BabyCakes...

BabyCakes is a bakery in New York City that specializes in vegan and gluten-free desserts. They’ve been voted for best cupcake in NYC (and they’re up against some big-guns). Celebrities like Madonna and Natalie Portman go there for their sweet fixes. They also opened up another bakery in California. I can’t wait to go to New York and stuff my face full of vegan treats :)
I was very excited to get the BabyCakes Recipe Book (it includes many more things than just cupcakes). My first attempt was the chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting. Sounds easy right? Well, it’s with all new ingredients I’ve never used before (and some I’ve never even heard of). These include garbanzo-bean flour, xanthan gum, coconut oil, potato flour, agave nectar, arrowroot and coconut flour. Their cupcakes aren’t only vegan and gluten-free, they’re supposed to be healthier and reduce that icky feeling in your belly after eating sugar. These recipes are bit more temperamental than the usual white sugar, eggs and flour. My cupcakes turned out decent, but I failed with the frosting. I just ended up using regular frosting for this batch.

This was my first time using coconut oil, which is solid but has to be melted at room temperature before using it. I thought I melted it all the way, but one chunk of the solid stuff got in the mix. Instantly it all changed. I thought maybe it would get better after being refrigerated for the 6 hours it recommended…but it didn’t. I’ll know for next time!

Also, the recipe said to put the cupcakes in the refrigerator, but when I did they turned into dry rocks. SO, overall, not the best cupcake experience…but I will keep on keeping on. Who got anywhere by giving up? I am determined to get a moist, flavorful vegan BabyCakes cupcake!

http://www.babycakesnyc.com/