Matcha cupcakes. Photo: bossacafez, Flickr
Go green with Earth-friendly cupcakes!
April 22 marks the fortieth annual Earth Day, that 24-hours when an even greater focus is placed on the environment, and on what we can do to make our planet green and sustainable. So let's celebrate! With a cupcake, of course.
Magnolia Bakery in New York City is offering "Earth Day Cupcakes" -- for every $3.25 cupcake sold, $1.00 is donated to Plant a Billion Trees. Stop in if you're local and have a treat to benefit the planet.
What about those of us who don't live in the Big Apple? It would be decidedly un-green for non-Manhattanites to travel for a cupcake, or to get one shipped across the country. Luckily, it's fairly simple to make your own green cupcakes,and to satisfy your sweet tooth while giving a big ol' hug to our Mother Earth.
Use local ingredients. This doesn't mean hitting the local supermarket to pick up your cupcake supplies, but finding ingredients grown close to you. Visit nearby farms for local eggs, milk, canned fruit, and even locally milled flour. Pick recipes that use the smallest amount of shipped-in ingredients possible.
Go organic. Chemicals and industry ravage the planet, so do what you can to go organic. Shopping at local farms helps, but also look for unbleached flour, natural food dyes, and organic alternatives to your normal baking ingredients.
Avoid animal products. Raising dairy cattle are a huge smack on the environment, so try going vegan. There are tons of tasty baked goods 100 percent animal-free. There's even a cookbook titled "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World."
Avoid unnecessary packaging. Buy in bulk, and run away from superfluous packaging. Use household containers to store things such as sugar and flour, rather than tossable bags. Most importantly, make every part of the cupcakes yourself. Instead of buying that pre-made frosting in a can, whip some up at home. In fact, you can recreate Magnolia Bakery's delicious buttercream frosting in your own kitchen.
Ignore the wrapping. If a cupcake pan is prepped properly, there is no need for those little one-use cups. Use silicone baking cups, or bake the cakes bare. Once cool, take a cue from Bella Cupcake Couture and recycle handy cardboard or paper to make a cute cup for your cake.
Mind your chocolate. If you want a little cocoa in your mix, mind the type you buy. There's a lot going on behind the scenes in the chocolate industry, so choose fair trade.
Shop smart. Most of all, think about your purchases. If you have a super local organic farm, that might be a greener choice for you than shipped-in soy or other ingredients. If you live in a warm locale, add local fruit to your cakes. Think of your community, and how it can help your cupcakes be as green and tasty as can be.
