Iron Cupcake Challenge: Chocolate Strawberry Surprise

August 29, 2008 at 1:28 am (Food, Iron Cupcake Earth, Recipes)
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Chocolate Strawberry Surprise Cupcakes

Chocolate Strawberry Surprise Cupcake

 This month’s Iron Cupcake Challenge featured chili pepper! The only rules were that 1) it has to be a cupcake (duh) and 2) the cupcake MUST include the featured ingredient of the month! Well, I must say this was a mighty challenge for me since I do not tend to seek spicy foods, especially not in my desserts. But I appreciated the challenge and I think I accomplished a damn good cupcake! I decided to name my cupcake Chocolate Strawberry Surprise because it is a chocolate cupcake with a hint of cinnamon with a center filling of chili spiced pudding, topped with REAL (no fake extracts for me!) strawberry icing topped with melted chocolate! I then topped it with some chocolate hearts and a chocolate pepper. I love how the shadows of the chocolate figures dance in the background of the photo!

All the flavors work amazingly well together and send your mouth into an explosion of tastebud delight! You will first notice the creamy strawberry icing with a hint of melted chocolate, then the cinnamon will hit you from the cake. On your second bite (depending on your mouth size I guess ;) ), you will feel a wave of cool chocolate pudding that slowly develops into a spice feast for your mouth! (Have no fear, I used chili powder that was not HOT, but medium in spice level.) I thought what is more perfect that chocolate and chili? Chocolate, chili and STRAWBERRIES!!! Yummy! That is why I decided to not only include strawberries as a puree in the cupcake batter, but also make it the featured icing!

To vote for my cupcake, you will have to go to NO ONE PUTS CUPCAKE IN A CORNER between August 31st at noon and September 4th at noon. Please be sure to vote for me! There are so many good entries, and I would have to be VERY lucky to win! At least I am happy with my cupcake right? Plus, I can eat them to comfort myself if I lose…. ;) . All of us who are participating are competing for the following prizes: artwork from Cakespy creator Jessie Oleson, an apron from Jessie Steele (which I totally want! Aren’t they adorable?), a Cupcake Courier, a Taste of Home magazine, a set of silicone Head Chefs from Fiesta Products, and finally a Hello Cupcake book! Whew! I think it took me as long to list all the prizes as it did for me to make the cupcakes! That is a LOT of prizes! Sure they are not all vegan minded, but it is the thrill of competition, not the materialistic items I entered for! It was extremely generous of all those involved to offer their items for prizes! Please remember to vote between August 31st at noon and Sept. 4th at noon for VeganVerve!! Thank you!

How did I make these cupcakes you ask? Well, let me show you! There are a lot of steps, but they can easily be done over a few days if you prefer (like I ended up doing) or prep everything while the cupcakes are cooling after baking….or while they are cooling in the fridge (you will see what I mean when you read further!). I only did it over a few days because I quite frankly hadn’t made up my mind what I was going to do yet!!

Chocolate Strawberry Surprise Cupcakes

Cupcake Batter:

2/3 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup pureed strawberries (or use blender to puree during step 2)

1 Tbsp flax meal

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup canola

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp oat flour (or 100% of either flour)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

3/8 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 heaping tsp cinnamon

 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350

2. With blender, mix together coconut milk, strawberries and flax meal. Let sit for about 5 minutes.

3. While waiting for the mixture in #2, mix together the flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Blended Mixture & Dry Ingredients

Blended Mixture & Dry Ingredients

 
4. After about 5 minutes, put the following ingredients directly into blender mixture (I just kept it in the blender the whole time!): sugar, canola oil, and the vanilla & almond extracts. Mix thoroughly with spoon.
 
5. Slowly incorporate the wet into the dry until a smooth batter is formed. Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3rds full. Bake for approximately 20-22 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.
Yummy Batter

Yummy Batter

All Ready to go in the oven!

All Ready to go in the oven!

 
Chili Pudding:
 
1 box Organic Chocolate Pudding by Dr. Oetker
 
1 Tbsp medium chili powder (or less depending on spicy level you desire)
My Method of Attack!

My Method of Attack!

 
 
1. Prepare pudding as directed. Mix in chili powder.
 
2. Once cupcakes are cool, pipe in (or use whatever method you prefer) pudding into center of cupcakes. I find it extremely easy to poke the cupcake with my CLEAN finger ;) to create a hole for the filling.
 
