Despite the fact that I've been on and off the full vegan wagon for a couple of years now, when it comes to baking, I've been vegan for a long time. I love baking vegan goodies! I love that I don't have to buy eggs, and that I almost always have the stuff on hand for at least a bit of a cake. I also love feeding people, and feeding people dessert, and showing the world that vegan bakery is just as tasty as the other kind. At first I made a point to tell people "yeah, and it's vegan!" but nowadays I just let the food speak for itself, and don't make a big thing of it. Judging from the kudos and offers of firstborn children and headboard-breaking sex I tend to get every time I bake, I'm doing a good job.
My love of all things cupcake arose from Isa and Terry's Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Cupcakes are the ultimate party dessert! Single serving size, less daunting to decorate than a large cake, with no slicing and no need for plates and forks. The decorating possibilities are limitless--although I will say I don't like those cupcake cakes where they put a bunch of cuppies together and try to make a cake out of them. It's messy, and kind of defeats the purpose of wee individual cakes. If you want a big cake, just make a big cake and cut it! I like to work within the challenge of the cupcake medium, and while my decorating skills are marginal, I'm working on it. I'm hoping to take a cake decorating class at some point this next year so I can get better at frosting and piping.
This weekend was my dear friend S1ren's birthday Halloween party, and I threw down some serious cupcake mojo: a dozen vanilla cakes with raspberry filling and raspberry buttercream; and a dozen gingerbread cakes with cream cheese frosting done up in Halloween finery. Here's a picture of the full assembly at the party.
There are bloodshot eyeballs, spider webs, Jack Skellington faces, and some that were bitten by vampires (especially appropriate since the birthday girl was done up as a Victorian vampire).
In fact, since I have most of the ingredients still around, I'm thinking of making another batch to bring to work on Friday for Halloween sharing. What else am I going to do with black frosting?
What amazed me was that I had absolutely no mishaps or disappointments during my work on Saturday--I even finished early! Everything went together almost effortlessly.
Of course, the mojo might have something to do with it.
Once upon a time, every time I baked something to share, I would enchant the dough or batter with feelings of peace, friendship, and hospitality. I sang as I baked, I danced around the kitchen with the stereo blaring, and I lit my kitchen altar candle as I began. I realize that a lot of people have issues with giving people charged goodies without asking their permission, but if there are people out there who don't want happiness and friendship, I have yet to meet them; and besides, when I do it, I make sure to add the intention that if someone eating the food doesn't want good energy, well, they won't get it. Really, though, you don't have to go to that kind of trouble--people who are hell bent on unhappiness aren't going to be dissuaded by a cupcake. I just like to foster as much fun and hospitality as I can. Sweet foods, sweet times, sweet life.
This past year while I've been having my massive crisis of faith (also known as a Saturn return) I got out of the habit of doing any sort of work on my food, whether for myself or for others. Now that I'm starting to feel again, and want to revive my practices (and add some new ones), I'm working on charging my creations again, and trying to bring the sanctity back into my kitchen. I'll write at more length on this later, but for now, suffice it to say that Witchcraft is like falling off a bicycle--once you're good at it, you never really forget how.
(I was always way better at falling off a bicycle than I was at riding one.)
At any rate, if you love cupcakes like I do, check out these blogs:
Cupcakes Take the Cake
All Things Cupcake
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (no longer updated, as Isa migrated back to her main blog, but it still has awesome pictures and decorating ideas, as well as tips on making large numbers of cuppies for special events)
And these books!
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
Hello, Cupcake!
Little Cakes from the Whimsical Bakehouse
Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor
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