Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

Wait just a minute. Where in the world did this summer go? I feel like it was just two days ago that I was starting my hostessing job and unpacking all of my college things. Now suddenly it's the middle of August and I am leaving for Europe in exactly three weeks. Whoa.

I always begin the summer with a list of things I want to do. Usually by the end, I have only checked off about three of those things, but done a million other things that were not on the list in the first place. While I did not go kayaking (yet), go camping, or salsa dance (again, there's still time...), I did go to Chicago twice, I went to see a movie in the park, ate at new restaurants in Minneapolis, and made new friends through my job. Summers always have their ups and downs, but overall this one has been pretty successful.

One thing on my list that I didn't quite accomplish was to "frequently sit on the back porch and drink lemonade." I sat on the back porch a lot, but I tended to drink cup after cup of coffee instead. To make up for my lack of actual lemonade, I decided to make lemonade cupcakes and throw in some strawberries, because strawberry lemonade was always my favorite.

These cupcakes are light and fluffy and perfectly sweet. They are a great farewell-to-summer dessert, reminiscent of lemonade stands and picnic lunches on the beach. You can get the recipe from my post on One Green Planet!

Do you ever make summer to-do lists? They are great in theory, but a little more difficult in execution. It's funny how sidetracked life can get you!

Blueberry Molasses Cake with Lemon Icing

When life slows down a bit, it is nice to be able to indulge in simpler pleasures. It's been a while since I made a link-love list for you guys, so I figured it's time to share the things I have been enjoying these days...

-Roasted berries, especially in this incredible looking frozen yogurt from Oh, Ladycakes
-Simple, gorgeous life photography
-Snail mail: sometimes it's fun doing things the old fashioned way
-This song. Her voice is incredible.
-I've been dreaming about chocolate lately. This should cure the craving. Holy jesus.
-I want to learn how to salsa dance. I could totally do that in those heels. No problem.
-This video cracks me up because it is the truth.
-Take me to this bizarre and beautiful lake.

Aaand I've been loving this cake. 

Always cake.

Blueberry Molasses Cake with Lemon Icing

makes 8-12 servings

Cake:

2 1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 cup non-dairy milk

1 1/2 cup blueberries

Icing:

1/4 cup non-dairy milk

1/3 cup vegan margarine

1/4 cup granulated sugar

zest of 1/2 a lemon

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 350º and grease and flour a 9" round cake pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and spices. Set aside and whisk together the remaining ingredients (minus the blueberries) in a smaller bowl. Add the wet to the dry and stir until just combined.

3. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and sprinkle the blueberries on top. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.
4. While the cake bakes, prepare the frosting. Cream together the margarine and sugar. Stir in the soy milk, lemon juice and lemon zest and finally the powdered sugar. Mix until smooth and creamy.
5. Let the cake cool completely before flipping onto a plate and pouring the icing over the top. Slice and enjoy!

I hope everyone is having a great start to the week! What little things have you been loving lately? 

Wake up and Smell the Coffee

Confession Time:
I think I have a coffee addiction. I swear I never meant for this to happen.
Thank you, college professors, for the boat loads of work that forced me to stay up past 2am and wake up at 7am, groggy eyed with nothing but more work in sight and a huuuge cup of coffee to soothe me.

My only slightly embarrassing obsession with Gilmore Girls and watching Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel consume obscene amounts of coffee may have something to do with my addiction as well. Basically what I'm saying is, none of this is my fault. I can't help it if I'm crabby without my morning cup 'a joe. 

You know what is even better than a cup of coffee to wake you up? Coffee cakes. And I don't mean the kind of crumb cake you serve with coffee. I mean coffee-infused cake with chocolate coffee frosting. Oh my goodness. I promise you, these are 100% worth the caffeine crash you'll be having later today. 

