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A prelude to a kiss.

That’s all I ask for.

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And by prelude.  I mean dinner and a movie.

Or a walk on the beach.

Or a picnic in Central Park.

I mean gazing into each other’s eyes.  I mean sparks and butterflies.  I mean magic.

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I do not mean five minutes of dancing to Lady Gaga.  In a dark and stormy bar.  On a Friday night.  In the middle of July.

After just having met.  Mere minutes before.

And yet.

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Is it any wonder I felt the need for absolution on Saturday morning?

A desire to prove to myself that everything in this world is not tainted by dirt.  Grime.  Sleaze.

(And to think I only had one beer.  Praise the lord.)

I’m not usually one to proselytize.

But really guys.  What ever happened to courtship?  Romance?  Even, dare I say it, first dates?

Call me old fashioned.

But anything less.  And I am basically guaranteed to wake up the next morning ready to forget the entire thing.

So are you taking notes?

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I know you are squinting at these cupcakes.  Saying.  “Joanne.  I know you had a rough night.  But vegan cupcakes?  Really?  Don’t you think that’s kind of…extreme?”

Well.  Normally I would agree with you.  But I baked these for a school event at which a substantial fraction of the attendees were going to be vegan.  So to say that I had no choice in the matter.  Would be an understatement.

And yet.

They are surprisingly absolutely delicious.  Incredibly moist.  Devoured by all.  Vegans and non-vegans alike.

As for the avocado buttercream.  Most recipes I found for vegan frosting required me to buy shortening.  The thought of which made me feel even sleazier than making out with a guy I wasn’t even particularly attracted to did.

And then there was Joy the Baker.  Who really is a dream.  Because not only is this avocado buttercream delicious.  But it’s good for you.  Wholesome.  And so when you eat it from the bowl.  With a spoon.  You can do so absolutely guilt free.  And possibly even self righteously.  If you’re so inclined.

I am submitting these to Two For Tuesdays and to Weekend Herb Blogging, which is being hosted by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Don’t forget to enter my GIVEAWAY!  Or to submit your entries to Regional Recipes: ETHIOPIA!

Also, in case you haven’t noticed, Eats Well With Others now has a Recipe Index and an About Me page!  You can click these links or use the sidebar. 

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Golden Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes 12, adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World

1 cup almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350.  Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners.

2. Whisk the almond milk and vinegar in a mixing cup.  Allow to curdle for a few minutes.

3. Beat together the soy milk mixture, oil, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract.  Sift together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the wet ingredients, mixing until just incorporated and no lumps remain.

4. Pour into muffin liners and bake for 20-22 minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Avocado Buttercream Frosting
Makes enough to ice at least 2 dozen cupcakes, adapted from Joy The Baker, who got it from Alton Brown

8 oz very ripe avocado meat
2 tsp lemon juice
1 lb powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix together the avocado and lemon juice until smooth.  Little by little, beat in the powdered sugar.  Add in the vanilla extract until combined.  Dye with food coloring if, like mine, your frosting is an extremely unappealing shade of green.

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You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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86 Responses to Vegan Golden Vanilla Cupcakes with Avocado "Buttercream" Frosting

  1. Wow, avocado frosting. I’ve never heard of that one! Sounds incredibly intriguing. I think they are very pretty, I love green and the sprinkles always help!

    Hope the cupcakes make up for the less than stellar night.

    Like the recipe index, I’m working on one of my own, it’s taking time I don’t have!

  2. Simply Life says:

    oh those look great! I wouldn’t even know they were vegan! 🙂

  3. This is good…avacado buttercream is new to me!

  4. Kristen says:

    Oh my – I’m so sorry! I hope that you don’t have to deal with him again. There are prince’s out there, surely, aren’t there?

    If not, I think I would be happy with a tub of this frosting and some good chick flicks on a saturday night!

  5. Katerina says:

    I think romance is vanishing rapidly. I was lucky enough to live as a teenager and youngster in years when romance existed and played a great role in our lives. I will always treasure those days. These cupcakes are very interesting. I am not a vegan myself, but they definitely look very attractive.

  6. Looks so good! Love the wrapper and love what the wrapper holds even more. Yum!

  7. Pam says:

    WOW! They look delicious and avocado frosting is a new thing to me. Pass the plate, please!!!

  8. mmmmmm cuppie cakes.

    okay. ahhaha glad you approve?

    I SWEAR! next time i be calling you. but he was always on me to hurry up and pee. MY BAD =( next time, okay? I PROMISE!

    more pictures of him on my facebook. he LEANED in really close a lot, and leaned his head on my head (well, he’s 6’3”!)

    i was playing with his glasses-trying them on and he was like OMG i need a picture of this. LOL.

    check yo’ email for a more detailed hangout description!

