Cherry Bombs

Vanilla Buttercream topped with Fresh Cherries

May was quite the busy month over here in little miss land. Between birthdays, dreadful apartment searches and a new school placement I just haven’t had much time to blog or bake for that matter.  I apologize for the absence from the blog in recent weeks and promise to post more frequently in the upcoming weeks.  

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

Chocolate Banana Cupcake

Sometimes you buy bananas thinking your going to eat them but life gets in the way and they’re left to get all spotty and brown on your counter.  Stuck with some very spotty bananas that were simply too brown to eat, it was time to either use them or throw them out.  After some debating about the possible flavor combinations to use with my bananas I decided on a simple banana chocolate combination.

These cupcakes were rich and decadent. The perfect pick me up for those days when life just needs to be a little sweeter.

Pina Colada Cupcakes

Pina Colada Cupcakes 

I’ve been recently inspired by all this terrific spring weather we have been having. So long snow, hello sunshine and springtime flavored cupcakes. I wanted to make a cupcake that was light and citrusy to ring in the new season…. So with a little help and inspiration from Jimmy Buffet I decided on Pina Colada Cupcakes.

These cupcakes are jam packed with coconut and pineapple flavors. Try them out for a fun spring time treat or for your next patio party

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookies & Milk

There is absolutely no food that I love more than peanut butter. If given the choice I would eat peanut butter for breakfast, for lunch and most definitely for dinner. Not a day goes by where there isn’t at least one jar of natural chunky peanut butter in my fridge.

As such I was quite amazed to discover that I had never posted about peanut butter cookies.  I make these cookies on days when cupcakes just wont do.  They’re a soft, slightly crumbly, melt in your mouth sort of cookie. Perfect for cold windy days like today.

Chocolate Blackberry Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes with Blackberry Filling
& Blackberry Buttercream Frosting

My boyfriend (being the special guy that he is) was given free range to choose whatever cupcake flavor he wanted for his birthday. Anything his little heart desired… After many ridiculous suggestions mostly involving ice cream cones, he finally decided on chocolate blackberry.

Guest Post: Gluten-Free Ding Dongs

Vegan Gluten Free Ding Dongs

Hello fellow Little Miss lovers,

I have been honoured with the task of writing a guest post for Little Miss Vegan Cupcakes. I looked through recipe after recipe trying to find one worthy of Little Miss. Oh the pressure of finding one that would uphold the Little Miss Vegan Cupcakes standard! After much contemplation, I simply decided to keep it classic and chose (drum roll please)...the Ding Dong.

And the winner is...

And the "Little Miss Cupcake" monkey goes to Maggie for her Mojita Cupcakes with the lime cupcake and mint icing. Stay tuned for a special post about these in the next week or two.

Thank you to all who participated

Chocolate & Vanilla Cupcakes with Strawberry Filling

Vanilla Cupcake with Strawberry Filling 

Let me first start off by saying I had not originally planned on making a strawberry filled cupcake. Originally I set out to make cupcakes with a warm gooey caramel filling. The kind of caramel that reminds you of sundaes topped with warm caramel syrup. What I ended up with was a runny light colored soybean flavored mess. Nevertheless when your attempt at caramel flops miserably there's only one solution... fruit fillled cupcakes.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Recently I’ve been making millions and millions of fruit filled cupcakes. Well…. maybe not millions, but you get the point. I decided it was time to venture out in the cupcake world and try something a little different… but what? A few weeks ago I came across this post from My Baking Addiction. The idea of baking cookies inside of cupcakes sounded a little bizarre but I decided that I needed to try it anyways. I put my own 'vegan' spin on the original idea by combining my favorite cupcake recipe with my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough recipe. 

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

Lemon Cupcake with Blueberry Filling
Topped with Lemon Buttercream & a Blueberry Jelly Belly

From a young age I developed a strong fondness for anything blueberry flavored. In fact growing up my parents would take me "berry picking" and I would simply sit in the berry patch and eat handfuls of blueberries off the bushes. I definitely gained a reputation from a young age as a lover of all things blueberry

My all time favorite bluberry treat was always my mom's blueberry muffins (that she made on Christmas morning). Unfortunately many of my attempts to "veganize" her traditional recipe have failed miserably. I just can't seem to recreate a muffin that embodies the flavor, texture and look of that old familiar favorite. 

Lemon Blueberry Cupcake Sneak Peek

Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes

 Just a little sneak peak of what's to come on the blog later this week... Check back Friday for the full post

Chai Latté Cupcake Instructions

Chai Latte Cupcakes

Many of my girlfriends love to treat themselves to a chai latté here and there. It’s definitely a delicious combination of flavors and spices.  I first attempted to recreate the chai flavor in cupcake form here.  They were full of flavor and adorable looking. Since then they have become a very popular request and I often get questions about how to recreate these.  Here is a simple set of instructions on how to recreate this tasty flavor combination yourself.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Peanut Butter Cupcake with Chocoalte Frosting 

When I went back to school this year (after a 2 year academic hiatus) I was a little nervous. Not only about the course workload but also about meeting new people.  Despite my worries I ended up meeting a pretty amazing group of girls. This week one of the girls decided to organize and host a potluck dinner for the group.  Once I confirmed my attendance I was of course assigned dessert duty.

