Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Its not a myth – vegans love chocolate too. Unfortunately, vegans can’t enjoy the chocolately goodness at most bakeries. This cupcake recipe offers vegans solace, thanks to Christine Agro.

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of Almond Milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup  2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, chocolate extract, or more vanilla extract
• 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder, dutch-processed or regular
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp Hain Sodium and Gluten free baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line muffin pan with paper liners. I used unbleached paper liners.
2. Whisk together they milk and vinegar in measuring cup and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Pour milk mixture into a large bowl for mixing (I used my food processor so I poured it into my food processor bowl.) Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract and the other extract to the milk mixture and beat until foamy.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Separate into two batches and add to wet ingredients until smooth.
4. Pour into liners filling 3/4 of the way full
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Cool on a cooling rack completely.

Frosting

• 1/4 cup margarine (Vegan, non GMO margarine)
• 1/4 cup shortening (Coconut Oil)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if there are clumps
• 2/12 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 3 tablespoons almond milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Cream together the margarine and the shortening until well combined. Add the cocoa powder and incorporate well. Add the confectioners sugar in about 1/2 cup batches and beat well, adding a little splash of soy milk (almond milk) after each addition. When all ingredients have been well incorporated add the vanilla and beat until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes with a hand mixer, 7 minutes if mixing with a fork  – I used the food processor and it worked fine.) Frost the cupcakes after they have cooled.

Did you enjoy this recipe? Read more from Christina at Life As A Conscious Mom.