Vegan Vanilla Sex Bob-Omb Cupcake (for Scott Pilgrim)

Sometime we overdo things. For instance, if someone mentions how disgusting it would be to put saurkraut into baked goods, I find myself compelled to create the impossible. Just to show that it can be done. As usual, however, this sort of thing backfires once and a while.

Take our newest creation. It evolved from the eternal challenge to make a vegan cupcake that is leagues better than the regular old butter and egg cake. I brought it upon myself to take on such a challenge. For a while, it became my own personal burden. I quickly started experimenting - one thing led to another and I was left with a light and fluffy vegan cupcake. It was pleasant enough - Mr. C didn't gag while eatting it (that's the important part) and, if you put it besides a regular vanilla cupcake, two out of three people probably couldn't tell the difference. One out of the three people actually prefured my vegan version to the original.

Vegan Lime in the Coconut Cupcakes

Since Bake for the Quake, we've been receiving a lot of requests for vegan cupcakes. At first, this was much to the chagrin of Mr. C - who believes that all baked goods should have at least a little butter in them. In rebuttal, I stuffed a couple of vegan treats in his mouth. His tune quickly changed after that.

C&C does Yaletown

We are still running on adrenaline. For those of you who were at Bake for the Quake on Wednesday night,  you know exactly how we feel. That night, over 650 piled into Yaletown Roundhouse, creating a line up that was at least a half an hour long. Meanwhile, the bakers inside were going full tilt, constantly serving up tons of yummy confections so that they may please the masses. And please the masses they did.

It was all a rush, really. I'm pretty sure I blacked out halfway through. The line of people at our table was never-ending. Mr. C and I were dancing around constantly, trying to stuff cookies, cupcakes, and pie into everyone's faces tupperware. In the end, our table was able to raise just under $300 for Doctors without borders. Pretty neat, huh?

There were a downside to the constant busyness: We didn't get to leave our table at all. Which meant we couldn't taste anyone else's goods, nor could we take pictures. Luckily for us (and for you!), the amazing Tomasz Wagner was there to capture the greatness.

Please note: these are not our photos! They are taken by Tomasz Wagner! We are picking a few of our favourites to share with you - you can find the whole roll on Tomasz's site.

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This is the manly hand of Mr. C, showcasing our Vegan Cupcake Kebab - Lime & Coconut, Chili Chocolate, and Ube with Mexican Vanilla. Aw yeah.

Cadbury Creme Egg Surprise Cupcake

In Canada, we always have an innate sense of when Easter is. It's not because we're all religious, nor have we memorized the calender. This knowledge comes exclusively from our grocery stores. You see, whenever Easter is close, the clucking bunny is not far behind. Yes, you know what I'm talking about - it's chocolate. It's sweet. It's got a molten candy filling that can burn a hole right through your teeth.

Cadbury Creme Eggs. They're dangerous. Not because they're full of calories, but because the evil minds of Cadbury really have developed a master plan to keep us addicted. The creme egg is only available during Easter. This means that, every year, we forget how sugary sweet the little egg is. And that means, every year, we buy a creme egg. As soon as we bite into one, we remember. We remember and think to ourselves, "Why do we do this every year?" But, every year, we do the same thing.

We wanted to make the yearly ritual a bit more pleasant. The only way to do that is to hide the creme egg completely into something way more delicious - a cupcake.

Monet's Pear Bundt Cake

A while back I got the opportunity to recieve a lovely Norticwear bundt pan from CSNStores.com. Since I recieved the pan a couple weeks ago (and was astounded at how fast CSN ships to the Great White North), my kitchen has been a bundt whirlwind. The pan itself is light - which, to be completely honest, frightened me a bit. But I have put that thing through it's paces, and it has really stuck with me - even after scraping burnt batter off its sides a couple of times. The non-stick pan works like a jiffy (just remember to be patient and let cool before you turn the cake over!) and the shapes of the cakes look just wonderful.


Which brings me to the most important part - the cake.

C&C Joins Bake for the Quake!

We're so happy to be joining another great charity event on Wednesday, April 20th at the Yaletown Roundhouse Community Centre. The lovely and talented Melody Fury (of GourmetFury.com) and Joy (of Gourmeted.com) have organized Bake for the Quake, benefiting Japanese earthquake relief via Doctors Without Borders.

Here's all the deets, Vancouver peeps!

Date: April 20th at 6-8:30pm

Address: 181 Roundhouse Mews Vancouver, BC [corner of Davie & Pacific]

• Underground pay parking is available(access off Drake) $1.5/hour until 6pm, $3 max after 6pm.
• Via transit, take the Canada Line SkyTrain and get off at Yaletown Roundhouse station. Head southeast on Davie Street towards Pacific Blvd, then turn right at Pacific Blvd. Entrance is along Pacific Blvd.

What to expect:

• An amazing array of baked goods by the Lower Mainland’s most talented cooks and bakers
• Prizes for raffle and silent auctions
• Music and Refreshments
• Fun for the whole family

We'll be there, along with some other amazing bakers. Our table will be full of bacon filled cookies, ice box animals, domo sandwiches, muffin tops, vegan cupcakes, and other things that will absolutely melt your face.

And, if you do come by, make sure you drop by and say hi! Mr. C and I will be the awkward ones wearing skull t-shirts, trying to stuff baked goods into your pockets.

Mississippi Mud Pie Cookies

As a kid, I drove across the United States way too many times for my liking. My first trip took place in a little grey hatchback with my Dad. It was quite the experience. Especially because we couldn't go faster than 60 mph. And we didn't have air conditioning.

Journey Around the World (of Cake): Dorayaki and Kasutera Cake

On March 30th, baked good lovers everywhere opened their hearts (and their wallets) and bid like crazy on The Tomato Tart. A goal was set at $2,500 - I thought that was pretty reasonable, but, to be honest, a high number like that got me a little nervous. Just how much would people be willing to pay for cookies and cakes from across the country (and sometimes even internationally)? I was biting my own nails when the sale begun, convinced that our little truffles would not make even the $20 starting point.

Boy, did you guys prove me wrong. Last I heard, the amount of money donated has reached $8,169. I'm still waiting to hear how much our truffles made, but I've been told it's in the $150 range. Which blows my mind. The generosity of all the bidders was absolutely outstanding. All of you absolutely rock! We can not thank you enough! I know, when we send out our truffles to the winner, we'll be packing their box full of love (and some other neato things). 

All this generosity inspired me to share a couple of Japanese desserts for our next Journey Around the World (of Cake):