Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes and Cream Cheese Icing
Vegan Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcakes and Vegan Cream Cheese Icing
I had the honor of being hired to cater a dessert table for a friend's 40th birthday party a few weeks ago. My friend decided to be vegan a few months back and is just starting to discover what the vegan options were for baking. We came up with a couple choices for his guests and I had a lot of fun making the vegan cupcakes and cookies. I have a few more recipes to share from this same event, but for now I'll just give you this Vegan Strawberry Daiquiri Cupcake with Vegan Cream Cheese Icing.
This recipe will give you a very moist sponge and while it will feel a little heavy, it is not a 'dense' cake. I like to whisk the batter by hand, but you could certainly use a mixer and it would likely give you a little more and potentially a little bit of a lighter sponge.
I have found that when using vegan cream cheese for an icing base the after taste will go away if you can allow the icing to sit and marry with the flavors overnight.
Cupcake Ingredients:
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup frozen strawberry daiquiri mix (thawed)
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons rum (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.
2. Mix water and thawed daiquiri mix together, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix with a large spoon. Add the oil, applesauce, vanilla, rum, daiquiri mixture and stir until all the ingredients are combined and there are no lumps.
4. Fill the liners till they are 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.
5. Let them cool for a few minutes in the pans, and then remove them and place on cooing racks to cool off completely.
Icing Ingredients:
1/3 cup softened vegan margarine ( I like Earth Balance)
1/3 cup softened vegan cream cheese
2 1/3 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Cream margarine and cream cheese together until combined.
2. Add icing sugar 1/3 of a cup at a time and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.
3. Add vanilla and mix again. Refrigerate until ready to use.
