Classic Cupcakes, with a Maple Twist!

by L Matthews on November 29, 2010

maple syrup cupcakes

Having failed to remember to buy anything resembling raspberries, I improvised this afternoon when making cupcakes by using maple syrup, thereby creating a Canuck-tastic Classic Cupcake twist. Slightly concerned over the results I waited with baited breath as I watched them rise in their lovely little purple silicon cups… and hot damn if I haven’t created something rather good!

The recipe is the same as for the Coconut and Raspberry cupcakes… except for a couple of things due to altered ingredient availability in Canada:

You will need:

  • 25g Soy flour
  • 250g Wholemeal flour
  • 300ml Rice milk
  • 125ml Mild Olive oil (if it ain’t mild it’ll taste weird)
  • 150g Caster sugar (make sure it’s bone-free and vegan!)
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 3tbsp Golden syrup (or 1 1/2-2tbsp of maple syrup)
  • 1 1/2-2cups Unsweetened Dessicated Coconut (depends how dense you want them to be)
  • Maple syrup


The Method to the Madness

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350 Fahrenheit)
  2. Mix up all your dry ingredients in a big ol’ bowl
  3. Mix the baking powder with the rice milk in a measuring jug and then measure the oil into there too. Stir in the golden syrup (or maple syrup) vigrorously.
  4. Slowly pour the liquid mix into the dry mix and stir it up until a lovely smooth (but slightly lumpy texture). The coconut makes it lumpy, you’ll see what I mean.
  5. Get your cupcake cases/silicon moulds ready and pour enough mixture to fill them nealry to the top. These won’t rise too much, so don’t leave them short.
  6. When they’re all filled, take the maple syrup and swirl a tiny bit (a 1/2 tbsp or so) onto the top of each case of cucpake batter. Then, when they’re all done, take a toothpick, or similarly pointy object, and swirl the syrup down into the centre of the cupcake. Don’t be too vigorous, it’ll ruin the effect! If you leave all the maple syrup on the top they’ll be really sticky and it’ll probably just crystallise on the side of the silicon mold (some of you may like that, who knows, eh?).
  7. Bung ’em in the oven for about 20 mins. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN. Seriously folks. It’s a crime against cupcakes, punishable by… some cupcake constable somewhere. The cupcakes are ready when they look golden brown on the top and a knife comes out clean from a sacrificial cucpake (what a shame, you’ll have to eat it all warm and gooey straight away).

I wouldn’t bother icing these, unless you are feeling really indulgent, as the maple syrup gives them a nice sticky top that turns a golden colour. Don’t stack them when boxing up, it’ll end badly, in one big squishy cupcake mess. Delish!

NB: I have also used this recipe to make a giant MappleSnapple cake (yes, I made that up). Basically, the same recipe, poured into a fairly standard cake tin and baked for 45mins until golden on top. Then you can slice it in half and smother the centre in maple butter for extra teeth-rotting goodness. (mmmm).

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Leave a Comment

{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }

RedGlitter November 29, 2010 at 18:23

Two questions, if you can answer that would be brilliant, if not I understand (youre not my personal chef, which is a pity, its hard to say no to a yummy-looking vegan cupcake)… Im searching for a cupcake recipe, these look scrummy!(scrumptious)

a) What do you use to make pink icing?

2) if I was to use regular white flour for this recipe (kids birthday, their mother will not tolerate wholemeal), I read somewhere it doesnt translate 1:1, you have to use a bit less liquid than with the wholemeal or something

baking cakes relies on such precise measurements sometimes

thanks

admin November 29, 2010 at 18:42

Hello!

You’re totally right about wholemeal not being the same as plain flour for such things. I’d say to probably use a little less of the rice milk… about 250ml instead of the 300ml. The beauty of this recipe is that the batter is quite thick so if you like your cupcakes more dense just leave it as it, if you want them a little lighter then add a tiny bit more rice or soy milk (and a dash extra baking powder). If you’re using maple syrup in the batter (rather than golden syrup) and plain flour then you’d probably need to reduce the milk a little anyway as it’s thinner.

The pink icing is a breeeeeeze. Use raspberries, about three fresh raspberries will do it for a whole batch of frosting for 12 cupcakes (which is what this recipe makes, and I forgot to put in…ooops). Other good things are green icing using mashed up kiwi fruit, and amazing purple icing from blueberries… having a swirl of each on top makes them rather psychedelic and fun for kids! Especially if you then put some vegan smarties (whizzers) on top – I may be getting carried away.

