When wizards are done making vinegar, they make cupcakes.

I love vinegar because it is both scientific and magical. You can combine it with baking soda to make a fizzer that will unclog your drain or you can use that same combo as lava in your homemade volcano. Just that alone makes vinegar completely rad. You can use it to clean things, it preserves cut flowers, it gets rid of rust, it can be a room deodorizer, you can use it to catch flies–it is like liquid wizard. Kombucha is basically vinegar. And you know what else vinegar does? It makes vegan cupcakes!

We love vegan baked goods here at SUF, even though none of us are vegan. So you can imagine my excitement when the New York Times Science feed led me to this story on vegan cupcakes winning some cooking contest. Ms. Winning Cupcake explains how and why the vinegar works in her wares:

“I use a combination of baking soda and vinegar — it may sound gross, but it works chemically to bind the cupcakes,” Ms. Coscarelli said. “If the flavor is there, it doesn’t matter what kinds of ingredients you’re using to hold it all together.”

She’s basically using the same principle behind the “wacky cake” recipe that has been around for ages.  Here’s another thing: I was eating a vegan brownie as I read this story. Here’s the last thing for now:  I-R-VEGAN = VINEGAR. Yep, whoa.