Sunday, June 29, 2008

Cupcakes and Kitties

Nothing makes me happier than cupcakes and kitties ... oh, and rainbows and fairy dust. But unfortunately, I didn't see any rainbows or fairies today. I did, however, whip up these Chocolate Chip Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting and Chocolate Ganache:


I made these for my neighbor Wes's 48th birthday. He made the mistake of telling me on Friday, and when someone tells me it's their birthday, they'd better be ready to accept a batch of yummy vegan cupcakes.

These were a variation on the vanilla cupcake in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I added chocolate chips to the batter (because Wes loves chocolate, but who doesn't?). Suckily, the chips sank to the bottom causing the cupcake liners to stick to the chocolate. But eaten on a plate with a spoon, they weren't half-bad. I've never had a bad cupcake from VCTOTW.

As for those kitties I promised, here's a pic of my little heathens at dinnertime:


From left to right: Pandora, Gelfling, Polaris, and Akasha. They will steal your breath (and likely your soul), destroy your furniture, and smash your breakables. But you gotta love them!

29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mmm those cuppies look yummy! Your frosting skills are quite impressive.

I had my own cuppy disappointment today, I mixed in sprinkles for a confetti look and they just dissolved! Not even a hint of colour left.

Lisa (Show Me Vegan) said...

Birthday cupcakes is such a nice way for you to spread the vegan love! And cute kitties.

Marisa L. S. said...

Cupcakes look yummy! And adorable kitties! I used to have the same cat feeder for my Pumpkin!!!!

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Ohmigosh I am just laughing too much at that funny, but cute, picture of your greedy little kitties!

Hmm, I wonder why the chips sank... well, at least you were able to find a way to eat them.

And I am all set for a girl fight. Just give me a minute to find my boxing gloves (I need gloves so I don't mess up my manicured nails, of course).

Unknown said...

Your food pictures always look so great!! I really need to buy that cookbook so I can start baking cupcakes...And your kitties are adorable!! :0) I love the markings on Polaris!

vko said...

What a perfect little cupcake- lucky birthday friend of yours! And that kitty pic is too precious- nothing beats pics of cupcakes & kitties, except of course maybe kitties next to cupcakes...

Hungry Hungry Dancer said...

those cup cakes look aweomse!
HAHHAHAHA that is a great picture of your kitties! I like how their butts are all lined up in a row :)

Vegan_Noodle said...

Your kitties are so cute all lined up!!

Cupcakes look tasty!! Too bad the chips sunk, but you are so right, I've never had anything bad from vctotw!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Wow, those Chocolate-Chip-Vanilla Cupcakes look AMAZING!! What a lovely birthday treat for your neighbor. And hey, eating a cupcake with a spoon still sounds delicious!

Aww, all four of your cats are just too precious!! Love the photograph :0)

Luna 22 said...

Mmmmmm, the cupcakes look delicious.

I may have a solution to your chocolate chip problem. Take the chips and coat them with a little AP Flour or WW Flour before you put them into the batter. Depending on how many chips you use you vary the amount of flour. For example, if you are using 1 cup of chips, you would use maybe 2 tablespoons of flour at the most. The idea is to lightly coat the chips and not add too much extra flour to the batter. This way they adhere to the mixture and they won't sink. Hope it works. I use it at home all the time. It also keep blueberries from sinking to the bottom of pancakes. :)

Also, the kitties are so sweet. They remind of me of mine.

Unknown said...

those cupcakes are soo adorable, and i'm sure soo delicious. i love cupcakes..they're so much more fun than regular cake.

and aw, your kitties are so cute! i've always been a dog person growing up, but lately I've seen some realllly adorable cats..i might get swayed over. :)

J said...

How nice of you to make cupcakes for your neighbors birthday! Mmmm, I'd happily take some of those anytime.

And your kitties are so cute! Look at all of 'em lined up like that. Aww, I bet you have your hand full!

Alicia said...

You have so much contact with your neighbors! I don't even know mine... But I really wish they would bake cupcakes for me, hehe

Anonymous said...

Wow, that right there is perfection in a cupcake. The photo is cookbook-worthy!

Anonymous said...

That cup cake is so pretty! I used to add chips/sprinkles to my batter, but now I just sprinkle a few on the individual cupcakes just before putting them in the oven and they don't all sink to the bottom that way.
Love the kitties!

Lindsay (Happy Herbivore) said...

I love the kitty photo (and uI'll gladly eat that cupcake too!)

Anonymous said...

Birthday cupcakes are the best. And your herd of kitties are so cute, I wish my cat didn't hate all other cats with a fiery passion.

Theresa said...

I love the pattern on Polaris' fur. Super cute kitties! And the cupcakes are so sweet. Sounds like you and your neighbour love swapping food!

thedalyn said...

We just got a third kitty recently and, when Josh said we had enough cats, I indignantly pointed to you and insisted that some people have more. So, thank you.

Me said...

Oooh, pretty cupcakes. :)

Unknown said...

Thanks!! I took 3 cake decorating classes last year, and loved it so much that I knew I wanted to keep doing it! I've just started these carved cakes on my own...and while they're definitely a challenge, they're SO much fun! You have a decorating talent too!~I want that cupcake :o) And yes, Grandmas are amazing!!

The Voracious Vegan said...

What amazing little kitties, I love them! (And their names, too!) But please, PLEASE send me a batch of those cupcakes right away! I'm desperate, they look gorgeous!

Cindy Mc said...

Hey: I just celebrated my 17th sobriety birthday. Where's my vegan cupcakes?

Cindy Mc said...

Oops. Where ARE my vegan cupcakes? Don't tell any of my students about that little mishap.

Amy said...

What beautiful cats! I've heard that the secret of having your blueberries not fall to the bottom in muffins is to mix them in with the dry ingredients first so they are coated with flour. I don't know if that would hold true for chocolate chips though.

jessy said...

cupcakes & kitties! hooray! your cuppycakes look delicious - it's so cool of you to whip some up for your awesome neighbor!

your kitties are all so cute, and i love their names! makes want to watch The Dark Crystal again. i'm so putting that on my netflix! w00t!

Anonymous said...

lovely cupcakes and oh so sweet kitties! that's cool how they all eat together!

Anonymous said...

What a great combination! Cats, cupcakes & chocolate.

Veggie said...

Gotta' love the kitties!