Today is yet another cupcake recipe that I want to share with you. It’s all about bringing together rich dark chocolate and sweet, creamy vanilla buttercream. Oh and these cupcakes are completely vegan. That’s right, no dairy or eggs in this one.
Chocolate cupcakes are a staple recipe and while I love my ultimate chocolate and coconut cupcakes, I wanted a basic vegan chocolate cupcake recipe that I could rely on when I need it. Whether cooking for vegan friends, someone with an egg allergy, or you have used your last egg for breakfast and really want chocolate cupcakes without going to the store, this is the vegan chocolate cupcake recipe you need.
All of the cupcake recipes I post on my blog are dairy-free, and while I do have one vegan cupcake recipe already, I wanted to get a basic vegan cupcake recipe down. You know the kind that you can pretty easily make with ingredients already in the pantry.
It’s not too much of a transition from dairy-free baking to vegan – it generally just means replacing the egg. What we find with these little cakes is the removal of the egg does remove some of the lightness of the batter which you would get with a more traditional recipe, but the result is a rich and decadent chocolate cupcake that doesn’t miss the egg at all.
Things in this recipe that means it doesn’t need egg; vinegar and extra oil. I don’t really understand the baking science behind the vinegar in detail, but it has to do with the reaction with the self-raising flour and baking powder providing that lift, while the oil helps to bind and adds that extra moisture.
These little chocolate cakes remind me with each bite of mud cake. The dense yet soft and moist texture is rich with chocolate flavour while not being overly sweet, which is perfectly balanced with a generous swirl of vegan vanilla buttercream.
Being that it is February and my social media feeds seem to be full of valentines ideas, I became a little inspired as I wanted to combine the two traditional valentines gifts of roses and chocolates into these cakes.
I decided to tint my vanilla buttercream a beautiful rose colour and use my Wilton 1M piping tip to create the roses. I got my colour by first tinting the icing pink, then adding some red. If you want to impress with your piping, I strongly recommend getting this tip and watching a couple of tutorials on YouTube about how to pipe the roses as they are really simple to do and give your cupcakes that professional look.
If you want to share the love this valentine’s day, or really any other day of the year, these cupcakes make a beautiful edible bouquet that would be lovely to give as a gift, particularly for those vegan friends or family that always seem to miss out on the sweet treats or even those with allergies and intolerances.
These Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes are similar to a mud cake with a dense yet soft and moist texture that is rich with chocolate flavour while not being overly sweet, perfectly balanced with a generous swirl of vegan vanilla buttercream.
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup plain flour
- 1/2 cup self raising flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup dairy-free spread*
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 - 2.5 cups icing sugar
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and line a muffin tin with 11 patty cases.
- In a 1 cup measuring cup, place white vinegar and top up with almond milk. Milk will split which is fine. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat canola oil, sugar and vanilla until combined.
- In a separate bowl, sift flours, cocoa powder and baking powder. Slowly add to oil and sugar mixture, alternating with the milk until cupcake batter comes together, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Spoon mixture into patty cases ensuring they are only ¾ full before placing them in the oven for 18 minutes or until lightly springy to touch. Let cool completely before frosting.
In a large bowl place dairy-free spread, vanilla and icing sugar and mix with a hand held or stand mixer until creamy. Add a little more icing sugar if necessary to get a thick, smooth consistency for piping. For the roses, I used the Wilton 1M tip to pipe the frosting onto cooled cupcakes.
*I always use Nuttelex Lite in my baking however any vegan spread would work.
Cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container for 1-2 days, any longer than this and I recommend keeping them in the fridge.
More Vegan Dessert Recipes:
Vegan ‘Snickers’ Cupcakes
Vegan Banana Walnut Muffins
Cookies & Cream Cupcakes (Vegan)
Vegan Sticky Date Pudding With Caramel Sauce
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