These cupcakes are actually vegan, meaning they contain absolutely no animal products. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would make something... vegan. I come from the middle of Missouri, have dated many cattle farmers' sons, and can't imagine life without meat, let alone butter! Then, I met David. A fellow med student, David is the first vegan I have ever known, and I need to thank him for introducing me to the taste sensations of vegan ingredients-- Especially for introducing me to chai tea with soy milk... delish! Since I am only one girl, and since I bake more than I can eat, I often take most of my treats into class with me to share with my classmates. Unfortunately, David has never been able to share my treats with me. Seeing this recipe online, I knew I had to make it for him! (Even if he only ate one... geez David!) Even though these cupcakes are vegan, don't let that deter you from trying these. They smell and taste exactly like the tea, while still being able to satisfy your sweet tooth. And continuing with my theme for this week, they are stuffed with those famous fall flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. A wonderful addition to your fall holiday parties!
Science-y part... feel free to skip to recipe unless you're a nerd like me: Cholesterol is actually one of my favorite things to talk about. For 2 years, I researched how to prevent and detect early hypercholesterolemia. In reality, in moderate amounts, cholesterol is not the evil villain that many commercials for HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (aka Lipitor, Crestor, Zocor, and all those other "statin" medicines) would have you believe. Cholesterol is the molecule that allows animal cells (that includes human cells) to remain flexible. Also, cholesterol is the building block for almost all of your hormones, like testosterone, estrogen, cortisol, and aldosterone.
Cholesterol... sigh, memories of biochemistry! |
See, cholesterol is a good guy; you couldn't survive without it! Saturated fats or too much cholesterol, is where hypercholesterolemia or arteriosclerosis can rear its ugly head, which is why we need the amazing statin drugs. So, why are vegan cupcakes also low in cholesterol? Because they contain no animal products (no butter, no eggs, and no milk!), where we get all of our dietary cholesterol from! Isn't science cool!
Ok, I've bored you enough, here are the Chai tea cupcakes
Low Cholesterol/ Vegan Chai Tea Cupcakes
adapted from Bakingdommakes 48 mini cupcakes, 15 regular cupcakes
-1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
-1 t. baking soda
-1/2 t. baking powder
-1/2 t. salt
-1 t. ground cinnamon
-3/4 t. ground cardamom
-1/2 t. ground ginger
-1/2 t. ground nutmeg
-1/2 t. ground cloves
-1 c. sugar
-1/2 c. margarine
-1 c. applesauce
-1 c. soy milk
-4 chai tea bags
Frosting:
-1 c. margarine
-1 t. vanilla extract
-1 t. ground cinnamon
-4 1/2 c. powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350F. Line cupcake pan with liners.
In a small saucepan, heat the soy milk until simmering. Remove from heat and add tea bags to soak. Let cool. Remove tea bags before adding to butter mix
In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients, whisking to mix. In stand mixer, or large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Add the applesauce (beware, it could get messy here!). Mix until smooth. The batter will look like it has white speckles in it, but these will mix out when you add the dry. Alternating dry and wet, add the flour mix and soy milk to butter mix. Mix until just combined. Pour 1 Tbsp. of batter into each cup. Bake 12-14 min (14-18 min for regular sized cupcakes), or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake can be removed cleanly. Remove from oven and let cool entirely in the pan. Frost when cool
For the frosting: Mix the margarine, vanilla, and cinnamon until light and fluffy, about 3 min. Slowly add the powdered sugar until the frosting reaches the desired consistency.
Enjoy!!
Coming up next week: Apple week!!!