here goes nothing...

Baking requires a type of patience and preciseness that I have never been able to grasp. Maybe this is why my first recipe didn't exactly go as well as I had hoped. I decided to start with

"Your Basic Chocolate Cupcake" recipe because it seemed much easier than the others and I already had most of the ingredients.

I substituted chocolate soy milk for regular (which was a delicious decision) but had to use kosher salt instead of the regular, table variety. I was nervous this would result in a gritty texture, but it didn't seem to matter. I was actually quite excited that the creation of the batter was easy-peasy... nothing too traumatic or messy and they were in the oven.

Since I'm new to this, I chose the basic "Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting" that is used throughout the book in different variations.

I chose the espresso version, which instructed to use strong coffee instead of soy milk. This was a perfect oppourtunity to bust out Starbucks Via packets (thanks Dad!) which worked waaaay better than brewing a whole pot (although I would have happily drank the rest).

Since I was so excited for frosting, I didn't pay attention to the fact I was supposed to cream ingredients one at a time and instead mixed them all together at once. I didn't think it would matter too

much, but don't know why else my frosting turned into a soupy

mess. Although it is very tasty, there is nothing "fluffy" about it. Hmphf.

No matter, they are still delicious and hell, it's my first try. So, I will enjoy my chocolate & espresso cupcakes with a Guinness

and celebrate a beautiful spring day, as well as the Varnum v. Brien Anniversary... cheers!