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.



But I couldn't leave it there. No, not me. I had to add something else. Something to really take this over the top. A single vegan vanilla cupcake is fine - but no one is going to go rampaging through town to get one. I had to step up my game. And, since becoming a devout follower of this site, I knew what I had to do. I felt absolutely compelled to bake some extra vegan vanilla cookies and stuff those suckers inside the cupcakes. I was proud of myself - especially because the flavour of both the cupcake and cookie was really something to beheld individually. Putting them together created a supreme sugar vortex unlike no other. But that doesn't mean I had to stop there.

On top of the cake and the delightful little crunch of the cookie craved for a big gob of something special. So I created what could probably be taken as a vegan pastry cream (though vegan vanilla curd would be a better description). Then, without thinking, I tossed it on top of the cookie-filled vanilla cupcake. What I had created would be forever known in this household as a monster. A vanilla bomb. Or sex bob-omb.



Scott Pilgrim would eat this cupcake and so should you. If you don't enjoy the really nerdy Canadian comic reference, then I'm sure you'll enjoy these little sugar bombs anyways. Especially if you're looking for the next vegan adventure.
Vegan Vanilla Sex Bob-Omb Cupcake (for Scott Pilgrim) Makes 6 Cupcakes
1/2 cup soy milk 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons flour 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon baking powder (+1/8 teaspoon) 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup non-hydrogenated margarine 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar 1 vanilla bean, scraped clean 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1) Preheat the oven to 350F. In a measuring glass, whisk together the soy milk and cider vinegar. Set aside for at least 10 minutes to curdle. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the margarine and sugar until slightly fluffy. Add the paste you've scrapped from the vanilla bean and the two extracts. Then whisk in the soy milk mixture. Slowly, while stirring with a wooden spoon, sift in your dry ingredients and stir slowly until the batter has just come together. Do not over mix.
3) To bake: Place one tablespoon of the batter down into each of the cupcake liners. Then place a vanilla sandwich cookie (recipe below) on top of the spooned batter. Add two more tablespoons to each of your liners, and cook for about 25 minutes - or until you cake tester comes out clean and the tops of your cupcakes are golden. Set out to cool before adding the pastry cream. 
Vegan Vanilla Sandwich Cookie
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup soy milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons non-hydrogenated margarine, softened
2 Tablespoons non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 a vanilla bean, scraped clean 1/4 vanilla extract
1) Preheat the oven to 325F. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. 
2) Cream together the shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and soy milk and cream together. Add the dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon until everything comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and cool for at least ten minutes. 
3) Take dough out and roll between two sheets for baker's paper until about 1/8 of an inch thick. Cut out circles (which should be the same size of the bottom of your cupcake pan) and bake for about 12 minutes, or until just golden. Set out to cool.
4) While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting: Cream the margarine and shortening together until fluffy, then add the vanilla you've taken from the bean and the extract. Add the powdered sugar a 1/4 of a cup at a time and mix until all together. Spoon the cream onto one of the cooled cookies and sandwich another on top.

Vegan Vanilla Pastry Cream 1/4 cup unbleached flour
1 cup soy milk, divided
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoons lemon juice
1 vanilla bean, scraped clean

1) In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of soy milk and the flour until it forms a paste. Set aside. In a small pot, add the rest of the soy milk, sugar, and the paste from the vanilla bean. Whisk to combine, then add the flour mixture. Over medium heat, whisk for about five to six minutes, or until the mixture thickens. Add the lemon juice, and whisk for about another minute. Take off the heat, transfer to another bowl to cool. Place some plastic wrap directly on top of the cream, so a skin doesn't form. Let cool before topping the cupcakes.



These cupcake are being entered in this month's Dessert Wars. Take a look at the neato prizes that can be won:

Whisk and cupcake necklace from Moon & Star Designs

Beanilla Sampler Pack of Vanilla Beans

Lenox Personalized Musical Cupcake

1,000 ideas for Decorating Cupcakes, Cookies & Cakes

Organic Valley $50 Gift Certificate

Organic Prairie $50 Gift Certificate

Theme Kitchen $50 Gift Certificate

BEKA Cookware Crepe Pan