Mini Coffee Cakes with Coffee-Fudge Frosting

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 cup earth balance

1/2 cup boiling strong coffee

1/4 cup almond milk

1 tsp vinegar

1 1/2 tsp ener-g egg replacer mixed with 2 tbsp water

1/2 tsp vanilla

Frosting:

1/2 cup earth balance

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1-2 tbsp strong coffee

1. Preheat your oven to 350º and lightly grease and flour a cupcake tin. In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
2. Melt the earth balance in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the coffee and remove from heat. In a measuring cup, whisk together the almond milk and vinegar. Add the egg replacer and vanilla.
3. Pour the coffee and butter into the dry ingredients and stir lightly. Add in the milk mixture and mix until just combined. Divide the batter evenly into your cupcake tin (each will be about 2/3 of the way full) and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
4. Meanwhile, make the frosting. Mentally prepare yourself, first. This might be the best and most dangerous frosting I have ever made. 
5. Cream together the earth balance, cocoa powder and 1 cup of powdered sugar. Add in the rest of the sugar and 1 tbsp of coffee and stir until creamy. If the frosting is too thick, mix in another tbsp of coffee. You don't want it too liquified though, it should be a fudge-y consistency.
6. Let the cakes cool for about 20 minutes, then frost and enjoy :)

Orange Blueberry Pecan Cake

Summer is a strange time of year. When my brain goes out of school mode and my thoughts float around without any structure, sometimes I start to feel kind of aimless. So then I make lists to organize things again. 

Things I Don’t Like About Summer:
-boredom
-mosquitoes
-being away from college friends
-trying to find a job

Things I Like About Summer:

-boredom, because it leads to creativity

-being outside in the sun almost every day

-reading books for fun

-beaches

-bike rides

-having a stocked kitchen at home

-driving with the windows down

-night swims

-fresh berries

Looks like the pros outweigh the cons… I guess summer isn’t really so bad overall!

You know what also isn’t so bad? This cake. Oh wait, that’s an understatement. This cake is incredible. I swear, you will not be disappointed by the flavors and the delicious pie-like topping. Plus, you know how I feel about making anything upside-down.

Orange Blueberry Pecan Cake

Topping:
1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tbsp melted earth balance
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup crushed pecans
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cake:
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup melted earth balance
1/4 cup orange juice
zest of 1 orange
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cinnamon

1. Preheat your oven to 375º. To prepare the "topping," toss blueberries in a small bowl with the flour, sugar, pecans and cinnamon. Pour the melted earth balance evenly over the bottom of a 9" round pan and sprinkle the blueberry mixture on top. Set aside.
2. To make the cake, mix together the milk and vinegar in a large bowl and let sit for 3-5 minutes to curdle. Whisk in the applesauce, earth balance, orange juice, zest, vanilla and maple syrup. Add the flour, baking powder and cinnamon and stir until just combined- it's okay if there are a few lumps.
3. Spread the batter over the blueberry-pecan mixture and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
4. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before carefully flipping onto a large plate. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar.

I highly recommend enjoying this cake with a tall glass of iced tea, sitting on a porch or outside on a sunny afternoon, listening to this song. You will be refreshed.

How do you feel about summer?

Twenty.

Hey guys.
Hey guys.
Guess what. 

It's my birthday. 
That's right, I have finally said good riddance to those teenage years and jumped into my twenties!

I try not to hype my own birthdays up too much in general, because, well, nothing can ever beat my pirate birthday party when I was 5, so might as well not raise the expectations. My friends and I will celebrate tonight, but for now I'll take this birthday morning to reflect.

I won't pretend to be a life expert. Twenty years is nothing in the grand scheme of things. But you can learn a lot in twenty years, so I thought I would share these little gems of wisdom and advice with you. You can take it or leave it :)

Twenty Things for Twenty Years

1. You can try to ignore it, but no matter what, family will always be the most important influence in your life.
2. Friendships, like any relationships, take a lot of work. If you’re not willing to work for it, it’s probably not worth having.

