Strawberry Sweet Wine Compote Cake Bites

I loved these so much I made them for several events last summer. I based the recipe off One Green Planet's recipe. These use a mini-cupcake tin, which is a perfect bite-sized dessert.


Ingredients:
Strawberry Wine Compote:
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries (hulled and quartered)
1/2- 3/4 cup sweet wine, such as Riesling, Moscato, Gewürztraminer, or another sweet wine

1/4 cup sugar 

Cupcakes:
3/4 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

baking spray

Sweet Wine Frosting:
1/4 cup vegan margarine, room temperature
1/4 cup vegan shortening
3-3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons sweet wine of your choice (see above) 

Additional fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered

Additional powdered sugar

Directions:
To Make the Compote:

1. Combine the strawberries, wine and sugar in a small pot and heat over medium high heat. The amount of wine depends on your taste. The 3/4 cup measure will provide a fuller flavor, but it will take a little bit longer for the compote to cook down.
2. Bring the compote to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer. Let the compote simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The liquid should have reduced by about 3/4 and all of the strawberries should be broken down. 
3. Set aside and allow to cool.

To Make the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a mini cupcake tin with baking spray.
2. Use a whisk or a fork to mix the apple cider vinegar into the almond milk. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk or sift the mixture together.
4. Add the oil, sugar and vanilla to the almond milk mixture. Mix well and add to the flour mixture. 
5. Use a whisk to beat the mixture for a minute, getting rid of lumps. (Electronic mixers are good for this.)
6. Pour the strawberry wine compote into the batter and use a spatula to fold it in. Do not completely mixed, you want ribbons of the compote throughout the cupcakes.
7. Pour batter into each cupcake cup about half-full or so and bake for 9-11 minutes, until the cupcakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 
8. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tin for about 10-15 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

To Make the Frosting:

1. Use an electric mixer to cream the margarine and the shortening together, beating for about 2 minutes. 
2. Add the powdered sugar half a cup at a time with the mixer on low. 
3. After 2 cups of powdered sugar are added, add 2 tablespoons of wine. 
4. Add 1 more cup of powdered sugar. 
5. Beat for 2 minutes on high (as high as your mixer can go without frosting being flung all over your kitchen!). Taste the frosting, add more sugar or wine as needed.
6. Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, frost them with a butter knife or using a pastry bag. 
7. Dust with powdered sugar for a pretty presentation.
8. Store covered at room temperature.

Notes:

• If you are desperate, you can use frozen strawberries for the compote, but they will not make pretty toppings.
• Makes 48 mini-cupcakes, or so.
• By the way, I shared these with a large group of people that I did not tell they were vegan and then once they found out (because 1 person knew I was vegan and saw me eat one, they were amazed.)

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting

In search for a vegan lemon cupcake that could possibly replace the delicious Lemon Creme Lemon Cupcakes, I found a recipe at Vegan Cupcake Recipes. The problem is that the recipe is slightly poorly written and there's no creamy center like the cupcakes I've made. In addition, the images shown look like there's a lemon custard in the middle, but that's clearly added in for the photos and the recipe for it is not given. All those drawbacks aside, the cupcakes are delicious. I've fixed the recipe so they issues should be less of a problem. I'm still on the hunt for a vegan cupcake that has all the components of a lemon cream lemon cupcake.

Ingredients:
1 cup vegan margarine, softened
2 cups organic unbleached sugar
1/2 cup non-dairy yogurt
1/4 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups vegan sour cream

Frosting
3 tablespoons vegan margarine, softened
2 1/4 cups organic unbleached sugar (what the recipe calls for, but I need to try it with powdered sugar)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1-2 tablespoons soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)


Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, cream margarine and organic unbleached sugar.
2. Mix in yogurt and applesauce.
3. Add lemon peel and vanilla, and continue to mix well.
4. In a second bowl, combine dry ingredients. 
5. Add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream (batter will be thick).
6. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter.
7. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
8. Cool for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool 
9. Frosting:
10. Cream margarine and organic unbleached sugar in large mixing bowl. 
11. Add lemon juice, vanilla, lemon peel, and soy milk; whip until smooth. This may take awhile as I never got it with granulated sugar to be smooth.
12. Frost cupcakes.

