Julie's Kitchenette

Cupcake Book & Giveaway

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If it seems like I’m doing a lot of reviews and giveaways lately, just wait. There’s a couple more coming your way. Today’s giveaway is my cupcake cookbook.

I actually wrote the original version of this book back in 2005. It was my third cookbook, and I was crazy about cupcakes! In fact, we lived on cupcakes while I wrote that book. Breakfast, lunch and dinner (with some salads thrown in for good measure). I remember there were a lot of middle schoolers hanging out in our kitchen (and quite a few parents too). They timed it just right, as I would pull batch after batch out of the oven. Good thing for my kids friends, as my two quickly tired of cupcakes. As I would ask for feedback, they would look at me and say “It’s fine mom. Just please don’t make me taste it again. I’m getting kind of tired of sweets.” Yes, my kids uttered words I never thought I’d hear. Tired…of…sweets.

Although my daughter now longingly dreams about those cupcakes, my son blames me for killing his sweet tooth. What can I say? You can’t always make everyone happy. Plus, I probably did my son a favor. Fortunately for my daughter, last summer I was baking again, and came up with 25 new cupcake recipes for the latest edition of this book (150 Best Cupcake Recipes). The best part about these new recipes is they’re vegan, delicious and some of the most tender cupcakes I’ve ever made. We even sold them at our food cart.

I will add that the original book is not vegan, although there were a handful of recipes that were. So now the book is vegan-friendly, with 25 plus vegan recipes, that will make you want to get baking.

So in honor of the new edition of my cupcake book, I am doing another giveaway. My publisher has generously offered to send the winner a book (US and Canada), so all you have to do is leave a comment below, as well as an email or a way for me to reach you (should you win).

And, in case you feel like baking cupcakes this weekend, here’s a couple of recipes from the book. Enjoy!

Vegan Creamsicle Cupcakes
Creamsicles were my favorite ice cream pops growing up. With the delicious combination of orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream, this was the crème de la crème of frozen desserts. Here I’ve combined those fab flavors into my new favorite cupcake. Oh, and although you may be tempted to substitute another starch for the potato, don’t. The potato starch is magic in this recipe, and others just don’t compare here.
Preheat oven to 350°F
Muffin pan, lined with paper liners
Makes 12 cupcakes

3/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup potato starch
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate,thawed
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp pure orange oil (such as Boyajian)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, mix together the milk and vinegar. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, potato starch, baking powder and salt, until well mixed.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, orange juice concentrate, vanilla, orange oil and half of the reserved milk. Whisk until smooth. Add half of the flour mixture, whisking just until incorporated. Add the remaining milk and flour, whisking just until smooth.
4. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, making sure not to fill the cups more than 2/3 of the way as they will overflow. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out slightly crumby/clean and the tops of the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.
5. Remove the pan from the oven. Let the cupcakes sit 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely. Frost cooled cupcakes with Fluffy Vanilla Cream Frosting.

Recipe reprinted with permission from 150 BEST CUPCAKE RECIPES, by Julie Hasson, 2012, Robert Rose, Inc.

Vegan Fluffy Vanilla Cream Frosting
This is a perfect plain jane frosting to off-set some of the bold flavors of cupcakes in this book. I mean plain Jane in the most possitive way; it’s got a subtle flavor, perfectly sweet and not over-powering with it’s own bold flavors.
Makes about 2 cups (500 mL), enough to frost 12 cupcakes

1 cup organic shortening (like Spectrum or Whole Foods brands), room temperature
3 cups confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
4 tbsp vanilla or plain soy milk (or almond milk)
1 tbsp vanilla paste or extract

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the shortening, confectioner’s sugar, soymilk, and vanilla extract.
2. With mixer on low, slowly whip ingredients until blended and the confectioner’s sugar is incorporated. Stop machine and scrape sides of bowl with a spatula. Whip the frosting mixture on high speed for several minutes, until it’s super fluffy and has the texture of mousse. Depending on your mixer, it may take 5 minutes.
3. Scoop the frosting into a pastry bag and pipe on cooled cupcakes. Alternately, use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to swirl the frosting decoratively onto the cooled cupcakes.

Tip: The first is using a stand mixer with a whip attachment, as it whips a lot of air into the frosting. The second is using organic palm shortening. Something about it whips into the creamiest texture. If you like lots of frosting on your cupcakes, you can always make 1 1/2 times this recipe.

Recipe reprinted with permission from 150 BEST CUPCAKE RECIPES, by Julie Hasson, 2012, Robert Rose, Inc.

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  4. We love orange cuppy-cakes (what my daughter used to call them when she was small)! Looking forward to giving this recipe a try!

  5. how fun! congrats on having a new edition of your book put out – and on getting to inject a bunch of vegan recipes in this time around! 🙂 xo

  12. You are amazing. Congrats on another cookbook! My family loves your recipe for coffee cake! You are awesome!! 🙂

  14. Delicious! I will try using gluten-free flour mix. I used to love orange creamsicles, too.

  18. My husband is still talking about your cupcakes that you sold at the cart last summer. They are the best!! We can’t wait for your cupcake book to come out 🙂

  19. Yum! I’m adding these to my “to make” list – you can never have too many cupcakes.

  27. Since Portland is so far away and I cannot come to the Native Bowl the 150 Best cupcake recipes will have to do :)))

  30. What a great giveaway! I love both cupcakes and your recipes so it would be great to win. 🙂

  31. I loved creamsicles too! I am definitely going to try these cupcakes! I have had some bad luck with not-so-great recipes lately, but I have confidence in this one to end my streak!

  34. Awesome! I LOVE cupcakes…and as a kindergarten teacher I have many fun times baking for and with my kindergarten kids! I would love to have a new cupcake cookbook to try out! I will keep my fingers crossed! And yes, creamsicles are amazing…we used to buy them at school in the cafeteria! What happened to the good ole’ days!Thanks for all you do for the Vegan world!

  41. Ohhh I know a lot of people who have sweet tooth’s and I love to make them smile :)*fingers crossed* this will be a new addition to my mini library. Happy Baking!