3. Never underestimate the power of heels and a little lipstick.

4. Boys are not as complicated as girls make them.

5. Not sleeping enough = getting sick. It may be un-cool to actually sleep in college, but sleep is good. Get some.

6. You should never feel like you to have to be anyone other than yourself around your best friends.

7. Things are only awkward if you make them awkward. Usually a smile solves it.

8. If you want something from someone, ask for it. No one can read minds. Except Voldemort.

9. You never know what will happen if you put yourself out there, but it’s worth the risk. Starting this blog was definitely putting myself out there and it has paid off so far!

10. If you have a really great idea, don’t just keep it in your head. Tell someone or write it down somewhere- then at least it’s out there, waiting to become something real.

11. Never shop for anything on an empty stomach.

12. If you have a stressful day ahead of you, wear a cute outfit. It helps, I promise.

13. It’s nice to have friends outside of your age range. Younger people bring you optimism and older people bring you wisdom.

14. No one can make the big decisions for you. In the end babe, it all comes down to your gut feeling.

15. Most people like meeting new people. So go ahead and chat up that guy that serves you coffee every day, you might make a friend.

16. If you’re not happy, change something. No exceptions or excuses.

17. Never be embarrassed about the music you listen to. Why yes, I do listen to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack while I do my homework sometimes.

18. Always always always make lists.

19. People will always question why you want to be an artist. As long as you  know the answer, nothing else matters.

20. You should never feel guilty about indulging yourself once in a while. So go make these cupcakes- now.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting (adapted from Recipe Girl)

makes 1 dozen cupcakes

Cookie Dough:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegan margarine, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp soy milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cupcakes:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tsp egg replacer mixed with 2 tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Cookie Dough Frosting:

1/3 cup margarine
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour 
1 tbsp soy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

extra chocolate chips to decorate

1. Prepare the Cookie Dough Filling: Cream together the margarine and sugar. Whisk in the soy milk and vanilla, then mix in the dry ingredients until smooth and creamy. Fold in the chocolate chips. Scoop rounded tablespoons of cookie dough onto a cookie sheet and stick in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or until completely hardened.
2. While the dough freezes, prepare the cupcakes. Preheat your oven to 375º and line a cupcake tin. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add in the wet and stir until combined. Pour the batter evenly between 12 cupcake cups. Take out the frozen cookie dough and press a ball of dough into each cupcake.
3. Bake the cupcakes for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (from the cupcake part, not the cookie dough).
4. Prepare the frosting: In a medium bowl, cream together the sugars and margarine. Add in the soy milk, vanilla and flour and stir until smooth and fluffy.
5. Let the cupcakes cool for at least 30 minutes, then frost them generously. Decorate with chocolate chips.

Oh my.

Okay I'll admit, these cupcakes weren't actually made for my birthday. I baked them last weekend for my friend's 21st and I think they might be the best cupcakes I have ever made. Three people asked me to marry them after taking a bite. These are sinfully delicious.

Time to go celebrate my day!

Lime & Blackberries & A Whole Lotta Blog Love

Is your mouth is watering yet? Mine sure is just remembering the taste of these incredible cupcakes. But you're just going to have to hold your horses for a bit because before I share my recipe, I would like to thank Jesica from The Pencil Kitchen for honoring me with a Kreativ Blogger Award! She is one of my oldest and most loyal followers, so I really appreciate the gesture :)

Here's how this award works, I share 7 interesting facts about myself and then pass the award along to 7 other bloggers who I admire.

Here are several interesting things about me that may have not come out yet on this little blog...

