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5. Pour batter into the prepared cupcake tins, filling each cup about ¾ full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

6. Cool cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pans. Remove to a wire rack, and cool completely before frosting.

7. Frost with your choice of frosting (try Coconut Frosting, recipe in Chapter 21), and top with remaining 2 tablespoons sprinkles. Or double-wrap in plastic, and freeze.

DOUGH-NOT

Rainbow sprinkles make the cutest whimsical cupcakes, but they’re also full of sugar. Most commercial brands are made with sugar, cornstarch, vegetable oil, and of course, food coloring. A number of companies carry vegan sprinkles made with organic evaporated cane juice, organic corn malt syrup, water, natural colors, and extracts of seeds, vegetables, or fruits. As always, check the label to be sure there are not any hidden dairy or egg products in them. Organic chocolate sprinkles contain natural ingredients, but commercial chocolate sprinkles most often contain whey and/or egg whites.

Chapter 21

Very Vegan Frostings

In This Chapter

• Doing double layer cakes right

• “Buttery” beaten vegan frostings

• Delicious cooked frostings

Now that you’ve baked all the delicious cakes and cupcakes in the previous chapters, you’ll need something sweet to decorate them with. The vegan frostings in this chapter range from the humble Buttercream Frosting, to the delicious and dark Chocolate Frosting, to the rich and flavorful Penuche Frosting (brown sugar frosting), to the tasty Maple Frosting.

Most of the recipes that follow are quick and easy to whip up and require no more than beating the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Some take a little more time with an extra step or two on the stovetop. Whatever frosting you decide on, be sure to lick the bowl!

Decorating Double Layer Cakes

Before diving headfirst into cake decorating, it’s important to start at the beginning. It’s an ugly thing to see cake crumbs sprinkled through snow-white frosting, especially if you worked long and hard on that delicious cake. Take some time to prepare the cake layers and frosting before grabbing your frosting spatula.

After cake layers are baked and completely cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and lightly dusted with unbleached cane sugar.

Freeze or chill cake layers for at least 2 to 4 hours or overnight before frosting. Meanwhile, prepare the frosting according to directions. Remove cake layers from the freezer one at a time, and, if necessary, trim off the top of the layers to allow for flat tops.

Smear 1 tablespoon frosting on a round, flat decorative serving platter, but any appropriate size dinner plate will do. Professional cake decorators use cardboard circles specially cut for assorted sizes cake layers. Place one round frozen cake layer on top of frosting, and press down lightly to “glue” the cake to the plate. Spread a thick coat of frosting over the bottom layer, and place the second layer on top, pressing down lightly. It’s helpful to turn the layer ½ turn while pressing down to seal the frosting between the layers.

Begin by applying a “crumb coat” to the cake, which is essentially a thin, see-through layer of frosting to seal in the crumbs. Depending on how thick the frosting is, you may need to thin a small amount of it (about 1 cup) for your crumb coating. You can do this by adding a bit of corn syrup or water before spreading—be careful not to add too much because you don’t want it too thin or runny.

Using an off-set spatula, start from the top and work your way toward the edges with a very thin layer. Don’t pull the frosting toward you; rather, push it away from the cake with the spatula. Pulling the spatula can rip crumbs from the cake into your frosting. Continue down along the sides of the cake, smoothing with the spatula, and sealing it as you go. Either chill the cake at this point, or place in a cool location, and let the thin