Baking Frenzy: Gluten-Free Lemon Poppy Muffins, Lemon Cheesecake Cupcakes, Peppermint Patty Cakes

There's been a long dry spell without new recipes in this house, mainly because I've been completely swamped with work responsibilities and various community organization commitments when I come home, not to mention that somehow I still have to get the laundry done and the dishes washed and the bills paid.  I actually cooked a ham shank this weekend, which Steve and Ian will be eating all week long while I eat wraps with raw vegetables tossed in a curried yogurt sauce.  (Steve calls this karmic balance.)

But yoga was amazing on Monday night; there were only four of us, and an assistant (I love being adjusted in class; is that weird?), and I came out feeling like my body was humming.  After my 9 pm conference call, I made gluten-free lemon poppy muffins for the newly-diagnosed-gluten-intolerant partner of my former boss, who is now retired and living happily in Carmel, CA.  I wasn't entirely happy with those, so I won't post the recipe until I beta test some more, but I will extol the virtues of my peppermint patty and lemon cheesecake cupcakes, which I turned out last night.

Today was my students' second-to-last class of the semester; on the last day we do evaluations, and in an effort not to appear as if I'm directly trying to win friends and influence students to say nice things about me on my evals, I figured I'd bake earlier rather than later.

I wanted to do something different, but not too different.  And I wanted to make something that would be "cool" flavored, given that it was going to be ninety degrees (yes, you read that right) in NJ.  Here's what I wound up with.

Lemon Cheesecake Cupcakes


1 c. soymilk
1 t. apple cider vinegar
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. canola oil
2 t. vanilla extract

1 1/2 t. lemon extract
1 T. grated lemon zest

1 c. flour (you can use half white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour)
2 T. cornstarch
1/2 t. baking soda
3/4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tins with liners.  Whisk soy milk and vinegar together, and set aside to curdle.  Add the sugar, oil, vanilla and lemon extract to the milk and beat until foamy.


Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add in lemon zest and beat until no large lumps appear.  Fill liners 3/4 of the way, and bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool.


Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. cream cheese
2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1 T. lemon zest

Beat butter and cream cheese well.  Beat in powdered sugar until fluffy.  Add vanilla and lemon zest and beat well.  Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Peppermint Patty Cupcakes

1 c. soymilk
1 t. apple cider vinegar
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. canola oil
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. mint extract
1 c. flour (you can use half white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour)
1/3 c. good quality cocoa powder
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt

Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tins with liners.  Whisk soy milk and vinegar together, and set aside to curdle.  Add the sugar, oil, vanilla and mint to the milk and beat until foamy.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add in two batches to the wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps appear.  Fill liners 3/4 of the way, and bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool.

Mint Frosting
1/4 c. margarine
2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. soymilk
1/2 t. mint extract
Green food coloring

Beat margarine.  Add powdered sugar and soymilk alternately while beating, in three additions.  It should be fluffy; if it's too watery, add more sugar.  Add extract and a drop or two of green food color.  Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.

Chocolate Ganache
1/3 c. semisweet chocolate
2 T. soymilk

Melt together over a double boiler, stirring constantly, or microwave for 30 seconds and stir well.  Allow to cool about 10 minutes.  Drizzle/dollop onto mint frosting.