Citrusy Vegan Goodness

Yeah, you read that right, kids: citrusy vegan goodness! I've made a variant on Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World's Lemon Macadamia Cupcakes, and it. is. AWESOME. True story! I mean, I'm not a fan of the macadamia, but I am a fan of the lime and the coconut. Because--seriously now--who isn't? I'm also a fan of the cream cheese frosting, vegan or non-vegan.

But these? These are vegan. The recipe for the cake itself is actually one of the best lemon cupcake recipes I've come across. All the other dairy-and-eggtastic ones I've tried are strangely heavy or dry somehow, but this one stays light and tart and spongy once it's cooled down. Slather some lime cream cheese or lime creme cheez frosting on top, and you've got yourself a little slice of citrusy heaven right there in your hand.

So go on and give 'em a try. I dare you to hate them!

Vegan Lemon Coconut Cupcakes with Lime Creme Cheez Frosting

Ingredients

1/3 c canola oil
3/4 c granulated sugar
1/4 c soy yogurt
1/3 c soy milk
1/4 c lemon juice
1 Tbs finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c plus 2 Tbs flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c flaked or shredded coconut

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.
2. In medium bowl, stir together oil, sugar, yogurt, and soy milk. Add lemon juice, zest, and vanilla. Mix.
3. In separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add flour to liquid in two batches, mixing well after each addition. Add the coconut and stir until well incorporated.
4. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full. Bake 20-22 minutes until a toothpick or knife inserted through the center comes out clean.
5. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting. Makes about a dozen cupcakes.

Lime Creme Cheez Frosting

Ingredients

1/4 c margarine (nonhydrogenated is good!), softened
1/4 c vegan cream cheese, softened
2 c powdered sugar, sifted
2 tsp coconut rum or coconut milk
1 to 1 1/2 tsp finely grated lime zest

Directions

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World's directions say to beat the cream cheese and margarine until well combined. Add sugar in 1/2 c additions. After each addition of sugar, add some coconut rum/coconut milk and beat well. Add lime zest and beat until smooth, creamy, and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until ready to use.

I'm a lazy bastard, so I usually just throw it all in the bowl together (I make sure it's a deep one; high sides are important for this) and then mix it all at once for a couple-few minutes until it's all smooth and fluffy, and voila! Fabulous, zingy lime creme cheez that goes brilliantly with the tart-yet-sweetly-smooth lemon coconut cupcakes.

For the non cream-cheese version, use 8 oz. of cream cheese (it's got to be cold!) and a couple of tablespoons of butter (room temperature) instead of the margarine and vegan cream cheese. Double the rum/coconut milk and lime zest. It makes a ton of frosting, yeah (enough for a double batch of the recipe above), but this stuff is so good you're going to want to pile it as high as sand dunes and eat it with a spoon. I guarantee it.

Enjoy!