  9. Avocado frosting is just unique! You are so creative!

  10. elra says:

    Joanne, thank you so much for your birthday wishes, it really makes me happy :).

    This cupcakes are so cheerful and colorful, good for any celebration.

  11. Amy says:

    Oh jeese, maybe you need to get our of NYC…meet a nice Midwestern boy. Seriously, their mamas seemed to teach them some values and manners. Thank goodness I’m not in the dating pool anymore – I would drown myself in cupcakes like these and weigh 300 pounds.

  12. Sarah S. says:

    You got way past first base with these cupcakes, you scored a home run (and that is nothing to feel dirty about). Thanks for the vegan love!

  13. Giovanna says:

    I love the wide angle picture you have, showing the sprinkles on the material under the cupcake instead of on top as the others show. Nice little twist there : )

    In regards to courtship, I think your looking in the wrong place. I haven’t known anyone to find the love of their life in a bar or nightclub. A short meaningless relationship maybe, lust definitely, but not ‘you mean the world to me’ love. And I know how hard it can be to find a genuine guy in NYC. I never really felt like I could trust any of them when I was there.

  14. SnoWhite says:

    I’ve heard avocado in the frosting is amazing — and these are temping me!!

    {ps – I second Amy on a Midwestern boy … or at least upstate in NY!}

  15. I made avocado frosting once as well, loved it! But why is yours so green???

  16. Eliana says:

    This avocado frosting seems so interesting. Can’t wait to try it for myself to see what it tastes like.

  17. Fantastically interesting recipe. Love the avocado buttercream frosting. I am a huge fan of avocados in desserts.

    Bravo

  18. tigerfish says:

    You are done smurf cupcakes…now is The Incredible Hulk cupcake….right?

  19. Pam says:

    Oh boy… I sure don’t miss going to the bars. Those mistakes make you appreciate a really good guy when you finally find him… TRUST ME.

    I am loving the unique and pretty cupcakes. I’ll be passing this recipe on to some of my vegan friends.

  20. Mary says:

    Your frosting is unique and the cupcakes are a triple play. As to romance – you can’t get what you don’t ask for. There are great guys out there and when the stars are alligned you’ll find him. Have a fabulous day. Blessings…Mary

  21. girlichef says:

    Ummmm…WOW! I want me some of that avocado frosting- they do look great. And I love your cupcakes papers, too…cute =) Yeah, romance guys…heeellllooooo! There’s still good ones out there who’s mama’s taught ’em right. Isn’t there?

  22. Mo Diva says:

    you managed to make the impossible look possible and simple.
    ms thang, you are so talented. I am learning a great deal from you. oh yes i am! those look wonderfuL!

  23. knk says:

    yummy cupcakes looks really nice

  24. RV says:

    What a vibrant looking cupcake… Avocado frosting sounds like a woot….

  25. theUngourmet says:

    Old fashioned is good and so are these cupcakes! I’d love to try that avocado buttercream! I love you cute towel too! 😉

  26. Dawn says:

    Love that you used avocado instead of shortening.

  27. sra says:

    May I say the cupcakes remind me of a colourfully made up rock star? 😀
    The topping and the tablecloth/napkin – now really, how did you match those?

  28. Looks good! I love cupcakes. I love avocado. Why not combine the two?

  29. Joanne

    This time you are really going on a very adventurous date with these cupcakes; they look great and if you say they are moist and delicious, I believe you; I would just love to have one, just to see.

  30. pAUL wYNN says:

    First I was like eww avocado for frosting then your pictures made forget about it

  31. Julie says:

    courtship is so last year. cupcakes with ridiculously gorgeous green cado frosting are SO this year. and i bet they’ll pay for dinner.

  32. Debinhawaii says:

    Those are some gorgeous cupcakes. I have that book but have not baked anything out of it yet–but I must and with that avocado frosting too. Yum!
    😉

  33. Julie says:

    The cupcakes sounds and look yummy. Does the frosting taste avocado-y?

  34. Alisa says:

    I love using avocado in desserts, and keep meaning to make a frosting. Such a wonderful green! So wonderful that you accomodated for vegan needs.

    First dates? Is that what email is for? JK

  35. Kim says:

    A girl always has to kiss a few frogs before she can find her prince – LOL! Lord knows I had my fair share of them.
    Avocado frosting sounds pretty awesome! I’d definitely like to give that a try. Looks delicious, Joanne!

  36. Faith says:

    Frosting that’s healthy? OMG is this one a keeper. I’m going to experiment and see if I can make it in chocolate too!

