Jelly Donut Cupcakes

As a final Chanukah hoorah, I made these the other night! I've been making these cupcakes for several years now. Jelly doughnuts are a Chanukah tradition for some (because of the oil used to fry them), and while I've always wanted to try making my own jelly doughnuts, these are much easier, and really do taste like doughnuts! I originally got the recipe from Veganomicon, but it has since been posted on VegNews, so I'm sharing it here as well!



Jelly Donut Cupcakes
What You'll Need:
1 cup soymilk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup + 2 tbs sugar*
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup raspberry, strawberry or grape jam
2 tbsp powdered sugar*

What You'll Need to Do:
Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a muffin pan with paper cupcake liners. In a mixing cup, whisk together the soymilk, vinegar and cornstarch and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt. Create a well in the center of the flour for the wet ingredients. Mix the soymilk mixture with a fork to dissolve the cornstarch and pour into the flour mixture. Add the oil, sugar and vanilla, and mix well.

Fill the liners with 3/4 full with batter. Place a heaping spoonful of jam into the center of each cupcake. The jam will sink into the cupcakes during baking. Bake cupcakes for 21 to 23 minutes (you won't be able to stick a toothpick in to check doneness, but the tops should be firm). Cool completely on a wire rack, and then set uncovered overnight in a cool, dry place. This will make the tops slightly crispy, like a donut crust! Using a sifter, sprinkle with powdered sugar.



Tips and Tricks:
This is a really easy recipe, and it's always a big hit. I love the way the jam just sinks right in during baking! 

If you want to get a little bit fancy with the powdered sugar, you can make some little stencils! (I got this idea from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)






Just be sure to use a sifter to apply the sugar!



*not all sugar is strictly considered vegan, see my "Vegan Pantry" section for a further discussion of this.