Vegan with a Vengeance

makes cupcake procurement a mite difficult. Veg City Diner used to have them but they’ve gone out of business. I usually make them myself so my answer would have to be “in my kitchen.”
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    How do cupcakes compare/contrast to other baked goods for you? If there’s a cupcake option I would choose that above all others. Cupcake eating is more of an experience or an activity. With other baked goods you’re just having dessert.
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    Is there any innovation you’d like to see made to the cupcake that would improve it for you? I would like to see more self-filling cupcake recipes. That is, cupcakes with the filling baked right inside rather than piping it in. I’m working on it.
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    Any other thoughts on the topic? My childhood cat was named Cupcake, she went to kitty heaven in 2000. I tip a metaphorical 40 to her memory every time I eat a cupcake.

Coconut Heaven Cupcakes
    MAKES 12 CUPCAKES
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    These are a must for the coconut lovers in your life: dense coconut cupcakes topped off with fluffy coconut icing to die for, thus the name Coconut Heaven Cupcakes.
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    FOR THE CUPCAKES:
    1 cup all-purpose flour
    Â½ teaspoon baking powder
    Â½ teaspoon baking soda
    Â¼ teaspoon salt
    Â¼ cup canola oil
    1 cup coconut milk
    â…” cup sugar
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
    FOR THE FROSTING:
    Â¼ cup nonhydrogenated margarine at room temperature
    Â¼ cup coconut milk
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
    1 cup unsweetened coconut
    Bake the cupcakes:
    Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a twelve-muffin tin with paper liners, set aside.
    Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl combine the oil, coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until smooth. Fold in 1 cup unsweetened coconut. Use an ice-cream scoop to fill each muffin tin about two-thirds full. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 22 minutes; the cupcakes should be slightly browned around the edges and spring back when touched. Remove them from the muffin tin and place on a cooling rack.
    Make the frosting:
    Cream the margarine until light and fluffy. Add the coconut milk and vanilla and combine. Add the sifted confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth (use an electric handheld mixer; otherwise it might take a good 5 minutes to mix). Add the unsweetened coconut and combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.
    Frost when the cupcakes have cooled fully. You can sprinkle a little more unsweetened coconut on top if you like, or put a berry on them for a little color.

Lemon Gem Cupcakes
    MAKES 1 DOZEN CUPCAKES
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    These are sophisticated cupcakes. They don’t peek over the wrapper; the icing comes right to the top. Once baked the cupcake gives off an iridescent glow, but don’t worry, you are not living in a postapocalyptic world of glowing food, it’s just the abundance of the lemon.
    1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
    Â½ teaspoon baking powder
    Â¾ teaspoon baking soda
    Â¼ teaspoon salt
    Â¼ cup canola oil
    â…” cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
    1 cup rice milk
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    Â¼ cup lemon juice
    1 tablespoon lemon zest
    Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a twelve-muffin tin with paper liners.
    Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl combine the oil, sugar, rice milk, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until smooth. Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full; bake for 17 to 20 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from muffin tin and place on a cooling rack. Frost when cooled fully.
Lemon Frosting
    Â¼ cup nonhydrogenated soy margarine, softened
    Â¼ cup soy milk
    2 tablespoons lemon juice
    2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
    Whisk the margarine with a fork until fluffy. Stir in the soy milk and lemon juice; add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth. (It may take 5 minutes or so to get it to be the right consistency unless you employ an electric handheld mixer). Refrigerate until ready to use.

Fauxstess Cupcakes
    MAKES 12 CUPCAKES
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    If I could only eat one cupcake for the rest of my life, well, first I would wonder what I did to deserve such punishment, and then I would choose these. And I think I know someone that would agree with me—the entire country of America. These are my take on those cream-filled chocolate cupcakes with the swirls on top whose name