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. 
I’m guessing you’ve tried Manchego? It’s my favorite sheep’s milk cheese.
I’m lactose intolerant too, and cheese is what I miss most. I’m curious about the goat cheese and sheep’s milk cheese; according to what I’ve read, goats’ milk and sheep’s milk have almost the same amount of lactose as cows’ milk. How is it that the cheese doesn’t have lactose? I’d be interested in any resources you could pass on because I’d love to be able to eat some cheese again!
I’m lactose-tolerant, but according to a Good Eats episode on cheese, most of the lactose is removed during the cheese making process, so that’s why most lactose-intolerant people can eat it. My g/f is Asian and very lactose-intolerant, but she can eat cheese with no problem. Ice cream (which she will eat when she gets the craving) does her no good at all, but cheese is usually fine.
That’s interesting. I know lactose intolerance is different for each person. Unfortunately for me, eating cheese (and ice cream) is like a death-wish, but I have read that cheese that’s made traditionally, aged 2 yrs., has nearly no lactose in it. That’s hard to find though. I haven’t heard that goat cheese and sheep cheese have less lactose. But perhaps most goat and sheep cheese are aged?
I actually have the GE episode on my TiVo (Cheese: Good Milk Gone Bad) and he says that cheeses that have a little age on them have had their lactose consumed by the bacteria so there’s little if any lactose left. I just replayed that portion for the exactish quote.
I think goat/sheep cheese is similar to cow in that it can be fresh or aged. I think Manchego has fresh and aged varieties. If you have a good cheese source nearby, you should be able to find well-aged (2+ years) varieties of cheddar at the very least. A Canadian, English, Irish, or Austrailian. All are very good.
I truly feel sorry for you, as I love a nice extra sharp cheddar, Parma Reggiano, etc.
And really, it’s not my intention to torture you. 🙂
Thanks for looking that up for me! I’ll have to test the waters the next time I’m feeling brave…:) I would LOVE it if I could eat some cheese again!
The only reason I eat goat and sheep milk cheese is because when my doctor told me I was LI, she said I could eat those. So that’s what I’ve been doing. I am very sensative to all cow dairy, but haven’t ever had problems with the goat or sheep cheese…
I haven’t tried Machego… I’ll have to look for it.
I first had Manchego at a tapas place near Phoenix on a cheese and fruit plate. I had no idea what I was missing. 🙂
oh my gosh! a fellow cheese junkie! haha
So I’ve been lactose intolerant since I went away to college… but I still enjoy most of my favorites. Lactaid works wonders!!! I carry the pills around with me all the time and enjoy most of the foods I love. Regarding the different milks, goats milk does indeed have lactose, it is just less than traditional cows milk so more people can tolerate it. I’m sure different processes in which you make cheese, etc could effect it, and everyone’s sensitivity is different as well. I adjusted quickly to Lactaid milk, and they have cottage cheese, ice cream (but i stick to the good ol’ stuff), and some other products I have yet to try. I urge fellow LI folks not to give up your (and my!!) favorite foods!!!
I found this website of sheeps cheese and it appears it is good for people with LI.
http://www.sheepscheese.com/
Yep! Sheep cheese is my friend for sure.
I am severely lactose intolerant but love food and cooking, so this has been a difficult adjustment for me as well. Parmigiana Reggiano is lactose free as well as; Grana Padano, all Finlandia cheeses including Muenster and Lappi. I use Lappi as a substitute for Mozzarella as it has similar texture and flavour. Muenster has worked well as a substitute for many cheeses as it has great flavour. There are some cheeses that I cannot tolerate such as mozzarella. Goat cheese does have lactose, but also has a protein in it that is different from that in cow’s milk. This makes it much more easily digestible and is great for those with lactose intolerance. Hope this is helpful! p.s. – I make my own ice cream by making creme anglaise with lactose free 2% milk.