(v) Cupcakes for a dear friend.

 <3 you Jeremy.

Vegan cupcakes from the "Last Friday" event 

at Lamplighter Roasting Company.

The time has come. This Saturday is the 4th annual Richmond Zine Fest. I will be there, along with my partner-in-crime, Mark Delboy selling our zine, "Monsterous Appetite for Cake." As I mentioned in a previous post, see here, it's a vegan cookbook with recipes for frostings, fillings, garnishes and, of course, cakes. In my last post, I posted a picture of the cover. I was in the beginning stages of design.

With the zine completely finished, I thought you might appreciate a sneak-peek of some of my favorite pages and illustrations. Enjoy.

Remember, Zine Fest starts this Saturday, October 8th and runs 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. I hope to see you there! If you can't make it to Zine Fest, you can purchase a copy, here, on Etsy.

Zine Fest 2011 is quickly approaching. I've been working non-stop to come up with some fantastic new recipes for the zine. The zine is laid out in such a way, that, essentially you can mix and match anything. By throwing in a few more ingredients, you can change a basic cake recipe into an entirely new creation. Below, is one of the "variation recipes" for my vegan Dark Chocolate cake. This cake is dark, spicy and hella tart. It would pair best with a simple, sweet frosting like my "Baker's Frosting" (below) or my Cream Cheese Frosting, if you're looking for more of a kick in the pants.

Make sure to stop by the RVA Zine Fest, Saturday, October 8, to pick up a copy of my zine, "Monsterous Appetite for Cake." If you get there early enough, there just might be some cupcakes left!

Vegan Dark Chocolate Cranberry Cupcakes w/ "Cream Cheese" Frosting

1/4 cup Molasses
1/3 cup unsweet. Applesauce
3/4 cup + 1/2 tsp Sugar
4 oz. unsweet. Baker's Chocolate
3 tsp Bourbon-flavored vanilla
1 Tbsp Distilled white vinegar
1 cup hot Water
1 1/2 cups Flour
2 tsp Baking soda
1/4 cup unsweet. Cocoa powder
3 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Cornstarch
1/2 the zest of a Lemon
3/4 cup Cranberries

Begin by melting the chocolate either in a double boiler or the microwave. Make sure to stir constantly to avoiding clumping and burning.

Chop up the cranberries. I prefer larger chunks, so, I only split them in half.

Combine the molasses, applesauce, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add in the melted chocolate. Mix again. Add the vinegar. Mix a third time. Add the water. Mix once more. Sift together the flour, soda, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Zest in the lemon. Stir until just combined. Finish by quickly folding in the cranberries.

If you’re making cupcakes, divide the batter evenly among the cups. This recipe makes 15. If you’re making a cake, this will make one 9 inch.

Bake at 350 degrees
18-19 minutes for cupcakes
30-35 minutes for cakes

When your cake or cupcakes are almost completely cool, begin making the frosting. 

Baker's Frosting

4 cups Powdered sugar
1/3 cup Vegetable-based shortening
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1/4 tsp Salt
Warm Soymilk

Beat the shortening until it is light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat until well combined.

Heat up the non-dairy milk. Add milk to desired taste and consistency. You want the frosting to be stiff but spreadable.

I am currently working on a zine for the upcoming 2011 Richmond Zine Fest. It's going to be called "Monsterous Appetite for Cake". It's a vegan cake book. My friend Mark Delboy, a very talented artist who happens to be living in New York, is going to illustrate it.

There's a lot left to be done, including figuring out some new recipes but I'm very excited. This is going to be my first zine, so, of course, there's a lot to be learned about this whole process. I guess it's a good thing I have a degree in graphic design, otherwise I'd be completely clueless.

Below is a screenshot of the cover, content page and foreward.