I must have been bitten by the baking bug this week, because I have made a sweet variety of treats. I started off the week by baking Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Vanilla Agave cupcakes…it is seriously the best cupcake that I have ever made.
Ingredients:
- 2/3 c soy milk (I used almond)
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2/3 c light agave nectar
- 1/3 c canola oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 1/3 c flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Directions:
- Line cupcake pan and pre-heat oven to 325F
- Mix milk and apple cider vinegar, let sit and curdle. Then beat in agave, oil, vanilla and almond extract. Sift in dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.
- Fill liners two-thirds full, bake for 20-22min or until toothpick comes out clean.
Frosting
- Beat 1/4 c shortening with 1/4 c butter until combined and fluffy.
- Add 1 3/4 c powdered sugar, beat for 3-5min.
- Add 3/4 tsp vanilla and 1/8 c milk (more if needed). Beat until fluffy!
Later in the week I attempted brownies and classic chocolate chip cookies. I wasn’t thrilled with the way either turned out, so I am not going to share those recipes. If you really want them, I will, but I am on a quest to find a hype-able recipe. If you have any suggestions for recipes I can try out, please share!
I have a suggestion – how about you bring me some of those Isa cupcakes?
I’d love to! Will you be home tomorrow around 11? I have to pick my friend up from the airport around noon, but I get done at 11…Hm…that’s too early huh?
The brownie recipe in Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar is pretty darn great. The classic brownie.
I tend to prefer really dense, fudgy ones (and cakey can DIAF, imo) but these guys were a really nice mix of dense and fluffy. I’d bake ‘em again. 
My favorite brownie is these guys:
http://cooknkate.wordpress.com/2009/03/21/a-low-fat-brownie-please/
They make me flip right the hell out. So. Good. Unless you’re a cakey brownie person (HISSSSSS).
Oh, recipe isn’t vegan as written. I use Ener-G as my egg replacer. These might benefit from a titch more leavener, too, as they are very dense and don’t rise much.
Haha, I am definitely not a cakey brownie person. Which is sadly how my most recent ones turned out. It’s so frustrating! I used to bake a lot when eggs were a part of my diet. I am finally testing the waters by baking with substitutes.
Thanks for sharing, can’t wait to try this recipe next