Vegan Baking-Morning Glory Cupcakes

One of my co-workers is on a 3 month vegan diet. She has a challenge with her sister that she was going to eat only vegan for 3 months. Personally, I don’t think I can ever become a vegan, I love my milk and cheese too much (and don’t like soy milk that much).

Well my co-worker is almost at the end of her successful three months, so I thought I’d bake her some vegan cupcakes. Personally, I could never think of baking without eggs, so these cupcakes were kind of a challenge to me too. But I have to say, they are very delicious and you wouldn’t know until someone told you that they were vegan. This recipe is from Vegetarian Times magazine.

You can make this cake in a 9”x5” loaf pan, or 3 6”x3” mini loaves or 12-cup muffin tin.


Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour – 2 cups (you can substitute whole wheat pastry flour)
Baking Soda – 2 tbsp
Baking powder – 2 tsp
Light Brown Sugar – 2/3 cup
Ground Cinnamon – 2 tbsp
Ground Ginger – 2 tbsp
Salt – ¼ tsp
Crushed Pineapple in its own juice– 8 oz., can, drained and liquid reserved
Finely grated Carrots – 1 cup (2-3 medium carrots)
Carrot juice – ½ cup (I subbed V8 Vfusion Orange juice)
Canola Oil – 1/3 cup
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Raisins – ½ cup
Walnuts (or any nuts) – ½ cup, optional

Method:

• Pre heat oven to 350°F. Spray the baking pans you are baking in with cooking spray.
• Whisk flour ground cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  
• In a separate bowl, mix together carrot juice, ¼ cup reserved pineapple juice, oil, sugar and vanilla extract.
  
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well to incorporate. Scoop into prepared baking pan(s).
  
• Bake large loaf 50 to 60 minutes, mini loaves 35 to 45 minutes, or muffins 18 to 22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  
• Cool 5 minutes in pan(s). Unmold and cool.
  

This cake is sweet, but not overly so, very much like a breakfast muffin. I took them to work and everyone really liked them.