Vegan Peanut Butter Cup-Cakes

In theatre we pride ourselves on being versatile. You aim to be multifaceted as an artist. Well, the very same thing applies to baking! Homemade treats are totally taking center stage. It's no longer a matter of if you can bake, but what you can bake. One thing that I pride myself on is being able to bake for friends with all sorts of dietary restrictions. We've had dairy-free cocktail parties, gluten-free desserts, vegan buffets and onion-free meals...allergy friendly dining is like an extreme sport of the culinary world. Can you handle it?

This past weekend I made dairy-free cupcakes for Shabbat at DF's house. Let me tell you, baking challenges like this give you a total adrenaline rush. Forget dirt biking or Red Bull, make dairy-free cupcakes and then tell me how jacked up you were about the experience. You feel so much more accomplished when you make something thats "restricted" taste kick-ass! The cupcakes you are about to experience are like the cake version of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup The cake is a moist chocolate cake made with veggie oil and soy milk instead of butter and cream. The frosting is my favorite, a peanut butter frosting made with margarine, peanut butter, powdered sugar and soy milk. The cake recipe could not be easier. There's no electric mixer necessary so it saves energy and your sanity, especially if you're like me and lack a fancy stand mixer. One of the coolest things is watching the baking soda and vinegar bubble up together. It's edible science! You can see it below...

There are a couple things you should stock your pantry with if you're keen on allergy-free baking. Here are the essentials:

• Vanilla soy milk (I use Light Silk)
  
• Earth Balance (they even have a vegan shortening. Amazing!)
  
• Gluten-Free Baking Mix
  
• Canola Oil
  
• Arrowroot
  

Now on to the cupcakes. If you love peanut butter cups, these cupcakes are totally for you. They're rich, chocolaty and totally gooey with a thick coat of peanut butter frosting. Cupcakes are cute but peanut butter makes them cuter. Share these with a crowd, or stash 'em in your freeze. Just try not to lick the bowl.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cup-Cakes

For the cake...

1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake tin with paper liners.
2. Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
3. Add warm water, vanilla, veggie oil and vinegar into the dry ingredients. Whisk to combine.
4. Fill each liner with 2/3 way full with batter. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pan half way through baking.
5. Let the cupcakes cool

For the frosting...
1/2 cup margarine
3/4 cup peanut butter
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1-2 teaspoons vanilla
3-5 tablespoons soymilk

1. Beat margarine with an electric mixer until smooth.
2. Add the peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and soymilk.
3. Taste as you can, add more peanut butter, sugar or soymilk to get the taste and consistency you're looking for.
4. Slather on top of your cooled cupcakes. Enjoy!