Cupcakes for your Cupcake

My mom volunteered to bake Valentine's Day themed cupcakes for a church function on Thursday, so then inspired by her generosity, I volunteered to bake them for her. I had some mighty grandiose plans for these cupcakes, but then when Wednesday ended up being a particularly long and stressful day, I resorted to my standard Red Velvet recipe. I did, however, make some modifications to the standard. I decided to opt out of the red food coloring, add a bit of almond extract, double up on the cocoa powder for half of the batch and leave it out entirely for the other half. I ended up with a dozen white cupcakes and a dozen chocolate, which I mixed and matched with a chocolate cream cheese frosting and a vanilla buttercream.  

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White Cupcakes

These Red Velvet Cupcakes with the following modifications:

- No food coloring
- No cocoa powder
- 4 extra tablespoons flour
- 2 teaspoons almond extract (optional)

Makes 2 dozen cupcakes.

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Chocolate Cupcakes

These Red Velvet Cupcakes with the following modifications:

- No food coloring
- 8 tablespoons cocoa powder instead of 4
- 2 teaspoons almond extract (optional)

Makes 2 dozen cupcakes.

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Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

14 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
9 oz vegan cream cheese (I used Tofutti brand)
9 tablespoons soy butter (I used Earth Balance)
3 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1 cup + 2 tablespoons vegan sour cream (I used Tofutti brand)
chocolate curls for the top (optional)

Directions

Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over simmering water (double broiler). Set aside to cool until just barely warm.

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat cream cheese and butter on medium high for 3-4 minutes.

Stir in sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.

Beat in the chocolate and sour cream.

Heat a block of chocolate in the microwave or over the stove for a bit, then use a vegetable peeler to make curls.

Makes enough frosting for 2 dozen cupcakes.

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Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

1/2 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
1/2 cup soy butter (I used Earth Balance)
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer (I actually used vanilla soy milk)

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat shortening and butter on medium high for 3-4 minutes.

Stir in sugar and vanilla.

Add the soy milk a few tablespoons at a time until you reach the right consistency. Note the humidity can vary the amount of liquid needed, so you may need to add a bit more soy milk than 1/4 cup, depending on the day.

Makes enough frosting for a dozen cupcakes.

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