1. I have this weird habit where instead of actually laughing out loud when something funny happens, sometimes I'll just wiggle my shoulders up and down and smile. No idea why.
2. I wear cowboy boots about every other day. They're my power boots: super worn-in and comfortable, but look pretty badass (in my head, at least...)
3. Peter Pan is my absolute favorite story in the world. Period. Not many stories or movies make me cry, but Peter Pan does every single time.
4. When I'm in a bad mood or stressed out, I tend to blast loud & dirty rap music while I bake something with chocolate. It' a nice contrast :)
5. I have synesthesia, which means that I associate people, letters and numbers with different colors. It sounds kind of hokey, but when I meet people and get to know them it's almost as if they radiate a certain color!
6. My brother ran away with the circus. Okay, he didn't run away, but he goes to circus school after his normal high school classes 6 days a week. I am simultaneously proud and jealous of his life.
7. I love to read. I tend to bring books or a newspaper or something with me wherever I go on campus, just in case I have a couple minutes of downtime. I even had a shirt in 5th grade that said "Serious Reader." Obviously, I was the coolest kid in school.

Aaaaand the fun part, here is who I get to pass on the award to (in no particular order):

1. Peaceful Plate: Noelle always has such gorgeous photos and delicious recipes! I have tried a few of them and they have never failed. I love her down-to-earth voice, too.
2. The Tomato Tart: I can't believe Sabrina has only had this blog going for less than a year! It is so beautifully put together and has some of the most mouth-watering photos. For example, I have been drooling over this pumpkin and chocolate cake forever- I've got to get around to making it soon.
3. Cookies for Alligator: I'm a sucker for any vintage-looking photo taken with a 35mm, and this girl has got some beauties. Her pictures and recipes are so original, as is her open and honest blogger voice. 
4. Hungry Gnomes: These ladies are some of the funniest bloggers I've ever seen. I love the stories they share to go along with each recipe (which always look delicious, by the way). A few of their posts have actually made me laugh out loud!
5. Oh, Ladycakes: I have always loved the clean, fresh look of her blog. Her recipes are usually fairly simple and so beautifully presented! The name Ladycakes is downright adorable, too.
6. Scissors and Spice: I love how this blog combines crafts and food. She is so endlessly creative- I don't know how she does it along with keeping up her own etsy store!
7. Papillon: I love the artful simplicity of this blog. It really lets the pictures stand out, which is great because they never cease to be absolutely stunning.

Okay. Now back to the food. My mom showed me a non-vegan version of these cupcakes on Pintrest and I fell in love. I decided I had to make them that very night, so I did, and they were amazing. Seriously. I know I say a lot of things are my favorite, but the flavor combo of fluffy and moist lime cupcakes with tart and creamy blackberries really just can't be beat.

Key Lime Cupcakes with Blackberry Filling and Blackberry Buttercream Frosting (inspired by Baked Perfection)

makes 1 dozen cupcakes

Cake:

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup earth balance

3/4 cup sugar (these are very sweet, so feel free to adjust this slightly to your taste)

3 tsp egg replacer mixed with 1/4 cup water

juice from 1 lime

zest from 1 lime

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup plain soy yogurt

Filling:

3 cups frozen blackberries

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp cornstarch

pinch of salt

Frosting:

1/2 cup earth balance

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup blackberry filling

3 cups powdered sugar

1. Dump the frozen blackberries in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Let them thaw while you prep your cupcakes. 
2. Preheat the oven to 350º and line a cupcake tin. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and soda and salt. In a separate larger bowl, cream together the earth balance and sugar until fluffy. Whisk in the egg replacer, then add the lime juice, zest, and vanilla. 
3. Slowly add the flour mixture to the larger bowl, alternating with stirring in the soy yogurt. Mix until combined. Pour the batter into the cupcake tin, filling the cups about 3/4 of the way full.  Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (ovens may vary, so check after 20 minutes if yours tends to bake things faster).

4. While the cupcakes are baking, prepare your filling and frosting. Once the blackberries have thawed completely, drain them to get rid of the excess liquid, but save this liquid in a measuring cup. Add water to the blackberry liquid until it reaches 1 cup. Place the drained berries in a mesh sieve and mash them thoroughly, leaving the seeds behind and set this aside. In a saucepan, mix together the blackberry liquid, lemon juice, cornstarch and salt. Stir until it begins to boil and thicken. Remove from heat and pour in the rest of the mashed blackberries (excluding the seeds) and let cool.
5. To make the frosting, cream together the earth balance, vanilla, and blackberry filling. Whisk in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until thick and creamy.