Notes:

• As I noted, either powdered sugar needs to be used in the frosting, which I haven't tried yet, OR you have to whip for a very long time to get nice smooth frosting.

Corn Bread Muffins

Please ignore the Halloween wraps; I thought we had a bunch of pan liners and these were the only ones I could find. Super tasty, it's very hard to eat just one. Based upon this recipe, I found appropriate mixes to make these.

Ingredients:
1 pkg Corn Muffin Mix
1 pkg yellow cake mix
2 Tbsp Ener-G Egg Replacer 
1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup almond milk
1 1/3 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375^o.
2. Mix 2 Tbsp Ener-G Egg Replaces with 1/2 cup warm water.
3. Blend all ingredients together.  Beat for 2 minutes.
4. Pour into lined muffin/cupcake pans.  
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean.

Notes:

• Makes 20.

Dessert: Día de Muertos Cake

A few years ago, I took this photo for a contest. It is one of my favorite cakes, and is perfect for the upcoming holiday.


Ingredients:
Cake
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups unsweeetened milk
2 tablespoons vinegar (apple cider or white)

Frosting
1/2 cup vegan butter, somewhat softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 tablespoons unsweetened milk


Directions:
Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Oil two 8-inch cake pans, or prepare cupcake/muffin tins with paper liners or silicon cups.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, salt, and sugar.
4. In a separate bowl, beat together the applesauce, oil, vanilla extract, milk, and vinegar. 
5. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix until everything is thoroughly combined. 
6. Pour the batter into the baking pans or cupcake/muffin tins, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes (cupcakes – 15 to 17 minutes), or until the cake comes away from the sides of the pans and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Frosting

1. Cream together all the ingredients on low speed until smooth. Increase the speed slowly until the frosting is light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add an additional 1 or 2 tablespoons of milk, if necessary.

Notes:

Yield: Enough for one layer cake or 18 cupcakes.

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

These cupcakes are too good to be true. Get yourself some fresh strawberries to top these. I got the original recipe from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. They were enjoyed by everybody in the house.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
½-tsp baking soda
½-tsp fine salt
¼-cup applesauce
1 cup raw sugar
1 cup almond milk
1 tsp lemon extract
sliced strawberries

Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
red food coloring

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. 
3. In a large bowl, whisk applesauce, raw sugar, almond milk, and lemon extract until well combined. 
4. Pour dry mixture into wet mixture in 3 to 4 batches, stirring until just combined. 
5. Bake in lined muffin cups for 15-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Icing

1. Whisk powdered sugar, almond milk, vanilla extract, and a drop of red food coloring in a small bowl, adding more sugar to thicken or more milk to thin it out. 
2. Once the cupcakes have fully cooled, slather icing over top and garnish with fresh strawberry slices. 

Notes:

• Makes 12

Dessert: Geeky Hostess's Pumpkin Ale Cupcakes with Pumpkin Spice Frosting

I'm a sucker for pumpkin. Last year, this blog posted many of my favorite pumpkin recipes. This one from Geeky Hostess was fun. 

Ingredients:

Cupcakes
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup pumpkin ale
2 eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pumpkin Spice-Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, cold
5 TBS unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsps vanilla
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsps pumpkin spice (more or less as desired)

Directions:

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
3. Spoon batter into cupcake liners until 2/3 full.
4. Bake cupcakes for 19-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
5. \Cool completely.
6. Frost and decorate!

Pumpkin Spice-Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth.
2. Add in 1/3 of the powdered sugar at a time, mixing until smooth.
3. Add in pumpkin spice, mixing until fully blended.
4. This recipe will give you stiff frosting that is easily piped onto a cupcake. Cut a hole in the bottom corner of a plastic bag, and fill with the frosting. Frost cupcakes then top with a quick shake of pumpkin spice.

