Vegan Twinkies

I was given this recipe by a dear friend.  Her name is Melanie and she loves food as much as me.  As a matter of fact, that's all we ever really talk about, food and our girls.  This recipe comes from a lovely site called  Vegan Lunch Box.  These cupcakes are vegan and very delicious.  My family loves them.  I often make the Fluffy White Cupcake recipe below for birthday parties, etc.  I love this recipe.  

I bought myself a Snack Cake pan that looks like the famous Twinkie.  I loved Twinkies as a kid and they are finally back.  When they went out of business, I made this recipe a lot.  Anyways, I do eat my Twinkies, but I like this alternative as well.  Enjoy!

Fluffy White Cupcakes

from Vegan Lunch Box
Makes 22 cupcakes

1 TB apple cider vinegar
1 ½ scant cups plain soy-milk
2 1/8 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 1/8 cups sugar
½ cup oil
1 ¼ tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. coconut extract

Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray 22 muffin cups with nonstick spray or line with paper cupcake liners (I like to spray the inside of the muffin papers with nonstick spray to help the cupcakes release). Set aside.

Place the apple cider vinegar in the bottom of a liquid measuring cup and fill the cup with soymilk to equal 1 ½ cups. Stir well and set aside (the mixture will curdle).

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another mixing bowl whisk together the soy milk mixture, canola oil, vanilla, and coconut extract. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth using a hand-held mixer, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Fill each muffin cup  or snack cake pan with ¼ cup of batter. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.

Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes from the pan and place on a wire rack. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

 Filling

1/4 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 TB barley malt powder,  not to be confused with malted milk powder

Beat together the shortening and margarine with a handheld beater or stand mixer. Add the powdered sugar and beat until completely light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and malt powder and beat for another 2 minutes.

Fill the pastry bag and poke and squeeze out about one tablespoon into three locations in the underside of each cake.