Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule Paperback – Illustrated, October 17, 2006

When I bought my copy of “Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar” I got a copy of “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World” right along with it. I wasn’t new to baking at that time, but I was new to Veganism, and vegan baking and I thought why not cover my bases? I’ve never regretted getting either book, and Vegan Cupcakes as become my go-to “Cupcake Bible.” Now-a-days there are many great vegan baking books, many of them with chapters devoted solely to cupcakes but this book and these recipes will always be near and dear to my heart because when this book came out they were a revolution. Isa and Terry taught me through this book how to bake delicious, no-fail vegan cupcakes every time and I’ve only ever had a problem with one recipe - more on that later.As with Vegan Cookies, Vegan Cupcakes Is NOT a health food book. It’s a baking book, a cupcake book, and not a healthy cupcakes book, but a book about how to make delicious and decadent cupcakes the way we’re used to. It’s a book full of classic recipes and innovative ones. Stuff that’ll really knock the socks off even your most die-hard omnivore friends. I know, because I’ve done it. I’ve made many a cupcake from this book, and impressed all of my omnivore friends and family, never one complaint and always requests to bake them more!Like Vegan cookies this is a lovely little book with a great lay-out and beautiful photography. Not every cupcakes has a photo but the photos that do exist are beautiful and mouth-watering. Isa and Terry detail their instructions in a clear and concise way that is easy to follow. They make it easy for novice bakers and their wit and sarcasm make it fun for old-hands. Really I think there is something for everyone in this book, and even though I use a lot of different books for baking, this is one of my all-time favorites. I wouldn’t hesitate to gift it to a vegan friend or omnivore friend. I only wish I had more time - and more room in my stomach - to make every recipe, but so far I’ve made the following.Golden Vanilla Cupcakes - Loved itReally Golden Cupcakes - Loved itYour Basic Chocolate Cupcakes - Loved itChocolate Mocha Cupcakes - Loved itGerman Chocolate Cupcakes - Loved itOrange Chocolate Cupcakes - Loved itCookies’n’Creme Cupcakes - Loved itSexy Low-Fat Vanilla Cupcakes with Fresh Berries - Loved itSimple Vanilla and Agave Nectar Cupcakes - Loved itGingerbread Cupcakes with Lemony Frosting - Loved itChocolate Cherry Creme Cupcakes - Loved itMaple Cupcakes with Maple Frosting and Sugared Walnuts - Loved itPineapple Right Side Up Cupcakes - Loved itS’Mores Cupcakes - Loved itBanana Split Cupcakes - Loved itThe Elvis - Loved itToasted Coconut Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream Frosting - Loved itApricot Glazed Almond Cupcakes - Loved itGreen Tea Cupcakes with Green Tea Glaze and Almond Flowers - Pretty goodPistachio Rosewater Cupcakes - Loved itTiramisu Cupcakes - Pretty goodApple Cider Cupcakes - Taste wise these were good ,but they never firmed up properly. Could be user error, I never tried a second time.Cappuccino Cupcakes filled with Espresso Creme - Loved itVegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting - Loved itOrange Buttercream Frosting - Loved itRich Chocolate Ganache Topping - Loved itPeanut Buttercream Frosting - Loved itQuick Melty Ganache - Loved itCream Cheese Frosting - Loved it

I used this book for years in my restaurant. sold the restaurant, needed a new book. It is absolutely the best. My favorite cupcakes are the green tea and the rosewater pistachio. DELICIOUS and easy!

Let's start by saying that I'm not a vegan or even a vegetarian, but I do have an intolerance to dairy and wheat, and so do both my daughters.Let's also say that while I consider myself a good cook, until recently my experiences with baking had been somewhat disappointing. I decided to change that, especially because of my oldest daughter. There seems to be a birthday, bake sale or celebration of some kind every other week at her school, and I wanted her to be able to enjoy something without the stomach upset that almost invariably follows dairy and wheat consumption. I decided to start with cupcakes because they are less threatening than cake (to me, the inexperienced baker) and kids love them (and so do most adults).I chose this book based on the reviews, and I am very glad I did! I have now made cupcakes a few times and I am very happy with the results. I was able to make very good vegan, gluten-free vanilla cupcakes for a school celebration and absolutely scrumptious sugar-free (agave-sweetened) chocolate cupcakes for a brunch, and got rave reviews both times.The book gives very clear instructions in the recipes, clear explanations of the ingredients to chose in the introductory section, and it even includes troubleshooting tips for all of us new to baking cupcakes, which are absolutely brilliant because I was able to immediately pinpoint and correct the reason why my first cupcakes had sunk (oven temperature).The book also features numerous recipes that range from the classic cupcakes like Vanilla and Chocolate, to some very fun, made-to-impress recipes like Cookies 'n' Cream Cupcakes, Tiramisù Cupcakes and Chocolate Cherry Crème Cupcakes (and more) to the adventurous and interesting like Green Tea Cupcakes with Green Tea Glaze and Almond Flowers, Chai Latte Cupcakes or Pistachio Rosewater Cupcakes, sure to attract attention at your next party and make you known as "the one with the delicious cupcakes" from the very first time around.If I had one issue with this book would be that the recipes include a bit too much sugar, but I was quickly mollified by the fact that the authors include clear instructions to modify the recipes so they can be made with Agave Syrup instead - and also include a recipe for Agave-sweetened vanilla or chocolate cupcakes, and one for Agave-sweetened icing. I also appreciate that they included a recipe for gluten-free cupcakes, thereby giving some guidance for adventurous cooks who are ready to modify the other recipes in the book the same way.So for all these reasons (and more, because I'm peretty sure I forgot something!), I give this book 5 stars, a rare occurrence but fully deserved!!