Cookies and Candids

I made these cupcakes for a fundraiser for the youth group I was in during high school (JYCA) and wanted to make something that would appeal to everyone. I decided on an almond flavor cake, and was going to go with an almond frosting but thought that the sweet almond flavor would be too cloying in such a large amount. I settled with making a basic buttercream frosting. I colored the frosting purple and orange to match JYCA’s colors! I made mini cupcakes for the event, but also made a few regular-sized cupcakes for close friends and family. Here is a picture of the cupcakes before I frosted them, so you can see the beautiful brown almond flecks:

Here they are after frosting:

This recipe is adapted from the Golden Vanilla Cupcake and Fluffy Buttercream Frosting recipes in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. Added warning: This recipe is doubled, and will make about 80 mini cupcakes.

Ingredients:
2 cups almond milk
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup almond meal
4 Tblsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 tsp. almond extract

Frosting:
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated vegan shortening
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated vegan margarine (I used Earth Balance)
3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/4 cup almond milk

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line mini-muffin pans with cupcake liners.
Whisk the almond milk and vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside a few minutes to get good and curdled.
Beat together the almond milk mixture, oil, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract in a large bowl. Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until no large lumps remain.
Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full, and bake for 15-17 minutes till done (you can stick a toothpick in the center and it should come out clean). Leave in muffin tins for 3-5 minutes after taking out of the oven, so the cakes can set, and then take out of the tins and place on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting, cream together the shortening and margarine until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for abut 3 more minutes. Add the vanilla and almond milk, beat for another 5-7 minutes until fluffy.