Recipe Review: Pumpkin Cupcakes

 

Source: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

I think I have had an unconscious obsession with orange food this fall based on how many orange dishes I have made. Or, the most likely case is I like to base my meals around the brightest, most colorful produce of the season I can afford, which in the fall means many of my veggies will be orange.

A friend who eats vegan deserts due to food allergies shared this recipe with me. I love recipes like this because all of the ingredients are already in my pantry, except the milk but there are many options for this. To keep the cupcake dairy-free use soy milk or a nut milk. Other substitutions include fruit juice, apple or orange would be tasty, or water. In my vegan baking experiments, I have occasionally used water instead of milk but I think the milk results in the best product. In my case, I may not always have dairy milk on hand but I always have half-and-half for my coffee. In a bind, I use equal parts half-and-half and water.

The wet ingredients.

I have made this recipe three times with yams instead of pumpkin and loved every batch. To do this, I pricked a fresh yam several times with a fork, cooked it in the microwave until done (the amount of time needed varies with the size of the yam), and let it cool until I could remove the skin. I then mashed the yam with a potato masher. I used 1 cup of mashed yam in the recipe and held onto any leftovers for a different use.

The dry ingredients. From top left going clockwise: cinnamon with nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, salt, whole-wheat flour, and all-purpose flour.

Z. hates yams so he has not tried these cupcakes. He suggested I try substituting the yams with white potatoes. Making potato cupcakes will be my next culinary adventure. Potato donuts are amazing so potato cupcakes should be great, too.

I have included the recipe for my slight adaptation of the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World Recipe. * is placed next to each ingredient that I have adapted or changed. Also, I did not include the recipe for the frosting recipe. I think this cupcakes are delicious and perfectly sweet without. You will have to get their book to find the recipe. Enjoy!

Yam Muffins, adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

1 cup cooked mashed yam *
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour or 3/4 cup all-purpose flour plus 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour (my preference!)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon *
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon (I suggest 3/8 teaspoon) salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line muffin pan with liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together mashed yam, oil, sugar, milk, and vanilla.
3. In another bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Sift the dry ingredients into the yam mixture. Stir until combined.
4. Fill each muffin about 2/3rds full. Bake about 22-24 minutes, or until done.