Peppermint Cupcakes
I asked for Vegan Cupcakes take over the World for Christmas this year to feed into my cupcake fetish and help me with baking lactose-free. I’ve tried one recipe from the cookbook before (Margarita cupcakes) and they were quite tasty. My What’s Cooking Secret Santa sent me the cookbook and I was so excited! Although my mom was bummed because she got me the book too!
I brought the cookbook with me to Illinois for Christmas because my 13 year old sister and I always bake together when I’m home. And because my 24 year old sister and I got my mom a KitchenAid Mixer for Christmas (yes, we did get it on KAM Day back in the summer!)
These cupcakes are multi-purpose. I wanted to participate in the Cupcake Hero for December and make a treat that my family could enjoy and prove to them that eating dairy free baked goods is just as fun as full-dairy baked goods. Since the theme for the Cupcake Hero is mint this month, that meant I could try the chocolate mint cupcakes or make peppermint cupcakes from the vanilla recipe. The family voted and decided on peppermint.
I simply followed the vanilla cupcake recipe except added 2 tsp of peppermint to the batter. Then I made a cream cheese frosting, added 2 tsp of peppermint, and some crushed candy canes. It’s not overly creative (check out the other Cupcake Hero entries to see what I mean!) but they sure tasty wintery.
These cupcakes turned out delicious. Everyone loved them and they had the perfect amount of peppermint in them. I also liked the texture of having the crushed candy canes in the frosting. My cupcakes did sink down while they were cooling. I think it’s because 1 – someone opened the oven while they were cooking and 2 – my mom’s oven temperature must be low. Everything all week took longer than expected to bake. But other than that, these guys were great. And very festive.
Peppermint Vegan Cupcakes (based on Vanilla cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World) – makes 12
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt (increase to 1/2 tsp if using oil instead of margarine)
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, softened, or 1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond, caramel or more vanilla extract
(I used 2 tsp vanilla and 2 tsp peppermint)
Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Whisk the soy milk and vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside a few minutes to get good and curdled.
If using margarine: Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and mix.
In a separate large bowl, use a handheld mixer on medium speed to cream the margarine and sugar for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy, but don’t beat past 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and other extract, then alternate beating in the soy milk mixture and the dry ingredients, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times.
If using oil: Beat together the soy milk mixture, oil, sugar, vanilla, and other 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 full and bake for 20-22 minutes until done. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.
Vegan Peppermint cream cheese frosting
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, softened
1/4 cup vegan cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp peppermint extract
1/4 cup crushed candy canes
Cream together margarine and cream cheese until just combined. Use a handheld mixer to whip while adding the confectioners’ sugar in 1/2 cup batches. Mix until smooth and creamy, then mix in the vanilla and peppermint extract. Stir in crushed candy canes. Keep tightly covered and refrigerated until ready to use.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
How cool! These look delicious!
This totally takes me back to childhood. We ALWAYS used fresh rhubarb from our backyard to make yummy breakfast treats!
I think I will have to make these for my parents next time they visit. They will LOVE them!
Those look amazing! I’m always on the lookout for new rhubarb recipes, the season for it is so short in Western Ma, that I tend to buy WAY too much and stick in the freezer..
I have never had rhubarb before, but these look great!
They’re so pretty – I love family recipes!
I never know what to do with Rhubard, but these looks awesome!
divine. i want one. right now. pretty please?? 🙂
I love your recipes, lactose free and awesome, I will def. have to try this. Ps. we should team up and do something lactose free together in solidarity!
Thanks everyone – seriously if you have rhubarb hanging around. Make these. You won’t regret it.
I’m a little lost. The ingredients list mentions 5 c. rhubarb (and you break it into 3 c. for the filling and 2 c. for the sauce) but I don’t see in the step-by-step instructions when/where/how the 2 c. of rhubarb are used. Please help!
Thanks!
alexandjess – thanks for catching my mistake. I added the instructions about the sauce into the post, but you make the sauce by boiling 2 cups cut rhubarb, 1 cup sugar, 1 1/3 cups water. The rhubarb for the sauce can be cut in large chunks because it all falls apart anyways.
Your sisters made the rhubarb rolls and stuffed dates yesterday for our Memorial Day cookout. They were delicious!!!! Can’t wait to have another piece tonight for desert. I have a new recipe for potato salad that is delish….let me know if you want me to pass on.
i made these tonight and they went awry for a series of reasons that were my fault and won’t go all into…. one thing i did though was use half rhubarb and half strawberries, which sounded delish but i didn’t cut the sugar enough and i think that also made things more watery. my question though, is whether by ‘shortening’ you specifically mean something like crisco or whether you just mean butter or margarine or anything like that. i used butter and didn’t see how i could get away with a little ‘stirring’ before rolling. i tried to cut it in with a pastry blender, but in the end maybe that was too much action for the dough as it seemed a little gummy after cooking….
i’d appreciate any advice!
natasha – I use Crisco for the dough. I think that’s what my dad always uses as well. Hopefully that is what caused the gumminess. Sorry they didn’t turn out for you.
My family has been making these for years. I have used butter or margarine to cut into the flour mixture for the dough and have never had a problem. I always roll my dough out into a rectangle and when I cut the rolls they NEVER look as neat as the ones you have pictured! I have added strawberries but only in the sauce. My mom liked to add red food coloring to make it look more rosy. We bake for 20 minutes before pouring on the sauce and then another 20 minutes. I have to make it every spring in honor of my mom.
my grandma recipe calls thesr soringtime rollypoly, and can ad what ever frozen berries you have , frozen is the least messy
sorry thats springtime rollypolly