• rzperllian on January 07, 2010

  There are only two bad things I can say about this book: it will make you fat, and it uses a fair number of unusual ingredients, even for a vegan epicure (chocolate extract? green tea powder? seriously?). Nevertheless, there are some really simple recipes, and some really elegant ones, and I saw the weird ingredients as a fun challenge. I've made most of the cupcakes in here over the course of 2 years, and only a few have been short of delightful. Even my non-vegan roommates liked getting in on the action, because a good cupcake is a good cupcake, and there are lots of those in here. Pretty much all vegans ought to own this book, I think, unless they don't like dessert.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Apricot-glazed almond cupcakes

  • rzperllian on January 07, 2010

    These are delicious, sophisticated, and simple (relatively, anyway). One of my favorites, and a hit all around!

• Green tea cupcakes with green tea glaze and almond flowers

  • rzperllian on January 07, 2010

    Matcha powder is expensive, but a little goes a long way. My boyfriend loves these cupcakes; to me, they're just really almondy. Interesting, for sure.

  • rionafaith on September 22, 2016

    Unusual but tasty. Go to the effort of making the marzipan flowers -- they're quite easy and make a beautiful topper.

• Orange pudding cupcakes with chocolate ganache

  • rzperllian on January 07, 2010

    Marmalade chocolate = heaven! These take a lot of time to make (which is obvious from the recipe), but they're pretty impressive. I remember there being way too much pudding.

• Mexican hot chocolate cupcakes

  • rzperllian on January 07, 2010

    These are rich, spicy, chocolatey, interesting. I like that they're not frosted. They're sure to please even the non-vegans; a sure winner, and the ones I make most often.

• Crimson velveteen cupcakes with old-fashioned velvet icing

  • CRCarroll6 on December 11, 2010

    I love, love, love these...

• Tiramisù cupcakes

  • imaluckyducky on June 23, 2013

    These can be a pain in the neck to make, and may not look as pretty as the pictures the first time around (I suck at cutting out a hole for the filling :( ). However, these cupcakes are amazing! Not too sweet, not too boozy (although you can remedy that!).

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    5 stars. HANDS DOWN the best cupcake I've made from this book and the best cupcake I've made in my life. We adore them and have made them so many times that the pages their components are on has detached from my second print copy of this cookbook (copy #1 fell apart long ago). The first time I made them, I looked askance at the cream cheese frosting, but it's terrific in this recipe. There is only 1/4 cup cream cheese to 1/4 cup earth balance and 2 C confectioners' sugar so even Tofutti cheese works great in this recipe. These cupcakes are so worth making for anyone who loves tiramisu, and worth trying even if you don't. My only caution would be to use real Kahlua and not an off-brand-- it makes such a difference to the flavor.

• Chai latte cupcakes

  • imaluckyducky on June 23, 2013

    These are quite good! A good quality black tea will go a long way in this recipe. They bake up extremely moist, so if you're transporting them somewhere, it may be best to sprinkle the powdered sugar spice mix when you arrive to your destination.

  • Lglen on October 09, 2018

    Made them twice and they’re great! Both times I used a chai black tea rather than just black tea

• Hazelnut cupcakes with mocha hazelnut mousse filling

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    2.5 stars. It was a very time consuming recipe, and I left out the nutmeg and cinnamon because I didn't want to adulterate the hazelnut flavors. I think that may have been a mistake. They turned out okay, but not impressive for all the work I put in. If I ever make them again, they will have nutmeg and cinnamon in them. I'd rate the reward for all the work at 2 stars but I'm adding half a star on the benefit of the doubt because of my cinnamon / nutmeg omission.

• Pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes with cinnamon icing

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    3 stars. I brought these to a vegan Thanksgiving potluck party and they were a huge hit. Everyone liked them but me. I hate pumpkin desserts but I thought maybe these would be the exception. Nope, no such luck. Apparently I still hate pumpkin desserts. But everyone who likes pumpkin desserts LOVED these.

• Apple cider cupcakes

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    I brought these to a vegan Thanksgiving potluck. A BIG HIT AND I LOVED THEM. My only caveat about these is that it takes a long time for the apple cider to cook down. If it weren't for that, I'd make them for Thanksgiving every year but as it is I've only made them once.

• Cappuchino cupcakes filled with espresso crème

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    1/2 star. The only real fail I've had from this cookbook. I made these for my dad's birthday since he is into all things coffee. But they tasted bitter and strange and no one in the family liked them. We ended up throwing them out, which was a big disappointment because they were a lot of work to make.

