Coming Up Roses: Vegan Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes

Tomorrow is my good friend Aimee's birthday celebration.  In past years, we've gone on wine tasting trips to celebrate the joyous occasion.  This year, we're going to a brunch buffet at the Ritz Carlton.  Très luxurieux.  As if I didn't stuff my face enough on Thanksgiving.

Since there will only be five of us at the restaurant, I didn't want to make a full cake and opted for cupcakes instead.  Also, the flavor had to be simple, so no spiking the cupcakes with booze.  I turned to my dependable chocolate recipe and gave it a twist by frosting it with the delicious salted caramel frosting.  Luckily, I still had some Vegan dulce de leche left over, even though I've been drizzling it on top of waffles and ice cream.  Yum.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
(Yields 12-14 cupcakes)

Dry Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour 1/4 cup + 2 tbs Cocoa Powder 1 tbs Corn Starch 1 tsp Baking Soda 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 tsp Salt

Wet Ingredients: 2 tbs Soy Milk + 1 1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar 1 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer + 2 tbs Water 2 tbs Earth Balance 3/4 cup + 2 tbs Sugar 1/3 cup Canola Oil 1 cup Water 2 tbs Apple Sauce 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 320ºF.  Add vinegar to soy milk and reserve.  Stir egg replacer and 2 tbs water, reserve.  Sift together dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl.

Using an electric hand mixer, cream margarine in a large bowl.  Mix in sugar and oil to margarine.  Add egg replacer mixture, water, apple sauce, and vanilla to combine until smooth.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Lastly, fold in soy milk and vinegar mixture.  Fill cupcake liners with batter 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.  Cool cupcakes on a rack.

Vegan Dulce de Leche

(Based on recipe by Everyday Dish TV)  

1 jar Brown Rice Syrup

1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar

2 tbs Earth Balance Vegan Margarine, melted

1/3 cup Soy Milk Powder

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Pinch Salt

Take lid off of brown rice syrup jar and warm in a hot water bath or microwave. Mix melted margarine, vanilla, salt and soy milk powder to create a paste.  When the brown rice syrup is warm, pour into a deep bowl and add brown sugar.  Using a hand immersion blender, beat syrup and sugar until dissolved.  Add soy powder mixture and beat until well incorporated.  Allow to cool.

Salted Caramel Frosting

1/4 cup Earth Balance Vegan Margarine
3/4 cup Earth Balance Natural Shortening
1/2 cup Dulce de Leche
2 tbs Soy Milk
3 cups Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Sea Salt

Using an electric hand mixer, cream margarine and shortening until light and fluffy.  Mix in dulce de leche and soy milk until well incorporated.  Add powdered sugar in stages.  Lastly, mix in vanilla and sea salt.

When I’m 64: Vegan Salted “Caramel Apple” Cider Cake

Uncle Mark is celebrating his 64th birthday and I baked him a cake to mark to occasion.  He hails from the beautiful north eastern town of New Canaan, Connecticut.  In New England, autumn is synonymous with the apple harvest.  Since he abhors anything chocolate, I created a cake inspired by his New Englander roots.

The cake has a delicious spice flavor, reminiscent of carrot cake, and paired nicely with the salted caramel frosting.  It turned out a little dryer than I had intended, but I’ve included an easy fix which will also impart more apple flavor.

Vegan Apple Cider Cake

Dry Ingredients: 2 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour 4 tbs Corn Starch 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1 tsp Baking Soda 1 tsp Sea Salt

Wet Ingredients: 1/4 cup Soy Milk + 2 tsp Raw Apple Cider Vinegar 2/3 cup Canola Oil 3/4 cup Brown Sugar 3/4 cup Sugar 1 1/2 cup Spiced Apple Cider 1/4 cup Applesauce 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 320ºF.  Add vinegar to soy milk and reserve.  Sift together dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl.

Pour oil, brown sugar, and sugar into a large bowl and beat with a wire whisk until well incorporated.  Whisk in apple cider, applesauce and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Lastly, fold in soy milk and vinegar mixture.  Pour into two 9-inch cake pans and bake for 27-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Allow cakes to cool.

Spiced Cider Simple Syrup

1/2 cup Spiced Apple Cider

1/4 cup Sugar

Place ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat.  Slowly bring to a boil constantly stirring, reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes.  Allow to cool to room temperature.  When cooled, brush syrup over cooled cake layers with a pastry brush until absorbed.

Vegan Dulce de Leche

(Based on recipe by Everyday Dish TV)  

1 jar Brown Rice Syrup

1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar

2 tbs Earth Balance Vegan Margarine, melted

1/3 cup Soy Milk Powder

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Pinch Salt

Take lid off of brown rice syrup jar and warm in a hot water bath or microwave. Mix melted margarine, vanilla, salt and soy milk powder to create a paste.  When the brown rice syrup is warm, pour into a deep bowl and add brown sugar.  Using a hand immersion blender, beat syrup and sugar until dissolved.  Add soy powder mixture and beat until well incorporated.  Allow to cool.

Salted Caramel Frosting

1/4 cup Earth Balance Vegan Margarine
3/4 cup Earth Balance Natural Shortening
1/2 cup Dulce de Leche
2 tbs Soy Milk
3 cups Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Sea Salt

Using an electric hand mixer, cream margarine and shortening until light and fluffy.  Mix in dulce de leche and soy milk until well incorporated.  Add powdered sugar in stages.  Lastly, mix in vanilla and sea salt.