  37. Oh my goodness. AVOCADO BUTTERCREAM? Where was the party and why was I not invited?! These look so adorable and I truly heart your cupcake liners. Was your night fun despite the sleaze at least? They usually make the best stories 😉

  38. Juliana says:

    Joanne, these cupcakes are so cute…love the idea of using avocado for the topping 😉

  39. I’m a totally sappy romantic and think you should hold out for a dashing man that sweeps you off your feet (after he brings you champagne, chocolates, and roses, of course)! Oh, and hello avocado buttercream, meet me (this weekend) 🙂

  40. Wow I love the intense green of the icing! I hope you find your prince charming soon. 😀

  41. sweetlife says:

    love the color, hits ya like a great kiss…sorry about your sleasy guys, oh gross…i would love these, I am still wanting your pom cupcakes, yum

    sweetlife

  42. Pam says:

    Those look really good! I’m going to have to try that frosting! I’m all about healthy.

  43. polwig says:

    Bye bye sleeze, hello courtship and avocado buttercream.

  44. I am in total and complete agreement with you. Why is it that the ONLY way to get a guy to make-out with is to dance to Lady Gaga at a bar? Why don’t they want to go on REAL first dates? Like to a play or to a picnic in Riverside or to a cooking class? You can probably tell I have spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about dates. Real ones. Not the sorts of “encounters” that happen at frat parties. I am glad someone agrees with me on this. For a while, I thought I was the only girl who didn’t enjoy the frat party “dating” scene.

    Cupcakes are my favorite dessert! They’re such fun. And avocado buttercream is ingenious; it doesn’t look as thick as regular buttercream, but it’s probably so tasty that it doesn’t matter. And you can eat it straight from the bowl sans guilt. That’s the best part!

    Hope you have a most excellent week. And that there are no creepy crawly greasy sketchy boys involved. Only real ones, who want to take you to the opera.

  45. Little Inbox says:

    Oh, the frosting is the original color of avocado?

  46. Bob says:

    Intriguing. I’d try it, if someone made it. You certainly make them sound good!

  47. I hope these scrumptious cupcakes helped make up for sleazy guy! You definitely deserve to be treated in unforgettable way! I never had ‘sweet’ avocado but I’ve heard only good things about it. The cupcakes are lovely.

  48. avocado topping! whoaaaa!!! brilliant idea! grrr and yes…whatever happened to a little romance?!

  49. Donna-FFW says:

    Oh I am so going to make this for one of my friends, she is vegan and always craves a sweet. So perfect.

    I miss the drama of the bars. Ok, you know me, I still go when I get a date night and a sitter:)

  50. Cynthia says:

    I’ve heard of this avocado buttercream before and thought it sounded heavenly! Now I know it is from those yummy pictures!

  51. Bethany says:

    Joanne, these look super fun and yummy. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I’m loving your blog! I have a fun award for you 🙂 Here’s my post about the award, giving a shout out to your blog and a few others I’ve recently discovered and am truly enjoying: http://bethstedman.com/2010/07/13/versatile-blogger-award/

  52. Well now, this recipe will be shared with a friend who may avocado pudding tonight. She may just love these. And she’s not even vegan!

  53. wow so beautiful cup cakes, love the unique frosting over it…very lovely colour

  54. Absolutely droolworthy cupcakes! I love your green frosting! and of course, I love avocadoes, too!! the fact that they are vegan is making them even more tempting!

  55. Marisa says:

    Romance isn’t dead, it’s just playing hide-and-seek with you. 🙂

    And on a side-note: Gosh those cupcake liners are cute! And now I’m going to have to try avocado icing. Making people think I’m even weirder than before. *sigh*

  56. I’m so proud, Joanne! These look awesome! And that icing is brilliant! Look at that color! It’s fantastic! Sorry for all the !!! I’m just so thrilled that you made these.

    Woo hoo!

  57. Jen says:

    you are so creative, love it! they look so pretty! you are a rock star!

  58. I always find one part of a dish to focus on and this time, I fell in love with the dark green icing. Tell me, there is food coloring, in that, yummy cupcake. IT is a beauty. Avocado icing is unique and I am trying to imagine it. Guess, I have to try it, for myself.

  59. PJ says:

    before commenting on this post, i drooled for soooo long on those pictures. wish the technology would develop to the point that i can just grab a hand through the screen and take a bite..

  60. Mo says:

    One of these days when I have the time I’m going to just spend a couple hours reading all of your posts. That’s not creepy, I just adore your writing style and of course the recipes you share. 😉

  61. Sabeen says:

    Very nice recipe. I am reading this recipe first time in your blog. Thanks for introducng it.