• Chocolate cherry crème cupcakes

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    4 stars. Very, very good.

• Chocolate mint cupcakes

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    3.5 stars. They were very good (and the presentation was great) but too minty, with mint both in the cupcake and the icing. If I make them again I might leave off the icing and frost with the ganache alone. Not that we had any difficulty finishing these or anything!

• Toasted coconut cupcakes

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    2 stars. Made these along with Coffee Buttercream Frosting as suggested. They came out very dense. I think it must have been the coconut oil in the cupcakes that made them dense, or else the fact that there is only baking powder but no baking soda or vinegar in the cupcake recipe? They tasted good, but were dense enough that I probably won't make them again. The coffee buttercream frosting was delicious.

• Vanilla gluten-freedom cupcakes

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    1.5 stars. I made these once for a friend with gluten sensitivity. My husband went shopping for the ingredients and couldn't find almond flour so he bought corn flour (another option given in the recipe) instead. Made with corn flour, these tasted too strongly of corn in the recipe I used them for (a gluten free version of the Tiramisu Cupcakes). If I ever make these gluten free again, I will go to the trouble to hunt down almond flour. The corn flour variation was really pretty awful.

  • Hannaha100 on April 19, 2020

    I made this and was a total failure. At 160C they never cooked in the middle and developed a crust on top. I'm willing to believe it might be because I ground my own flour and this may have thrown the quantities off. Unlikely to repeat.

• Golden vanilla cupcakes

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    4 stars. A basic cupcake that is the foundation of many of the recipes in the book. It's very good.

• Your basic chocolate cupcake

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    4.5 stars. An excellent base for many cupcake recipes. The suggestion that chocolate extract can be added to the batter is pure genius. I had never bought chocolate extract before that, and had no idea it could make chocolate cake so much more chocolatey. Now I always make these with the optional chocolate extract. They are excellent that way.

  • Lglen on September 18, 2018

    Made these twice, second time a double batch for my daughter’s wedding with half frosted with peppermint extract (hence the green gummy and candy decoration) these are a sure win at least when made as mini cupcakes. I used a good quality tin by Dough makers and parchment paper liners.

• Peanut butter chocolate heavencakes

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    4 stars. Heaven, indeed! These are SO GOOD. I've also tried substituting hazelnut butter for peanut butter in this recipe. You would think it would be straightforward, but it's not. The nut butter buttercream frosting was very hard to get right with hazelnut butter. I kept having to adjust the ingredients to get a good consistency. But the results tasted SO AMAZING that I've actually made these twice.

• Chocolate mocha cupcakes

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    Technically I haven't made this combination of Your Basic Chocolate Cupcakes and Mocha Frosting but I've made both components for other recipes and I bet they'd be great together.

• German chocolate cupcakes

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    4 stars. I made these for my husband's birthday one year because he loves most coconut desserts. They were good but the Coconut Pecan Fudge Frosting was a bit too sweet for my palate. My husband, whose sweet tooth knows no bounds, liked them more than I did.

• Sexy low-fat vanilla cupcakes with fresh berries

  • LFL on May 15, 2021

    3.5 stars. I made these at my sister-in-law's request once but don't remember them well so they must not have been that memorable. They were good for a low fat dessert, but I prefer my desserts a little richer.

• Vegan fluffy buttercream frosting

  • Hannaha100 on May 02, 2020

    I made this and added a couple of drops of almond extract which I think helped disguise the taste of shortening which I hate. Tasted good and looked pretty but as written too soft for piping - it doesn't hold it's shape with our usual margarine. Add more icing sugar next time (see Mellissa Morgan)

• Gingerbread cupcakes

  • rionafaith on September 22, 2016

    Made these a while back, but I remember them being delicious. Topped with lemon cream cheese icing from the same book and a garnish of crystallized ginger.

• Lemony vanilla cupcakes

  • Lglen on September 18, 2018

    I’ve made this twice, both times made 24 mini muffins and both times they were very good. I’m sure I will make them again since most people enjoy lemon.

• Brooklyn vs. Boston cream pie cakes

  • Octobre on June 05, 2019

    Delicious and rich! (even just using the semisweet chocolate vs. the darker option for the ganache). 15 minutes is EXACTLY the perfect time to eat these after removing them from the fridge to thaw.