Seedling Cupcakes

After mentioning these cakes in the previous post, I had many requests for a recipe and instructions. Fear not, these cupcakes are quite simple and are a little taste of spring when there's a sub-freezing windchill outside! The cakes are also perfect for a spring or summer birthday, and would be fun for your pint-sized guests to "plant" themselves. 

Here's what you need:

1. 4-ounce canning jars (I used Ball's quilted jelly jars). They usually run about $10 per dozen depending on where you purchase them. That might sound expensive if you need 24, but remember you can reuse them endlessly. 

2. Your favorite cake recipe. I used my chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting recipe.

3. Butter or non-stick cooking spray, to grease the jars.

4. A jelly roll pan or cookie sheet.

5. Chocolate cookies or wafers. I used Newman's Own Organics Double Chocolate Chip Cookies - YUM!

6. A toothpick, or something similar, to help you "plant" your seedlings.

7. Edible herbs or flowers. I chose mint since my options were limited last winter when I baked the cakes. A variety of herbs or flowers would be awesome, especially in the summer when you have so many choices.

8. Popsicle sticks, optional. The sticks allow you to personalize the cakes and make them look more like seedlings. I wrote "Happy" and "Birthday" on mine. Writing the recipient's birthdate as you would a planting date would look cute as well.

Lavender Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

Each passing year, I like to try something new for my birthday treat. In 2012, I made these insanely sweet banana cupcakes with brown butter cream cheese frosting and caramel drizzle (which also win the Longest Name award). In 2013, I used my green thumb in the kitchen to bake these adorable "seedling" cakes in canning jars (which are sadly still on the long list of treats to blog about).

Birthday 2013

The inspiration for this year's birthday cupcake started early; four months ago to be exact. On the very last day of August, I enjoyed a lovely lavender lemon cupcake from High Point Cafe in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia. I knew then and there that I would have to adapt this cupcake for my birthday. If you have been keeping up with me in the kitchen, you know it's been the year of lavender.

Cupcake courtesy of High Point Cafe

Pumpkin Cupcakes

As soon as autumn arrives, everything is pumpkin; pumpkin soup, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin butter, pumpkin pie. Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin. Imagine my surprise then, when I realized I have only posted one other pumpkin recipe in two years (this vegan banana pumpkin walnut bread last October)! So here we go...

For several years, I've made the classic PB and chocolate combo for my dad's birthday. Take a peak at these cupcakes and you will see why. This year we broke tradition and decided on pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I was paging through the latest Food Network magazine not long after and found a recipe for pumpkin cupcakes in their "50 Things to Make with Canned Pumpkin" article.

The recipe starts as a spice cake and FN suggests doubling it to make cupcakes. I used Trader Joe's organic canned pumpkin, grown and processed in Oregon, which sells for $1.99 a can. Any pumpkin puree will do, just be sure not to use pumpkin pie mix which comes pre-spiced. Speaking of spices, FN calls for pumpkin pie spice which I substituted with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. The picky side of me prefers to add them individually. My only gripe with the recipe is the TWO sticks of butter in the cake. I didn't have time to experiment with the fats/oils this time around but I'm determined to lower the saturated fat in the future. Top these spicy cakes off with a sweet frosting like the cream cheese frosting you have already seen me pair with carrot, banana, and more.

Maple Blueberry Coffee Cake

I know it may be a little late for a blueberry post, but forgive me -- the summer heat has kept me out of the kitchen, daydreaming about crisp autumn days and apple pies.

Beea-utiful Berries

7.7 pounds of fresh picked blueberries

I spent July 4th with my friends Dawn and Erin in the fields at Emery's Blueberry Farm in New Egypt, NJ picking pounds of fresh, organic berries. We were in the middle of a heat wave in the mid-Atlantic but my seven-plus pounds of berries were worth the sun and sweat. One of the many blueberry recipes I had lined up for the coming weeks and months is this maple blueberry coffee cake.

Here's what I like about this cake: 

1. Maple syrup -- Sweeten your baked goods with maple syrup. Period.

2. Whole wheat flour and flax meal -- Both give the cake a tougher texture, placing this cake in the breakfast category instead of dessert. I know you love streusel. Butter, sugar, cinnamon. Seriously, there is nothing wrong about that trio. And although I love super sweet, cinnamon coffee cakes, the absence of streusel here makes it easier to justify eating this cake for breakfast.

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

I'm not sure you can say you're from Pennsylvania if you've never had a whoopie pie from a local farm stand. There they sit, next to the tomatoes and summer squash, surrounded by zucchini bread and peach pie. You tell yourself, "I don't need that," and yet you know it was baked and individually wrapped just for you.

Germantown Farmers Market

Often a pie (accidentally) makes its way into my market bag. Chocolate cake with marshmallow filling is the standard whoopie pie, but I prefer pumpkin (There aren't many pumpkin-flavored desserts that I don't like). Personal-sized desserts are my favorite: No sharing required and no evidence remains of your indulgence. But the truth is, I don't really love the super sweet, traditional marshmallow fluff-shortening filling. After all, what about that combination sounds appetizing?

These chocolate peanut butter whoopie pies, on the other hand, are delicious. The cakes bake up moist and fluffy, and are filled with a yummy, not-too-sweet, not-too-rich buttercream. You will quickly forget that these are vegan!

New Year's Vegan Raw Gluten-Free Frozen Cashew Pomegranate Cake

When New Year’s comes around I get excited about the changes, friendships, love, and memories that are sure to come the following year. Today was the most wonderful start to 2012. Unseasonably warm weather, sunshine, fresh air, lovely people, a dog named Javier, tea, and a (healthy) post-hike dessert.

Photo Credit: Kat Muscianesi, Fresh Eyes – Daily Unlimited Snapshots on Flickr

One of my best pals is vegan and I’m always happy to try a new treat for her. I found the recipe for the cashew pom cake on www.bonappétit.com in an article about a vegan Christmas meal. It was the perfect cake for a fresh start to 2012.

This frozen, vegan “cheesecake” is lightly sweet and a bit tart. Soaked cashews whip up to a creamy filling, which is quite satisfying when paired with the nutty crust. What did I change from the original recipe? I left out of the hemp seeds for sake of needing to run to one less market, and replaced them with 2 tablespoons extra of sunflower seeds. I used both almonds and walnuts in the crust to avoid hurt feelings. I also skipped the cardamom and swapped vanilla extract for the vanilla bean. Still delicious! The recipe calls for 2 pomegranates and I reserved some seeds for garnish. If you enjoy snacking on poms, it’s worth getting 3 total and using 2 full poms for the topping.

If you have a food processor (or blender) and a freezer, this recipe is simple to make. That’s the beauty of a raw recipe! And you can skip feeling guilty about eating it. Sure the nuts are high in fat, but it’s good fat, and 1/3 cup of sweetener is nothing compared to most dessert recipes.