These cupcakes seemed to me to be a more reasonable direction for vegan baking. They don’t try to approximate non-vegan cupcakes with a fake vegan buttercream. Instead, there’s a nice chocolate crumble on top (moistened with oil). I’m finding that vegan cakes in general turn out pretty good, it’s things like buttercream and frosting that can take an unnatural turn.

We went out for pizza with Lisa and Mark (the vegans) and Mally (allergic to dairy) so it was a perfect night to tote along a bunch of these cupcakes for our dessert.

• Chocolate Stout Cupcakes (Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, p. 91)