It was my last day at work on Friday. It felt so surreal. Time to plant new seeds now. I brought in vegan cupcakes for my coworkers, who were delighted to eat them.

I had a little send off last night. Everyone’s warm wishes, assurances, and company were much appreciated. I’ve been feeling a lot of anxiety about traveling for this long, because I’ve never done anything this crazy before. So, it was really nice to see my friends and have them tell me everything is going to be okay. There were lots of hugs all around… And there were vegan pizzas, snacks, and the vegan cupcakes everyone loves.

It’s a recipe that has been kept secret for ten years and I’m finally ready to share it. The cupcakes themselves have nine ingredients, so they’re simple to make. If you don’t have coconut oil, canola oil can do just fine. Water can also be substituted for soy milk. But I promise you, the coconut oil and soy milk make the cupcakes exquisite.

You Will Need:

• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup of organic sugar
• 1 tsp. of baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. of baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. of sea salt
• 1 cup of soy milk
• 1/4 cup of coconut oil
• 1 tsp. of vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. of white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put cupcake liners in the muffin tin.

Sift together all the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir together. Then poke a well into the dry mixture with your finger. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients right into the center of the well of the dry mixture. Stir until incorporated fully, but don’t overdo it. (We want the batter to be a little lumpy. If it’s stirred too much, then it loses its texture. Then it won’t rise as well.)

Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners until about two-thirds full. Put the pan into the oven and bake for 22 minutes. Stick a toothpick in the center to ensure they’re fully baked. If some batter clings onto the toothpick, bake for two more minutes.

When they’re done, take the cupcakes out and let them cool for at least half an hour. After they’re cool, it’s time to add the frosting.

Some store-bought frosting, such as Duncan Hines brand, are accidentally vegan. I used the creamy home-style vanilla flavor here, but if you want to make your own, it’s quite simple. There are plenty of recipes around. Here is what I use sometimes:

Vegan Frosting:

• 2 cups of organic powder sugar
• 2 Tbsp. of Earth Balance (vegan butter)
• 2 Tbsp. of soy milk
• 1 tsp. of vanilla extract

Cream together the Earth Balance, soy milk, and vanilla extract with a hand mixer. Gradually add the powder sugar until a smooth consistency forms and all the lumps are gone. Slather the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes.

And voila! There you have it. I hope you love making these as much as I do! Do leave a comment and tell me what you think. Enjoy!

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