I'll Take S'More Cupcakes, Please

S'mores make my heart dance, my tastebuds smile, and my hideously off-key voice sing. They're truly the edible essence of summer.

I'll be honest: marshmallows on their own don't do much for me. I don't like them jumbo or miniature, bunny-shaped or Halloween-themed, or even melted with my Rice Krispies.

But when those pillowy clouds of sugar are sandwiched between two sweet honey grahams and some milk chocolatey Hershey's goodness...Whew! Hellooooo, Marshmallow...

For Memorial Day weekend, I was eager to bring a summer-theme dessert to share at the family picnic. Although last year's blue ribbon winning S'More Bar Cookies were hard to beat, I was looking for something new to celebrate the arrival of summer.

Enter S'More Cupcakes.

I'll take s'more of those scrumptious cupcakes, please.

They're messy, they're gooey, and the tops are drizzled with more chocolate. Did I mention the rich chocolate buttercream?

Enough said. Let's get baking.

S'More Cupcakes

Nothing says summer like roasted marshmallows. When a bonfire isn't handy though, and you forgot to sharpen your marshmallow-roasting sticks, make these cupcakes for the potluck picnic instead.

Cupcake Ingredients:

• Your favorite chocolate cupcake recipe, for 12 cupcakes (I used this fabulous recipe)
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, divided
• Mini marshmallows (about 6 per cupcake)
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tsp. milk

Chocolate Frosting Ingredients:

• 10 TBSP butter, softened
• 2 TBSP shortening
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3 - 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 - 5 TBSP milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Prepare chocolate cupcake batter (for 12 cupcakes). Stir in 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs and 1/2 cup mini milk chocolate chips. Bake cupcakes as directed and cool completely.

2) To prepare frosting: Cream butter and shortening together until light and fluffy. Beat in cocoa powder until well-blended. Beat in powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments, adding a little milk after each sugar addition. Add vanilla extract and mix frosting until thoroughly combined (add more sugar or milk to reach desired consistency).

3) To prepare chocolate drizzle: Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips and 2 tsp. milk together in the microwave (or over a double-boiler).

4) To assemble: Spoon frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe frosting high onto cupcakes. Place about 5 - 6 mini marshmallows around the cupcake. Drizzle with semi-sweet chocolate drizzle and sprinkle with crushed graham cracker crumbs.

Vegan Cleanse Time, Baby!

After several weeks of cupcake mania in my kitchen, the muffin tins are finally empty. The cupcake liners are all gone. And there's not an ounce of frosting left in sight.

Perhaps the loudest indicator of this cupcake-madness conclusion is my stomach: She's begging me for a vegan cleanse.

Ask and you shall receive, my dear Tummy.

So, after polishing off the last, lonely chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting last night, I began working on this week's cake-less meal plan. That's right, folks: no frosting, no butter, and much less chocolate. I mean, it is Lent after all.

Tonight's feature: Asian Slaw with Almonds and Oranges. It all started with a bowlful of this:

Seriously. Yum.

I hope you enjoy this dish of vegan-licious-ness as much as I did.

As a side note, I settled on the following three flavors for the baby shower cupcakes: Chocolate Yogurt Cupcakes with Peanut Butter frosting, Classic Birthday Cupcakes, and Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes. We packaged 'em up to match the Dr. Seuss-themed baby-fest, and placed one cup o' cake at each guests' place setting. I can't lie: It was pretty adorable.

Alright, enough cake talk. Let's get down to those vegan goods, shall we?

Asian Slaw with Oranges and Almonds

(adapted from a Cooking Light Magazine recipe)

The soy sauce makes for a delicious vinaigrette of sorts for this crunchy, veggie-loaded slaw. If you don't have fresh oranges on hand, go ahead and sub in mandarin slices.

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 bag of shredded cabbage
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
• 1/3 cup toasted sunflower seeds
• 2 oranges, diced

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 TBSP apple cider vinegar
• 1 TBSP honey
• 1 TBSP lime juice
• 1 - 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• pinch of fresh ginger
• fresh salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Creamsicle Cupcakes

I've said it before, and I'll say it again:

Citrus treats should be enjoyed year-round...not just during the heat of summer, alongside a glass of lemonade.

