The Domestic Vegan

Hello there!  I hope you’re all having a lovely week so far!

I have been meaning to do a post featuring this recipe for ages, as it’s been a favorite of mine for about a year now.  Everyone who tries these bad boys just loves them!  They’re perfectly moist and insanely flavorful.

The original recipe (Vegan Pancake Cupcakes) is from Natalie at Bake & Destroy, but I have made a few tweaks over time, since I have a hard time not doing that…  The recipe as written is amazing; I have just changed it a bit to reflect more of a French toast flavor, since I tend to prefer French toast over pancakes.    Natalie’s Vegan Maple Buttercream recipe is out of this world, but when I made these cupcakes yesterday, I topped them with a Maple Glaze instead because I didn’t have enough powdered sugar on-hand for the buttercream.  Gotta work with what you’ve got!  I was really happy with the result, and I think Nick’s co-workers will enjoy them at their potluck today.  (I love sharing vegan food with people & showing them how delicious it is!)

Ingredients for Maple Glaze:

•    6 Tbsp. powdered sugar, sifted to remove clumps
•    2 Tbsp. maple syrup
•    1 Tbsp. nondairy butter, melted
•    ¾ tsp. maple extract
•    ½ tsp. vanilla extract
•    ¼ tsp. cinnamon

Directions for Glaze:

Whisk together all ingredients until smooth.  Add a little nondairy milk if the mixture is too thick.  Set aside to drizzle onto cooled cupcakes.

Ingredients for Cupcakes:

•    ½ cup nondairy milk (I like almond)
•    2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
•    1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
•    ¾ tsp. baking powder
•    ½ tsp. baking soda
•    ½ tsp. salt
•    1 tsp. ground cinnamon
•    ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
•    ½ cup maple syrup (organic & local if possible)
•    ⅓ cup canola oil
•    2 Tbsp. brown sugar
•    1 ¼ tsp. maple extract
•    ¾ tsp. vanilla extract
•    ¼ tsp. almond extract

Directions for Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350˚F.  Either line a cupcake pan with paper liners or spray the pan with nonstick spray.  Whisk the milk and vinegar together in a large measuring cup, then set aside to curdle.  Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a large bowl.  Whisk the maple syrup, oil, brown sugar, and maple, vanilla, and almond extracts into the milk mixture.  Form a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.  Stir until the large lumps are gone.  Fill the cups ⅔ full and bake 20-22 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly touched.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove cupcakes from the pan and cool completely.

Once the cupcakes are cooled, drizzle them with the Maple Glaze, and sprinkle the tops with additional cinnamon & nutmeg if desired.

Yield: 1 dozen fluffy cupcakes