day 13: golden vanilla cupcakes with lemon buttercream frosting

Tomorrow is my grandpa's 85th birthday. And besides honoring one of the most loving, successful and respectable men I know, it's also time to party. And what party is complete without dessert?

Well, boy do I have a delicious one: vegan and homemade golden vanilla cupcakes with the most delectable lemon buttercream frosting.

 I've had Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World for a couple of years and for the most part it's been lying dormant -- among others in my graveyard of cookbooks -- gathering dust, screaming to be opened. Well, today was its lucky day. My grandpa is a big fan of lemon-flavored desserts and when I saw the recipe for this frosting I thought, perfecto for Vincenzo :)

What's great about this recipe is that besides the cornstarch, you probably already have all of the other ingredients in your pantry. Oil replaces dairy in the cupcakes and you cannot tell the difference. And the frosting -- I like it better than any dairy-based buttercream I've had before.

I can't wait to bring these to the party tomorrow. I'm not going to tell my family they're vegan cupcakes and see if anyone notices a difference. I bet they won't! Sneaky, sneaky ;)

Happy weekend!

Peace and love --
~Jo

Golden vanilla cupcakes
From Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero's cookbook Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat over to 350 degrees F and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Whisk the soy milk and vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside a few minutes to get good and curdled.

Beat together the soy milk mixture, oil, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until no large lumps remain.

Fill cupcake liners two-thirds of the way and bake for 20-22 minutes until done. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.

Lemon buttercream
From Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero's cookbook Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World


1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup Earth Balance, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, cream the shortening and Earth Balance until well combined. Add the confectioners' sugar in roughly 1/2 additions. After each addition of sugar add a splash of lemon juice and beat well with a handheld mixer. Add vanilla and beat for another 3 to 5 minutes until smooth, creamy, and fluffy. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.