For this reason, Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes will be included in the cupcake assortment featured at Liz's baby shower this weekend. These cupcakes are loaded with orange juice, orange extract, and even a little orange peel. I went with a lemon theme for the frosting, altering my simple buttercream recipe by using lemon juice instead of milk, and adding a dash of lemon extract.

Need a little more sweetness? A hint of decadence? Drizzle some melted white chocolate across the tops. More white chocolate only makes things better. I promise.

With that being said, I'm off to spend the better part of today preparing for tomorrow's baby-loving festival. May there be lots of games, plenty of tea sandwiches, and a bowl full of that delicious punch with a block sherbet floating on top.

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

(adapted from a recipe in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)

If lemon isn't your thing, create an Orange Buttercream frosting by substituting orange juice and extract for the lemon juice and extract.

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp. orange extract
• 1 - 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
• 1/3 cup white chocolate chips, dusted with about 1/2 TBSP flour

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3 - 1/2 confectioner's sugar
• 1/2 tsp. lemon extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 - 3 TBSP lemon juice
• extra milk, if needed

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.

2) Combine oil, sugar, milk, juice, and extracts in a large mixing bowl. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and zest. Beat for 2 - 3 minutes. Stir in white chocolate chips. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 20 - 23 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

3) To prepare frosting: Beat the butter and shortening for about 1 - 2 minutes. Add sugar, extract, and lemon juice and continue mixing. Add additional milk if needed for the consistency. Beat for 3 - 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Classic Birthday Cupcakes

When I think of a truly classic birthday cake combination, I immediately picture vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream frosting and rainbow sprinkles.

To be honest, my vanilla cake/chocolate frosting/rainbow sprinkles birthday fantasy is also accompanied by other 1950s housewife-ish images. I would be lying if I said my imaginary birthday scenario didn't include a ruffled waist apron and a flaired-skirt dress with polka dots.

Half of this classic birthday scene unfolded this weekend. While I was able to create the ultimate vanilla cupcake, piled high with spoonfuls of chocolate buttercream, there were unfortunately no ruffled aprons or high heels involved. My friend Kate celebrated her 30th year, and sprinkled cupcakes were definitely in order.

The recipe for these sweet treats hails from my top-notch favorite dessert cookbook: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. The cupcakes were so moist. I've officially declared this my new go-to vanilla cake recipe. And although I'm always one to lean towards chocolate buttercream, these mini-cakes would also go great with vanilla or lemon frosting, garnished with sliced strawberries.

Maybe in another life I'll get my chance at the 1950s housewife thing. In the meantime I'll keep rocking the whole feminist-of-the-millenium identity...which definitely involves cupcake-baking.

What's your favorite birthday cake?

Classic Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream

(recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)

These cupcakes are moist, light, and the just the right amount of sweetness. While chocolate buttercream goes perfectly, I'd encourage you to go wild with your frosting options. Experiment with lemon buttercream, orange cream cheese frosting, or even a rich chocolate ganache.

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk, any kind
• 1/3 cup oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 - 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 2 TBSP cornstarch
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup real butter (or non-hydrogenated vegan margarine) at room temperature
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 - 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 - 4 TBSP milk

Directions:

1) To prepare cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Use an electric mixer to beat together the milk, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Mix in the dry ingredients until well-blended and lumps are gone!

2) Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 -- 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20 - 24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

3) To prepare frosting: Use an electric mixer to beat together the butter and cocoa powder. Beat in the vanilla extract. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk until frosting is light and fluffy and has reached a desirable spreading consistency. Frost cupcakes liberally and top with rainbow sprinkles :)

Cup-Caking is a Verb

Ever since receiving Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World earlier this month, I've basically been a cup o' cake maniac.

Our neighbors look hungry for cupcakes, don't they?

Adam's lab-mates really like lemon desserts. Maybe I should make them some cupcakes?

We don't celebrate trash day enough. Bring on the cupcakes!

And finally, the best and most ultimate excuse to bake these pint-sized desserts: a baby shower.

Baby showers are filled with pastel colors, lots of booties, and plenty of cheesy games. It's high time we add cupcakes into the mix. And since I'm planning a March baby shower for my pal Liz, I made an executive decision to feature a cupcake buffet at this baby-lovin' event.

