Boring breakfast cupcakes

Apricot-glazed almond cupcakes (Vegan Cupcakes)

Cuspcake rating: 2

A long weekend, during which I happily plan to pack in as many cupcake tryouts as I can.

First up, my second attempt from Vegan Cupcakes. Mine weren't vegan though, I used sour cream instead of soy yoghurt, which I can't find in my local super. Was tempted to replace the oil with brown butter but decided not to deviate too far from the recipe for a start. Also replaced almond essence with a little more vanilla and soy, as I have not been able to get organic essences and cannot stomach artificial almond flavours.

Wasn't too crazy about the cupcakes on first tasting, although I suppose they'd make a decent breakfast. They lack dimension. The almond meal in the cupcake batter is indiscernible, and the taste of soy milk was more obvious this time around. Of course this is probably because I didn't have almond essence. The baked-in apricot preserve filling is a nice surprise though, except the cupcake isn't flavourful enough to offer any contrast.

Since the cupcakes tasted of just soy and sugar, I added lemon juice instead of water to the glaze for some contrast, and topped with toasted sliced almonds. Ending up doubling the amount of glaze on each cupcake, and the end result was pleasant enough but forgettable, like eating any plain cupcake with apricot jam.

Disappointed since apricot and almonds promised to be such a great combination, but it just didn't come together. Will research other almond cupcake recipes and definitely seek out some almond essence. Suspect the omnivore in me will win out – I just feel like browned butter, slightly toasted almond meal, perhaps mixed with some ground hazelnuts, and milk might elevate this recipe to match my imagination – a buttery, fragrant, flavourful cake with a pleasant, grainy bite and surprise centre of sticky sour-sweet apricot.

Animal-free cupcakes

Basic Chocolate Cupcake and Rich Chocolate Ganache Topping (Vegan Cupcakes)

Cuspcake Rating: 3/5
 

Perfect chance to try a vegan cupcake recipe today – I'm heading to a family gathering later and as with most modern families, I too have some relatives with medical conditions and the related dietary concerns, so I'd feel guilty bringing dessert if it weren't a somewhat healthier option.

While most of the reviews of Vegan Cupcakes I read raved about the fact that omnivores wouldn't be able to tell the difference between these and regular cupcake recipes, I beg to differ.

The cupcakes are like chocolate cupcake lite – with a lighter and less crumbly texture, almost like an Asian steamed rice cake. The closest description I can think of is the difference between drinking soy milk and full-cream milk – similarly, these are less cloying in the mouth and the stomach, and leave you feeling virtuous, and like you're on a diet. Which unfortunately for me means my omni relatives will probably need more than one each to feel satisfied.

The Ganache was good, not too rich, despite its name, and a welcome touch to the breathy cupcakes. I'm glad I opted for it instead of a cream frosting, which I think would have made the eating even more fleeting.

Will definitely try more recipes from the book, which as far as I can tell mostly replaces dairy products with their soy equivalents, and magically makes up for the missing eggs, I have not yet figured out what replaces them. I like the convenience of not having to look out for the expiry dates on a dozen packages of dairy perishables, and think these vegan recipes will make a great pulled-these-together-last-minute option since all the main ingredients involved keep quite well.

Will perhaps look for soy milk powder and try that out too, as currently soy milk is the only fresh refrigerated ingredient I'll have to remember to keep on hand.

Update on the vegan chocolate cupcakes: They were well-received, said to be very moist and enjoyable. There were lots of I-can't-believe-it's-vegan!-type responses and expressions. Will try more soon, especially since there's loads of soy milk in the fridge! Perhaps the Apricot-glazed Almond Cupcakes this weekend, since I've an opened package of almonds as well.