Rodriguez - Vegan cupcakes: delicious and dairy-free recipes to sweeten the table

Thanks to...

The Oceano Ambar team for having done an incredible job and giving me the opportunity to publish my second book. Becky Lawton and her team, for making these cupcakes look like the most beautiful things in the world. My Lujuria Vegana team for sweetening the world in the most ethical way possible. My professional friends, who always teach me something new: Petit chef, Eugeni Muoz, Sergi Vela, Adriana Ortemberg, Javier Medvedovsky, Restaurante VegWorld, Chiara, Adri and Eva of Gopal, Tano, Lola, Andrea, Gervs of Boom Boom Rest, Dani of Restaurante Vegania... And many friends who are not in this profession but who made it possible for this dream to come true.

Thanks also to Animanaturalis, Igualdad Animal, PETA, and many other organizations that are fighting for a better world for animals. Finally, all this would not be possible without the support of Bere, my partner, as well as my family members, who are always by my side for better or for worse. I am eternally grateful.

Original title: CUPCAKES VEGANOS

2013 Toni Rodrguez

Becky Lawton, for the photography

2013 Editorial Ocano, S.L.

(Barcelona, Spain)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or other kind, without the prior permission in writing of the owners.

English translation 2015 by Skyhorse Publishing

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Laura Klynstra

Cover photo courtesy of Oceano Ambar

ISBN: 978-1-63450-345-7

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63450-903-9

Printed in China

Contents

So it began

Only about ten years have gone by. It was in 2005 when I made my first cake, a carrot cake with vegan icing. I did it without measuring the ingredients, and it came out very rich and fluffy. That encouraged me to continue and, without a recipe, I made a second cake. That second time, fortune did not smile down on me and the result was terrible. So I stopped improvising and started to learn how to successfully prepare vegan cake recipes that I came across on the Internet. There were very few so I needed more material to keep learning. That is when my friend Pantxo brought me a vegan bakery book from the US. My English was minimal and words like frosting, topping, whipped, or dough sounded Chinese to me. The book did not include photographs and with such few references, the process was complicated. So I made just one cake. I was not ready to give up and bought a few pastry books but none of them were vegan. I followed the measurements and procedures in each recipe but I simply substituted ingredients such as eggs and milk.

While practicing at home with all kinds of cakes, fillings, creams... I kept looking into new possibilities and using different ingredients. In a specialized shop I found a product called egg replacer, which is an egg substitute that is made with potato starch, tapioca starch, and xanthan gum. I just had to give it a try since several recipes were included in the box. I chose to start with muffins, to see how it went... I bought cupcake liners and followed all the steps in the recipe. But without a cupcake pan, the liners fell apart and the dough mixed together. Undeterred, I heated the oven to 338 F (170 C) and after a little while I was holding my first muffin. Once I tasted it, I immediately noticed that its texture was different from everything that I had prepared up until that point.

Encouraged by the result, I decorated the muffins with chocolate cream using a pastry bag. They were really delicious and we immediately devoured them.

Such were my first steps into vegan baking. Since then I have made thousands of cupcakes of all kinds: dark chocolate, white chocolate with no milk, carrot, red velvet, dried fruit, caramel, apricot, mango, coconut, raspberry, strawberry, pumpkin, zucchini, pistachio, hazelnut, coffee, blueberries... And always with different creams made with vegan cheese, lemon, orange, dark and white chocolates, toffee, peanut, hazelnut, liqueur... A long and ever-increasing list of ingredients, flavors, and sensations.

From New York to the world

The origin of American cupcakes dates back to the early nineteenth century, but it was not until 2008 when Magnolia Bakery at 401 Bleecker St. in Sex and the City made them famous worldwide. Soon after, these delicious cupcakes timidly invaded Europe, where they began to be seen in bakeries, cafs, restaurants, and tearooms: sweet, savory, in colorful liners, without liners, as big as petit fours, gigantic versions, with different colors and flavors... Gradually, this trend started to spread and shops began to sell the required ingredients, utensils, and recipes to prepare them at home.

And from the world to our home

Cupcakes are a sweet treat made from wheat flour, sugar, eggs, butter, milk, baking powder, and vanilla that I now make available to those who are lactose intolerant, those allergic to dairy and eggs, or those who simply prefer not to use animal-based ingredients for ethical and ideological reasons.

In this book you will find a number of recipes made with different creams, fillings, cakes, cookies, icing, or glazescupcakes for every taste and experience level that I have personally selected from my favorite recipes. My main objective is for the reader to become familiar with different methods for creating cakes, creams, and toppings. Once you master the technique, measuring, and proper ingredient use, the rest is a matter of imagination, daring, and curiosity, three basic ingredients that are fundamental for creating healthy and deliciously perfect vegan cupcakes.