  62. Suman Singh says:

    WOW..love the frosting..looks heavenly delicious…

  63. Oh these are so adorable! Few people realize that avocado can work with sweet as well as savory! Thanks for sharing the foodie love on the two for tuesday recipe blog hop. I see you listed it in your post, but did not link. Please complete the link so others can join in the fun! thanks!

  64. Mari says:

    yums those look great! those would be amazing for an upcoming birthday lol ::hint hint::

  65. kickpleat says:

    I’ve got nothing against vegan cupcakes at all. I am a bit weirded out by the avocado buttercream but that’s because I’m not a huge fan of avocados. They look awesome, regardless!

  66. These are one of my favorite things I have seen! I MUST have that frosting! NOW! On vacation right now but had to send this comment along – NICE WORK!

  67. Hannah says:

    I just LOVE the color of that frosting- What an intense hue, and all-natural, at that! Avocado frosting is definitely a favorite, but mine never comes out quite that color!

  68. Ms. Meanie says:

    Man, I saw this frosting on Joy’s site and have been wondering about it ever since. It looks so interesting and I am so intrigued. I hope you get your rightfully deserved prelude (dinner, park walk and all).

  69. Kelsey says:

    i feel like courtship is a thing of the past which makes me incredibly sad!!! why the hell cant guys take a cue.. maybe its the girls that ruin it.. uno the bad seeds out there that dont like guys to “romance” them…lol.

    OMG AVOCADO FROSTING!!! the color u achieved here is rediculous! awesome for cupcakes.. even better for kids (theyd never know it was vegan or what the GREEN really was haha)

  70. Peabody says:

    I so want to try the avocado buttercream.

  71. I’ll take a quart of avocado buttercream to go, s’il vous plait! Cupcakes without guilt and courtship? All could be well with the world.

  72. I’m glad you finally got a chance to use the book, Joanne. Sorry it had an association with such an unpleasant encounter though. I, too, have been curious about this avocado buttercream and am glad to hear that it all turned out great.

  73. Carolyn Jung says:

    Wow, I would have thought there was a little drop or two of food coloring in that vivid frosting. But just avocado, lemon and sugar did all that? Amazing!

  74. I have never heard of avocado frosting. That’s really interesting and intriguing. Forget the Midwestern guy…you have to come to California!

  75. Kristen says:

    I am going to make this frosting for my family. Very quietly, very secretly. Then, after they tell me how wonderful it is, I am going to tell them that it is made from avocados. I may even wait to make this until all of my extended family is home. I am going to have a camera ready.

  76. Nadji says:

    Des cupcakes à l’avocat : original et certainement très bon.
    J’irai voir ton concours sur les recettes éthiopiennes.
    See soon.

  77. Christy says:

    Oh, the avocado frosting, heavenly. What a wonderfully different way to eat that yummy fruit. And for my son with milk allergies – a wonderful choice! Glad you linked this to Two for Tuesdays. A fun addition!

  78. Nelly says:

    …damnit. Now I have to stop at the grocery store after work and buy the fixins to bake up a storm tonight. And it’s all your fault! 😛

    Seriously though, that looks like an AWESOME recipe – thanks for sharing it! And I totally agree with the poster above who said the mistakes just make the right one, when you finally find them, all the better. So true.

  79. Stella says:

    A new ‘About Me’ page? I have to look at that, as you already know you mistify me with your constant blog posts and medical school, etc… (smile).
    Oh, these cup cakes are super cute. Making me want cake though, and I already had a muffin today!

  80. Danielle says:

    Does it taste like avocado? It looks really perty….and I’ve seen so many “sweet” avocado recipes but I’m stuck on guacamole LOL I need to rewire my brain and tastebud connectors.

  81. grace says:

    avocado meat. meat. i’ve never heard it referred to as such, but i do believe i love it. i love the concept as well–it’s purdy.

  82. Avocado? I may have to try these just because. (And I do have several vegan friends who’d thank me.) Thanks for sharing 🙂

  83. Susan says:

    NYC is the *worst* place for women to meet men of quality. Many of them are there to further their careers, and then there’s a large gay community – the pickins are lean.

    This was a fun read, Joanne. You’ve got a good and witty head on your shoulders.

    Very cool cupcakes. I’m really stoked to try the avocado frosting. Thanks for your WHB recipe!

  84. Shirley says:

    What colours! My kids would fancy that.

  85. Ann says:

    Joanne.
    I love your blog.
    I love the way you write.
    I’m amazed at the quantity and quality of work you relentlessly post.
    I’m in awe at your blogging multi-tasking abilities.
    But, my high opinions of you almost came crashing down hard when i read this post, IF its true…that you actually danced to “A-L-E-J-A-N-D-R-O”!!!!
    😉

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