3. Place in refrigerator for about an hour to let pudding firm up in the cupcake.
 
Strawberry Icing:
 
1/4 cup of strawberry puree (I find that 1 cup frozen usually makes only about 1/4 cup puree)
 
1/4 cup vegan margarine
 
3 Tbsp vegan shortening
 
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
 
 
1. Thaw about 1 cup strawberries (if using frozen) then puree in blender.
 
2. Using a mixer, cream together margarine and shortening until fluffy.
 
3. Mix strawberry puree and 1 cup confectioner’s sugar into the margarine/shortening mixture. Combine thoroughly with mixer.
 
4. Slowly continue to add rest of confectioner’s sugar until thoroughly combined.
Strawberry Icing

Strawberry Icing

 
5. Put icing on cupcakes and let cool in refrigerator.
 
Chocolate Topping:
 
1/3 cup chocolate chips
 
 
1. Melt chocolate, place in piping instrument of your choosing (or just use a knife for all steps in #2 like I did, but it is a tad more tempermental!)
 
2. Make 3 rows of chocolate on each cupcake, then run your knife the opposite direction to make decorative design.
 
3. Cool in refigerator until chocolate firms.
Before Chocolate firmed & Before Toppers were added!

Before Chocolate firmed & Before Toppers were added!

 
4. Option: create your own decorative toppers and place them on cupcakes!
Ta dah!

Ta dah!

Remember to vote for your favorite!!

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Cows Raised As “Food” Fed Junk Food

August 20, 2008 at 2:23 am (Animal Rights, Animals)
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As per usual, I was reading my daily dose of vegan, animal rights and environmental news when I came across this article on The Daily Green. Apparently the geniuses behind the beef industry are feeding cows potato chips, waste from ethanol plants and chocolate factories. Huh? Yes, cows are being fed junk food. Would it not be fitting to then postulate that people who eat beef are also eating potato chips, waste from ethanol and chocolate waste, all of which were deemed not good enough for human consumption? As they say, you are what you eat.

Cows are grass eaters, not potato chip, chocolate or ethanol waste eaters. The absurdity of their diets has led to a vast increase in the number of E. coli in their guts. Could this possible rise over the decades have led to the greater number of recalls DUE to E. coli, just like the one earlier this month? The one in which Nebraska Beef, Ltd. based in Omaha, Nebraska had to recall about 1.2 million pounds of beef? Of this I have no doubt. But you also have to consider the great E. coli risk due to incompetent slaughterhouses (if there is such a thing as a competent one…rather oxymoronic), in which demand is high so work is quick and lousy. But in and of itself, the increased amount of E. coli in the animal being slaughtered would easily be a prime suspect for the root of contamination. But would anyone admit to this? Probably not, considering they would then have to admit that they are not only consuming something they shouldn’t, but also admit that they are feeding the cows what they shouldn’t eat either. Afterall, what is more important: feeding a cow what it actually eats or feeding it something that increases their fat factor? By all means, E. coli is only a minor problem considering the thought of slim cows *gasp*! No no, it is more important to risk over 1.2 million pounds of beef to be recalled (or approximately 2600 cows that died for absolutely no reason whatsoever…even from a meat eater’s viewpoint…so would that make it negative quantities of reason for death?).

So cows have not only been fingered for consumption, but also for being forced to eat crap. No, this would be worse than that, this would be the waste FROM crap. Apparently the increase of ethanol needs in this country has quite a bit to do with what cows eat. Corn prices are high, but apparently ethanol waste prices are low. So of course the cows get the waste. Not only that, farmers obtain waste from Hershey’s and Mars as well. Isn’t that grand? Cows get to eat chocolate considered not suitable for human consumption. But guess what? Humans are still consuming it each time they have beef. So no matter how “healthy” a meat eater THINKS they are (which they aren’t even if they don’t realize it), they are still consuming junk food. I find this a tad bit humorous…considering how terrible junk food is considered, yet beef is still found even on menus of Jenny Craig and and other idiotic diets. Of course I feel awful for the cows, as who knows what this crap they are feeding them is doing to their systems. Afterall, their lives are terrible enough.

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