This means I'll have to do some dreaded prep-work: you know, recipe-testing, baking, and tasting lots of cupcakes. It's such a hard life, isn't it?

I used the basics from my new cupcake bible to create a Pumpkin-Pecan Cupcake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting this weekend. Results were overwhelmingly positive, including a unanimous "yes" to be included in the March cupcake buffet.

So let's get cup-caking my friends. Because if "cup-caking" wasn't a verb before, it most certainly is now.

Pumpkin-Pecan Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

(inspired by the lovely ladies of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)

These cupcakes are so moist and tender, and cinnamon cream cheese frosting is simply essential. This miniature dessert would make the perfect addition to your fall party spread...or a March baby shower :)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 TBSP nonfat vanilla yogurt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk (I used skim)
• 1 - 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 - 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• Extra pecan halves for garnish

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup cream cheese (I used 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese)
• 3 cups confectioner's sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 - 2 TBSP milk, if needed

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.

2) In a large bowl, stir together the pumpkin, oil, yogurt sugar, milk, and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients with a spoon until well-combined. Fold in chopped pecans.

3) Fill cupcake liners two thirds full and bake for 22 - 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack completely before frosting.

4) To prepare frosting: Beat the butter cream cheese together. Add the vanilla and cinnamon. Beat in the confectioner's sugar in 1/2 cup increments. Add milk and/or more sugar to reach desired consistency. Frost cupcakes, and top each with a pecan half.

Cupcake Believer

In my previous life, I wasn't much of a cupcake person. I preferred a big ol' honkin' slice of cake.

I feared the cupcake because it seemed to dictate its serving size to me: One cupcake is one serving. With a full cake though, a serving is a slice...and your slice can be as big as you want it to be. That's my kind of serving size.

However, I've become a cupcake believer over time. They're cute, they're snack-size, and they're rich with decorating possibilities. Plus, as I near the ripe old age of 27, it's probably not such a bad idea that my food start to dictate its serving size to me.

Given my recent affinity for the cup o' cake dessert, I was thrilled to receive Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World as an early birthday present from my in-laws this weekend (They also gifted me with the unbeatable Veganomicon. Adam's parents clearly have impeccable cookbook taste).

This cookbook rocked my fuzzy socks right off my feet. We're talking over 100 pages of toasted coconut cupcakes, lemon-blueberry cupcakes, banana split cupcakes...and lots of dark chocolate ganache.

I may never go back to full-size cakes again.

Do you need a little push to become a cupcake believer? Try today's recipe: Chocolate Yogurt Cupcakes with Peanut Butter frosting. I adapted their recipe quite a bit to work with ingredients I had on hand, which resulted in a non-vegan cupcake with ever-so-slightly less fat than the original recipe (secret ingredient: vanilla yogurt).

The non-optional key to this recipe? The peanut butter frosting. Oh heavens, yes.

If these choco-peanut butter love bugs don't make you a cupcake believer, I don't know what will.

Chocolate Yogurt Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

(adapted from a recipe in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Maskowitz and Terry Hope Romero)

I subbed in non-fat vanilla yogurt for a significant amount of the oil in this recipe. You won't even notice...especially with those mounds of peanut butter frosting on top. And please note, this recipe is NOT vegan! This recipe makes 14 - 15 cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (I used nonfat)
• 1/2 cup milk (I used skim)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 TBSP instant coffee granules
• 1 cup + 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Peanut Butter Frosting Ingredients:

• 10 TBSP butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup no-stir, natural creamy peanut butter
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 - 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 2 - 4 TBSP milk
• Chopped peanut butter cups

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners (after filling the 12 cupcake cups, I poured the extra batter into 2 ramekins for 2 additional gi-normous cupcakes).

2) Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the yogurt, milk, sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Sift in the remaining ingredients and beat well with an electric mixer (about 2- 3 minutes). Stir in the melted chocolate.

3) Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling only 2/3 full. Bake for 23 - 26 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

4) To prepare the frosting, beat the butter and peanut butter together; beat in the vanilla extract. Slowly sift in the confectioner's sugar while continuously beating and add 1 - 2 TBSP of milk (whatever is needed to get the frosting to spreading consistency).

5) When cupcakes have cooled, frost each one generously with the peanut butter frosting. Top with chopped Reese's peanut butter cups.