Little Miss Cupcake Contest

Little Miss Monkey

For those of you who know me well, know that I have two obsessions in life: cupcakes and sock monkeys.  In fact my sock monkey addiction began long before my obsession with vegan cupcakes.  Since then, I have been splitting my time between baking cupcakes and making monkeys.  For some reason I never thought to unify these obsessions, that is until now…

Sneak Peak: Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocoalte Frosting

Just a 'Little Miss' sneak peak of whats to come on the blog later this week. Check back to see the results

Luck of the Irish

'Green' Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

With St. Patrick’s Day festivities happening across the city I decided to join in the Irish cheer.  Choosing a flavor for my “luck of the Irish” cupcakes was a challenge… I couldn’t decide whether to focus on incorporating beer, leprechauns, rainbows, shamrocks or that famous green color. Like a kid in the candy store I was stuck with too many choices and a decision to make. After much debate I finally decided on transforming a classic into a cupcake worthy of the Irish. Behold; Green Velvet Cupcakes

Sneak Peak: St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

Green Velvet Cupcakes

Here's a 'Little Miss'  sneak peak of what's to come on the blog. Check back later this week for the details.

Using a Baking Stone

Chocolate Fudgey Oatmeal Cookies & Milk

Despite my obsession with all things cupcake I decided it was time to venture out in the baking world and try something different. Nothing brings out childhood nostalgia like warm cookies and a glass of milk. So on a cold rainy gloomy day like today I decided to whip up a batch of Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies.

Marble Cupcake Critters

Marble Cupcake with Vanilla Buttercream

As a person who loves to bake cupcakes my predicament is often who to share the final product with. If I ate all my cupcakes myself I would clearly have some serious health problems.  Since moving to Toronto most of my cupcakes have ended up in the hands of friends and coworkers.  My coworkers at Lululemon especially love a tasty treat here and there.

Recently one of the managers at my store approached my and requested that I make some cupcakes for a store event we were having.  I of course agreed without hesitation and began devising a plan. I decided on a happy medium between vanilla and chocolate and went with a Marble Cupcake with a combination of Vanilla and Chocolate Buttercream.

Lemon Cranberry Cupcakes

Lemon Cupcake with Cranberry Filling
Topped with Lemon Buttercream & Cranberries

Recently I had a few friends over for dinner, euchre and drinks.  I wanted to make cupcakes for desert but just couldn’t decide on a flavor. I turned to my good friend Amanda for some suggestions. Initially, she thought that carrot would be a fantastic addition to our fun filled night, but I wasn’t in the mood for something savory. 

After much debate we finally decided upon Lemon Cranberry.  So I got to work searching for some lemon cranberry ideas and came up with a plan of attack. I came across this “Sparkling Cranberry” link from 101 Cookbooks and knew that I wanted to incorporate them into these cupcakes.

(Continue Reading after the jump)

Cupcake Recipe Sneak Peak

Lemon Cranberry Cupcakes
with Lemon Buttercream & Sugared Cranberries

Just a little sneak peak of what's to come over here on "Little Miss Vegan Cupcakes". Check back later this week for the full post.

Chocolate Mocha Cupcakes

Chocolate Mocha Cupcake with Sprinkles

I’ve had so many reasons to bake cupcakes lately, some might say… Who needs a reason to bake cupcakes? And  I agree that any day can be cupcake day, but some days just deserve buttercream and rich chocolaty cake.  Today is one of those days.

Tasty Toasted Coconut Cupcakes

Toasted Coconut Cupcakes

This weekend a friend of mine hosted a pre family day fun-filled girls night. There were many bottles of wine and tasty treats to be had by all.  My contribution to the night came in the form of cupcakes of course!

Pink, Red & White

Happy Valentine's Day

I have been slowly counting down the days to Valentine’s Day for more weeks than I should probably admit. In fact I decided to start a little early and hand out cookies and a few Valentine’s Day cards in the last couple days. If people can celebrate Christmas for the entire month of December then I can celebrate Valentine’s Day for the entire month of February. Right?

Cat and the Hat & Chocolate Chip Cookies

View from my Balcony

After a very long hiatus from the world of blogging about tasty cupcakes and other delights, I’m finally back. I took a break to move to Toronto and find my city legs. Now that I've gotten used to my 5'x 5' kitchen and lack of dishwasher, Im finally back.