brown. Let cool for 5 minutes then move to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract


In a small saucepan, combine the pom juice and sugar and heat over medium heat until boiling.  Continue to simmer about 15 min until the sugar is dissolved the the juice is reduced.  Let cool (just throw it in the fridge until its at least room temp).  In the bowl of a stand-mixer, cream the shortening so it gets nice and smooth.  Sift in the sugar about 1 cup at a time, mixing in between to combine until the frosting is nice and thick.  Keep a spatula handy to scrape down the sides of the bowl.  Add in the vanilla.  Add the pomegranate juice a little at a time until the desired consistency is reached.  Mix until well combined.  Taste, adjust sugar if necessary.  To be honest, I didn't really measure the sugar, I never do.  I just sift it in until it looks and tastes right.  So you can keep alternating a little juice and then sugar until the frosting tastes and looks how you want.  I like mine pink and with plenty of that pom tang.  Now, fill your piping bag and frost those bad boys up!


If you have some fresh pomegranate seeds, they would make a lovely garnish for the tops of these cupcakes.  Plus, they would be helpful if you're sharing so people won't see the pink frosting and think its raspberry.


Last: Eat the cupcakes and think about all the good deeds you are going to do this year.  I've already done mine by sharing this recipe with you. BAM!

 


   

It's a Miracle! Eight Day Olive Oil Cupcakes

So, I went into the kitchen to make these cupcakes and only had 1 Tbsp of olive oil.  But, miraculously there was enough oil for the entire batch!  Ok, that's not what really happened... I shop at Costco so I have plenty of oil.  But, that is what happened many years ago when the Maccabees won the war against the Greeks and lit the Menorah in the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple).  They only had enough oil for 1 day, and it would take 8 days to make more oil!  Divine intervention kept the oil burning for 8 whole days, and Chanukah was born!  To commemorate this miracle, one of the traditions is to eat food fried in olive oil on Chanukah, like potato latkes and jelly donuts.  To this wonderful tradition I humbly submit my contribution: Olive Oil Cupcakes.  

Cupcake Menorah!

These cupcakes are delicious!!  The texture is amazing and the flavors go together so well.  They have a great sweetness and you can really taste the olive oil, orange, and rosemary - separately and together!  Seriously, this is one of my favorite recipes so far... which means a lot more when I tell you I have made many more cupcakes than I have posted so far.  I have to save something for lazy times!

When I had this idea, I looked around online to see who else is making olive oil cake (I couldn't have been the first one to think of this).  I found out its a traditional cake made in Italy.  Michael Chiarello makes his with orange, rosemary and anise - works for me!  That's also the most searched for Michael Chiarello recipe on Google... millions of search engine users can't be wrong.  But I didn't have anise in my house - so these cupcakes are with rosemary and orange.  Feel free to add in the anise if you want - let me know how it is!

Eight Day Olive Oil Cupcakes

1/2 cup soy milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp orange liquor (I used triple sec)
2 tsp orange zest
1 and 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground anise (optional)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Fill a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, mix together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar.  Set aside for a minute or two.  I always do this part first, then let that sit while I collect the rest of the ingredients.  Add in the sugar, olive oil, orange juice and liquor and mix really well.  Mix in the orange zest and mix again.  I whisk it for about a minute.  Sift in the dry ingredients and mix to just combine.  Add in the rosemary and mix well until no lumps remain.  Taste the batter - isn't it delicious??  Hold yourself back from eating the uncooked batter with a large spoon.  Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned.  Cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Fluffy slightly orange frosting

3/4 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
2-4 cups powdered sugar (depending on your taste)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange zest
1 Tbsp orange liqueur (yes, triple sec again for me!)

Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the shortening until smooth and fluffy.  Sift in the sugar 1 cup at a time until you reach the desired sweetness.  I like to make frosting just sweet enough to cover that chalky flavor of the shortening.  Once you can't taste the shortening anymore, you're good.  Add in the vanilla, orange zest and liqueur.  Mix until well combined, add more sugar if you think it needs it.

Frost the cupcakes.  Devour the cupcakes.  Smile because you can't help it.

These cupcakes will come out really good if you sing Chanukah songs while you are baking them.

Happy Chanukah!