Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Take Two

Now that I had one successful cupcake under my belt, it was time to try another. My second attempt would be eaten by my friends and coworkers. Since the first batch had gone so well, I was not worried about try number two. It was Jim's birthday (a friend and coworker) and I wanted to make something special for him. He loves coffee like I do, if that is even possible, and I knew I had to try mocha flavored. Jim and I work together on many clients and I have to keep him content. When the Psychometrcian is pleased, the Test Developer/Project Manager is pleased too. It is a delicate rhythm we have to keep here.

So, I opened my "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" cookbook and began my search through the luscious recipes and pictures. Since I was going for a mocha flavor I decided on the Your Basic Chocolate Cupcake recipe with the addition of coffee to the batter. To top off these chocolaty delights, I chose Chocolate Buttercream Frosting with the another addition of coffee.

Now that I had a plan, I retrieved all of ingredients from the pantry and fridge and got to work. The recipe and frosting proved to be simple. The smell of chocolate and coffee had me psyched to try this sweet treat. They looked good after they had been iced, but I felt they were missing something. As I looked through the kitchen, espresso beans jumped out at me. I knew I HAD to top each cupcake with an espresso bean.


My cupcakes were finished and packed them up to take to work the next day. I was fortunate to have a friend let me borrow her cupcake carrier for the day. The bright blue-green made the brown cupcakes pop! John wanted a taste, but he had to wait to see if there were any left over. Luckily, Jim made sure that there was at least one left for him.


The next day at work, we met in Jim's office after lunch. We sang "Happy Birthday" and chowed down on cupcakes. To my delight, they received rave reviews. They even inspired a coworker to buy the book to make cupcakes for her kids.

And the verdict is.......these cupcakes were a big WINNER! I would make both recipes again with the addition of mocha.