Vanilla cupcakes… sounds easy right? They have been making the rounds at birthday parties and swanky bakeries for years. So finding the perfect recipe should be like finding a needle in a pin cushion. But alas I have not done so well.

First I tried the infamous Magnolia Bakery’s version. Located in New York, it’s one of those sweet shops that have lines wrapping around the corner and have to place a limits on orders. I was sure their recipe, found in Magnolia Bakery Cookbook would be an instant success.

I’m not sure where I went wrong. I followed the recipe (which as some of you know about kills me) but the result was not good. In fact it was terrible, hence no photo. They were buttery, too buttery and heavy. The frosting was gritty and limp no matter how much I whipped it. They left both Matt and I with a tummy ache, and that is NOT something you want when baking for a wedding!

Needless to say I was let down with this recipe but I forged ahead. How could I not master something so basic? My next attempt came via the SimplyRecipes site. I remembered seeing a recipes for Double Vanilla cupcakes a few months ago and I happened to have some vanilla beans stashed in the cupboard to I gave them a shot the other night.

These too came out dense and lacking in flavor, even with double vanilla. Now it has been cold here and I never felt that my butter and sugar achieved the coveted etherial state which may account for the heaviness. But I am starting to think that maybe this is how people like their cupcakes? I my mind vanilla cupcakes should be light and airy, no? The frosting was good, it reminded me of Bryers ice-cream, the kind where you can actually see the specks of vanilla bean, but it wasn’t anything spectacular.

Why is finding a good recipe so hard? If anyone has a go to, never fail vanilla cupcake recipe out there and is willing to share I would love to try it!

So when Martha and I sat down to discuss what type of cakes she and Ben would like for their wedding it came up that a handful of people attending were vegans, as in they eat no animals or animal byproducts. Being a nice and sweet person Martha did not want them to feel left out so I said I would do some searching and see what I could come up with.

Most of the recipes I found revolved around chocolate, one even included beets! I decided that I would give this version, from Martha Stewart, a whirl. The ingredients are pretty straight forward, soy milk and margarine, apple cider vinegar, natural cane sugar, etc. But the ganache called for brown-rice syrup which I’d never heard of before It’s a thick, almost honey-like syrup made from brown rice and water that somehow has a sweet flavor…

Overall I think that cake turned out really well. Incredibly moist and chocolaty, the cocoa kind of chocolaty not the Hersey’s sort. I do need to find my straight sided cake pans so the layers will line up and create a sleek profile. The buttercream filling could be a little stiffer by adding more powdered sugar. And maybe add a little semi-sweet chocolate to the bitter-sweet in the ganache to sweeten it a little.

Matt said the cake was wonderful, but he tends to say that about anything I bake! Not a bad quality mind you, but I’m looking for a critical eye/pallet for this one. So I am going to take a bit by the fabric store this afternoon and some to work tomorrow to get more feedback.

*The finished cake will not be naked, I plan on placing large curls of chocolate on top.

Update:
I took some cake by Sarahs and work. It was very well received. Unnamed folks at Sarahs probably had a tummy ache from how much they ate, but that’s just a testament to how great it was right? Everyone seemed to think the bittersweet chocolate was perfect a good balance with the sweeter faux buttercream filling so I don’t think I’ll add any semi-sweet to the ganache. It was mentioned that there could be a little more coffee flavor, so I might sprinkle more espresso powder in the filling. All in all I think this one might be a keeper!

If you find yourself in need of a sugar coma and with a bit of motivation I suggest these…

They are the delightful creation of chockylit, who sadly no longer updates, but has kindly kept the blog live for those of us who can’t get enough of Ginger-Cream Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Frosting or Ricotta Raspberry Almond Cupcakes with Citrus Meringue Frosting.

I followed the recipe found here and have only a few modifications for next time. First I ended up with TONS of peanut butter filling leftover, which while creamy and delicious has limited uses in our daily diet. I also found that I had to add an extra cup of powdered sugar to make the ganache stiff enough, though it was humid that night. It is also key that you use chocolate with the right % of cocoa otherwise you will end up with a Hersey-like chocolate flavor rather then the rich velvet chocolate you achieve with the suggested cocoa levels. And you can find the chocolate at your local grocery, no need to make a special trip to multiple stores. And as I was not up to rolling my own fondont flowers I opted to add a peanut to the top of each cupcake which also hinted at what lay within.

After I filled the platter for work I found myself with extras, which happened to fit perfectly in a box. A box that made it’s way down to Sarah’s, because it’s always a good idea to keep your enablers happy!

The only thing that would make these better would be a carton of milk, like the kind you used to get at school. Maybe I’ll add them next time.