I feel like I'm posting a TON of recipes lately... maybe it has something to do with being at home all day, everyday, with my family. It's the perfect time to find, develop, and test new recipes. Plus, there is nothing better than chocolate chip anything, am I right?

Today's recipe was actually a request of my husband. I was in the mood to do some baking and texted him at work asking if he wanted cookies or cupcakes. His reply was to make chocolate chip cupcakes. Done!



I LOVE a good vanilla cake or cupcake... but a delicious vegan one is hard to come by. Don't get me wrong, chocolate is great too, but I have always been more of a vanilla kind of girl. After trying lots and LOTS of recipes, I finally found it. The perfect white cake recipe. I played with it and adjusted it until I got it just the way I wanted it to be a super tasty vanilla cake recipe!


To top these beauties off, I actually used a shortcut. I very rarely actually make homemade frosting. I know, I know, it tastes WAY better, but this mama has four kids at home, I run a business, and it just isn't always practical to make my own frosting. Instead, I use a can of store bought frosting and just doctor it up a bit to give it that homemade feel and taste.... semi-homemade at it's finest.

I have found that just about every flavor of Pillsbury frosting is safe for our family with dairy, egg, and peanut allergies. When they go on sale at the grocery store I tend to stock up. I also grab a few containers around holidays when they come out with the different flavors, colors, and sprinkles. For these chocolate chip cupcakes, I went with a buttercream frosting. I was hoping it would bring out both the vanilla and the chocolate flavors since it's a fairly neutral flavor itself.

Here's how I spruce it up a little to make it more homemade. I start by emptying the entire container into a large bowl. Next, I add in about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar (you can add more if you want a stiffer frosting). If you want to be really fancy you can add a splash of vanilla and a pinch of salt. Then grab your electric beaters, your kitchen aid whipping attachment, or old-fashioned hand beaters and whip some air into it. This not only helps it to be a lighter, fluffier frosting, but I totally believe it makes it taste better too!