6. When the cupcakes are done baking, let them cool for about 20-30 minutes, then time to fill 'em up! Grab a Ziploc bag and fill it with about 1/4 cup of the blackberry filling. Cut off one of the corners of the bag to make a tiny hole where you can squeeze the filling out. Poke a hole in the top of each cupcake and use a knife or your finger to dig a little well in the center. Squeeze in the filling until it starts to bubble out of the top. Repeat for each cupcake- you may need to refill the bag a couple times. Top with a thick layer of buttercream frosting and a fresh blackberry!

If you have leftover filling (I had about a cupful!) it is super delicious swirled into your morning oatmeal or yogurt with some extra berries on top.

We served these to my cousin and her husband when they came over for dinner... and all twelve were gone in about an hour. Needless to say, they were a huge hit. 

Chocolate Whiskey Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

My holiday post is a little belated... but I hope everyone had a happy St. Patrick's Day! I meant to post this on Saturday, but my weekend got insanely busy with rehearsals and work.

I'm only partially Irish, so St. Patrick's Day has never been a huge deal for my family. I'll wear green to show some pride, but that's about it. This year, however, I decided to get a little crazier and flaunt my Irish heritage with some good old fashioned Irish whiskey- baked in a cake, that is ;)

Chocolate Whiskey Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

makes about 10 cupcakes

Cake (adapted from this recipe)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup Jameson Irish Whiskey
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp white distilled vinegar

Frosting:

1/3 cup vegan butter (I used earth balance)
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp soy milk (or 1 tbsp soy milk and 2 tbsp whiskey, if you want to make it extra boozey!)
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat your oven to 350º and grease or line a cupcake tin.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour batter into the cupcake tin and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
3. While your cupcakes bake, prepare the frosting by creaming together the earth balance, soy milk (or whiskey), vanilla and one cup of sugar. Once it is creamy, whisk in the remaining powdered sugar. Either refrigerate for about an hour, or serve drippy and room-temperature, like I did :)

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful traveling suggestions! I'm still in the process of plotting out my route, so I'm open to any further recommendations and advice. I love hearing about other peoples travel stories- it makes me so excited to have my own adventures!

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes for My 50th Post!

You know how everyone is talking about the winter that wasn't? Well, now it is. I woke up this morning to find a blustery winter wonderland outside of my window and even though it feels about 2 months too late, I'm not complaining. I woke up my friend at 9am this morning so we could venture out into the blizzard together for brunch and a steaming cup of coffee. I love snow :)

On a different note, I can't believe I'm already on my 50th blog post! I guess that's not a whole lot in the long scheme of things, but when I started this thing up I had no idea how far it would go. I am so flattered and grateful for all of the support I've received from friends and readers who continue to follow That's So Vegan! I wish I could send you each one of these cupcakes... but somehow they magically vanished. Oops. 

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes with Chocolate Banana Glaze

makes 1 dozen cupcakes

Cake:

1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed raspberries

Glaze:

1 ripe banana
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 350º and grease or line a cupcake tin.
2. To make the cupcakes, combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Add the dry to the wet and stir until just combined. 
3. Pour the batter into your prepared pan- about 3/4 of the way full for each cupcake. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
4. While the cupcakes are baking, make the chocolate banana glaze by mashing the banana with a fork, then whisk in the vanilla and cocoa powder. Add the powdered sugar a little bit at a time, whisking as you go. Once it is all added, stir until smooth.
5. Let the cupcakes cool for about 10 minutes, then spread the glaze on top. Enjoy!

These cupcakes are sweet, tart, moist and delicious. If you don't like bananas (aka if you're crazy), they would also be awesome with cream cheese frosting. 

I hope everyone has a great pre-Valentines weekend!