... all those things make me smile, so you can imagine the grin on my face when I saw Stephanie Sparkles on the first all-vegan episode of "Cupcake Wars." When she was providing the background on her business, she mentioned having a fondness for rainbows and unicorns, and with a name like "Sparkles," the kids and I decided to root for her 'til the end.
Okay, so maybe our small cheering section can't really take credit for Ms. Stephanie's win (she won, of course), but we sure had fun pretending we had some influence on the judges' critiques.I'm not surprised that she got top prize, as this challenge was perfect for her. It was a Green Festival challenge that required the use of fresh, natural and local ingredients. That's what she uses to make her cupcakes anyway, along with some superfoods (acai, cacao, etc.), as well.
As you know, these cupcakes were right up my alley, so I contacted Stephanie to see if I could order some to try. Unfortunately, I'm on the wrong coast and way too far to place a pick up or delivery order. Instead, I bought her cupcake baking e-book in hopes of baking them at home (I also got Chloe Coscarelli's new cookbook last week. She was the first vegan to win "Cupcake Wars." Maybe I'll post a review at some point).
But, before I actually baked one of her cupcakes, I put my usual Rawdorable spin on the four from the "Cupcake Wars" episode. Here's how I did it.
A Rawdorable Take
on a Green Tea Topped
Vanilla Cupcake
*My version of a Stephanie Sparkles
Vanilla Matcha Raspberry Kiss Cupcake
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 1/8 cup coconut flakes
- 1/8 cup almond pulp (leftover from making fresh almond milk) and/or almonds
- 1 Tbsp. date paste
- 1/4 tsp. raw organic apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- dash of sea salt
- *1/4 cup "Butterdream" mixed with 1/2 tsp. or 1 tsp. of matcha green tea powder, to taste (you probably won't use that much icing, but it helps to have extra if you plan to pipe it on the cupcake)
- *a fresh raspberry and mint leaves for garnish
Form the batter into a cupcake shape, using a reusable silicone liner (this pink one is shaped like a butterfly), small ramekin or tea cup (you can also form the batter into 2 or 3 mini cupcakes). Frost the cupcake(s) with "Butterdream" icing mixed with matcha green tea powder to taste (I piped mine on for a more professional look). Then, garnish with a fresh raspberry and mint leaves. Enjoy!
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A Rawdorable Take
on a Sweet Pepper,
Corn & Sage Cupcake
*My version of a Stephanie Sparkles
Sweet Pepper Corn with Creamy Sage Cupcake
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1 Tbsp. fresh or frozen corn kernels (if frozen, thaw first and use a towel to absorb the excess moisture)
- 1/2 Tbsp. finely chopped red bell pepper
- 1/2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 Tbsp. date paste
- 1/4 tsp. raw organic apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- dash of sea salt
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- *1/4 cup "Butterdream" mixed with about three fresh sage leaves, finely chopped (you probably won't use that much icing, but it helps to have extra if you plan to pipe it on the cupcake)
- *a slice or two of red bell pepper, sprig of parsley and a few fresh corn kernels for garnish
Next, add the date paste, apple cider vinegar, vanilla, sea salt and cayenne pepper. Whisk to combine (a whisk helps keep the "batter" fluffier). The batter should be moist, but not so damp that it requires "baking" in a dehydrator (although you could if you desire).
Form the batter into a cupcake shape, using a reusable silicone liner (this red one is shaped like a lady bug) or small ramekin (you can also form the batter into 2 or 3 mini cupcakes). Frost the cupcake(s) with "Butterdream" icing mixed with fresh finely chopped sage leaves. Then, garnish with fresh bell pepper slices (I arranged mine to look like a heart), parsley and some corn kernels. Yum!
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A Rawdorable Take
on a Lavender
& Orange Cupcake
*My version of a Stephanie Sparkles
Lavender Tangerine Dream Cupcake
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1 Tbsp. coconut flakes
- 1/2 Tbsp. orange zest
- 1 tsp. poppy seeds
- 1 Tbsp. date paste
- 1/4 tsp. raw organic apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- dash of sea salt
- *1/4 cup "Butterdream" mixed with 1 Tbsp. freeze-dried blueberries, finely ground, and a hint of lavender extract (you probably won't use that much icing, but it helps to have extra if you plan to pipe it on the cupcake)
- *a slice of orange, tangerine or clementine for garnish, along with some extra poppy seeds for sprinkling
Next, add the date paste, apple cider vinegar, vanilla and sea salt. Whisk to combine (a whisk helps keep the "batter" fluffier). The batter should be moist, but not so damp that it requires "baking" in a dehydrator (although you could if you desire).
Form the batter into a cupcake shape, using a reusable silicone liner (this yellow one is shaped like a bee) or small ramekin (you can also form the batter into 2 or 3 mini cupcakes). Frost the cupcake(s) with "Butterdream" icing mixed with finely ground freeze-dried blueberries (Stephanie's original recipe did not have blueberries in it, but I couldn't resist adding them to go along with the orange cake) and a hint of lavender extract. Then, garnish with a citrus slice and a sprinkling of poppy seeds. Pretty!
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A Rawdorable Take
on a Cacao Spice Cupcake
*My version of a Stephanie Sparkles
Mayan Spice Cupcake
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 1/8 cup almond pulp (leftover from making fresh almond milk) or more almonds
- 1/8 cup cashews
- 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp. date paste
- 1/2 Tbsp. "Butterdream"
- 1/4 tsp. raw organic apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- dash of sea salt
- cinnamon and cayenne pepper, to taste
- *1/4 cup "Butterdream" mixed with 1 Tbsp. raw cocoa powder (you probably won't use that much icing, but it helps to have extra if you plan to pipe it on the cupcake)
- *a sprinkling of cacao nibs and an edible flower for garnish (I didn't have any edible flowers to put on top of mine, so since I wasn't giving it to someone who would eat it by mistake, I put a shamrock with flower on top for St. Patrick's Day; it's coming up, BTW)
Next, add the date paste, "butterdream," apple cider vinegar, vanilla, sea salt, cinnamon and cayenne. Whisk to combine (a whisk helps keep the "batter" fluffier). The batter should be moist, but not so damp that it requires "baking" in a dehydrator (although you could if you desire).
Form the batter into a cupcake shape, using a reusable silicone liner (this green one is shaped like a frog) or small ramekin (you can also form the batter into 2 or 3 mini cupcakes). Frost the cupcake(s) with "Butterdream" icing mixed with raw cocoa powder. Then, garnish with a sprinkling of cacao nibs and an edible flower. Lovely!
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Oh, and if all goes well, I should be posting a Q&A with Stephanie Sparkles in the future. I think she seems like a lot of fun and worth getting to know a bit. Fingers crossed that she has time to answer my questions :-)On another note, I had some extra raspberries left after garnishing the Green Tea Topped Vanilla Cupcake. To make them even more special I popped some chocolate chips in the centers, which was an idea I found on Lauren Conrad's site. She linked to Beloved Green, where she found them, who gave Saucy Sprinkles credit for the idea. Who knows who really did it first, but I love the idea <3
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More "Cupcake Wars" related posts:
"A Modern Twist" (The second part of the post lists my ideas for the Girl Scout episode of the show)- "Prepping for cupcake battle" (icings and garnishes)
- " 'Rawified' Cupcake Wars bases" (constructing my versions of four winning "Cupcake Wars" cupcakes)
- "My biggest cupcake fan" (putting my spin on a Sticky Fingers Bakery cupcake)