Personal chef, eh? I’d take on that task! Shame you’re all the way over in Australia though!

Let me know how they turn out!
Cheers,
Leigh

RedGlitter November 29, 2010 at 19:13

Thank you! this information is so helpful

RedGlitter November 30, 2010 at 22:49

COmment about the cakes…. just so you know, followed the recipe as close as, using un-wholemeal flour, and when I was adding the liquid, I finished off one carton of soymilk – 100 ml approx and mixed that in before getting the next carton, but the recipe didnt need any more liquid

so either I used a LOT less dry ingredients than I should have or I did something else out of balance

either way, I got rave reviews, and the kids liked them,

moist with a deep sweetness not a too-sweet sweetness, melt in the mouth

admin December 2, 2010 at 09:12

Glad the kids liked ’em, and you!

Thanks for letting me know about the liquid quantities for plain flour… I’ll start adding it into my recipes I think to help people a bit more.

How many cupcakes did you get out of the batter using the 100ml of soymilk? Weirdly, I think it makes a difference if the milk is cold too… as the cold milk tends to make it runnier quicker and thicker as it warms to room temp. Just a thought!

Cheers
Lx

Del December 5, 2010 at 16:41

I tried this recipe last week with white flour too and the mixture was really runny so the cupcakes didn’t really ridse much… then saw your posts (duh!) and tried again with less liquid today and the cupcakes were amazing! much lighter and fluffier! I put about 175ml of almond milk in mine the second time (rather than 300ml the first time!) and the maple and almond works really well together (not the sweetened stuff though I imagine… too sweet then!). This recipe’s great though, really simple to do and tastes amazing, just should have read the comments first I suppose! I’m kinda new to baking and didn’t know about the wholewheat flour/enriched flour thing, now I know though, thanks! No more baking disasters for me!

Tim December 8, 2010 at 04:17

Super post – and great domain by the way:-)

Keneth Schlissel December 8, 2010 at 06:00

Thanks. I’m supposed to cook for my new vegetarian girlfriend this weekend and have no idea what to make! I found a loadlots of recipes at this vegetarian recipe site but with so mnay to choose from I just got confused. Do you have any recommendations, like .. the tastiest vegetarian recipe, ever, or something?! Thanks in advance! I hope it goes well

admin December 8, 2010 at 13:10

Hi Kenneth,

exciting cooking for someone isn’t it!? But a bit nerve-wracking certainly… Possibly the easiest thing to do is, rather than think ‘AAArg I have to cook a vegetarian meal!’, think about things you already cook that happen to be vegetarian! There’ll be something, whether it’s a delicious risotto, a homemade pizza (there’s a recipe on here that’s damn good…heheh), an amazing vegetable and lentil curry (check if she likes things hot though!), or a massive salad with pittas, houmous, and homemade veggie burgers.

Whatever you do, make sure it’s easy, and that you don’t have to spend time in the kitchen once she’s arrived. That’s why salads are great, and curries as you can pretty much get everything sorted before she arrives and then get on with quaffing wine and having fun as things bubble away merrily. If you’re unsure of the recipe, try it out first, otherwise you’ll be too nervous to enjoy yourself. She’s not going to be assessing your culinary ability, so relax, and enjoy!

Making dessert is also an excellent idea, as this can be done in advance and be kept hidden as lovely surprise after she’s complimented you on dinner! Clearly, cupcakes are the way to go…

Hope you have a great night!
Thanks
Leigh

Yong Gibson December 9, 2010 at 06:08

Other men live to eat, while I eat to live.

Monc December 12, 2010 at 04:32

These look amazing! Maple syrup and cupcakes… you can’t go wrong! Will let you know how they turn out (after I’ve tested all twelve for amazingness)

Anna December 16, 2010 at 14:29

Excellent blog , I have found it all very interesting. trying to lose weight though, and the veganism is helping, but these cupcakes look waaaaaaaaaay too tempting! \Damn you! maybe i can just make them for ‘friends’ though!
thanks,
Anna

admin March 7, 2011 at 10:00

Yay! I’m glad you liked the recipe enough to want to play with it! Will have a go at your refined version after I munch through the rest of this batch of cakes. nom nom nom.

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