Other Notes:

• Original Recipe

Dessert: Chocolate Cupcake Minis

This recipe came with the miniature cupcake/muffin pan we purchased. These were great bites! Because I had more batter than filled the mini pan, I also made some full size cupcakes, which worked just fine.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. Baking soda
2 tsp. Baking powder
¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. Salt
4 tbsp. Melted butter
¾ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
¾ tsp. Vanilla extract
1 cup whipping cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF / 175ºC.
2. Spray mini cupcake pan with baking spray (or line regular cupcake pan with paper liners.)
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition, then stir in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cream; beat well. Fill the mini tins ¾ full (regular tins ½ full). Bake for 10-14 minutes for mini cakes and 15-17 minutes for regular size cakes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Top with your favorite frosting when cool.

Dessert: Chocolate Cupcakes

I made the chocolate cupcakes with a frosting in mind, but the cupcake itself was so good, I decided to put it in the codex. The whole package (frosting and all) did not make the codex, just the cupcake.

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (best quality available)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup boiling water
2 cups sugar


Directions:

1. Line muffin tin with paper liners. Heat oven to 350*F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for one minute.
4. Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin, don't worry, this is right).
5. Fill liners 2/3 full with batter. (I usually put the batter into a large measuring cup with a pour spout, and then pour the batter into the liners.)
6. Bake cupcakes for approximately 22-24 minutes.
7. Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.

Other Details:

• From Glorious Treats
• (makes 24-27 standard sized cupcakes)
• Recipe source- Adjusted slightly from Hersheys.

Dessert: Lemon Creme Lemon Cupcakes

These were one of my Longaberger recipes from when I was a Longaberger Collector. You can use cupcake/muffin tins, the Longaberger dessert bowls, or another ramekin to make these in. They are a lot of work, but a great spring dessert and have been very popular every time I've made them. 

Ingredients:

Cakes
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 yellow cake mix (18.25 ounce box)
3 large eggs
1 cup of water, room temperature
Zest of 2 large lemons

Cream
3 large egg yolks
1 large egg
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces

Icing
1 ½ cups confectioner's sugar
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
Food coloring, as desired

Handles
4 ounces prepared white fondant
Food coloring
1 empty paper towel tube

Toppings
Jelly beans or pastel candies

Directions:

Cakes

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly mist 12 dessert cups with non-stick cooking spray or line 12 large-cup (3 1/2” diameter) muffin tin with paper liners. 
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a flat paddle, cream the butter for 2 minutes or until light and smooth. Add remaining cake ingredients and mix on slow for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and mix for 2 more minutes. 
3. Spoon batter evenly into cups and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 
4. Cool 5 minutes, run a small knife around the edge of cake, invert & release. Cool completely. If using muffin tins, cool cakes and remove paper liners.

Cream

1. Place egg yolks and egg in a bowl and quickly whisk in sugar. Add lemon juice and zest. Place all in a small non-reactive sauce pan and add butter. 
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring the entire time until mixture is very thick and looks like custard, about 5 to 7 minutes. 
3. Pour mixture into a bowl, place plastic wrap directly onto the cream and refrigerate until cold (at least 1 hour).

Icing

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Add food coloring as desired. Place plastic wrap directly onto icing and set aside.

Handles

1. Work food coloring into the fondant by twisting, distributing color evenly. Roll fondant between two layers of parchment or wax paper until it measures 7” x 4”. From this, cut a 5 ½” x 3” rectangle and twelve ¼” strips. Place the paper towel tube on a lined sheet pan, and drape strips over tube to form handles. Make sure a ½” section on each end of the handle rests flat on the tray. 
2. Allow to dry 10 hours or overnight.

Assembling

1. With a small paring knife, cut a small cone from the top of each cake. Set aside. 
2. Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of cake form the center of each cake. 
3. Spoon the lemon cream into the cavity. 
4. Using the paring knife, cut away the point of the cone cap and place over the lemon cream to seal. 
5. Ice the tops of the cakes with a pastel-colored icing. Reserve extra icing. 
6. Decorate center of each cake with jelly beans or pastel candies. Place cakes on a tray, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 
7. Remove cakes from the refrigerator ½ hour before serving. 
8. Using the reserved icing, place a small dot of icing on the underside of the handles. Attach to the cakes and serve.

Other Details

• Nutrition per cupcake.