vegan chocolate cupcakes with coffee buttercream frosting

vegan cupcakes?!  yuck, right?  WRONG.  i made these cupcakes a week ago and they were so delicious, i might start using this recipe as my go-to cupcake recipe.  i just wont tell people they are vegan, and they will love them!  the thought of a vegan cupcake might not be appealing to some, and i admit, i was really scared to take my first bite.  and boy was i pleasantly surprised.  the cupcake was so moist and flavorful and the frosting had the perfect texture.  the combination was to die for, and now im sharing the recipe with you.

how did i even come up with a vegan cupcake recipe?  most people who arent vegan dont keep standard vegan-friendly ingredients stocked in their pantry - coconut oil, coconut milk, vegan margarine, non-hydrogenated shortening (just to name a few).  when youre thinking about baking without butter and eggs, it may seem impossible to find ingredients to stand in as substitutes.  of course, as many of you know, i google everything.   so i googled "vegan cupcake recipe" and read through about 10 recipes or so before deciding to try chef chloe's chocolate cupcake recipe.  chef chloe won the cupcake wars competition on the food network, beating non-vegan bakers and impressing the hard-to-understand french judge, and the owner/founder of sprinkles cupcakes, candace nelson.  chef chloe is young and super cute, but also very talented.  lets give her recipe a go!

chocolate cupcakes 

(frosting recipe below)

ingredients needed:

1.5 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup coconut milk

1/2cup vegetable oil

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp instant espresso powder

preheat oven to 350 - yields 12 cupcakes

bake time: 20 min - line cupcake pan with paper liners

method:

sift or whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

in a separate bowl, mix the coconut milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and espresso powder until smooth.

pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix with a fork or small whisk.

divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners until each cup is 2/3 full.  the batter made about 17 cupcakes for me, but i guess i could have filled the cups a little bit more.  to divide the batter evenly, try using an ice cream scoop, or as 1/3 cup measuring scoop.

bake for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  i took mine out right around 18 minutes.  let cool in cupcake pan for about 3 min, then transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack.  *always let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.  (i definitely could have filled my cupcake liners up a bit more.  on my second batch i did and they were perfect).

coffee buttercream frosting

ingredients needed:

1 tbsp instant espresso powder (i used finely ground instant coffee i had on hand)

2 tbsp amaretto liquor

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup non-hydrogenated shortening (i used non-hydrogenated margarine and refined coconut oil will also work)

4 cups organic confectioners sugar (i used conventional)

2 tablespoons water

method:

combine espresso powder, amaretto, and vanilla in small bowl and mix or swirl bowl until espresso powder has dissolved (about 1 minute). 

beat shortening in large bowl with an electric mixer for about 1 minute, then add confectioner's sugar.  i decided to sift my sugar before adding it.. personal preference.

 

add the espresso mixture to the frosting a little at a time as you beat it. you might not want to add ALL the espresso mixture depending on the climate and how the frosting is looking. Once it becomes a desirable consistency, you can stop adding it. If you dump it all in at once, it may become too runny.  (for me, i need all of the espresso mixture).  if it is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until desired buttercream consistency is achieved. beat on high for about 5 minutes, making sure you scrape down the sides with a spatula often.

pipe or frost with a knife.

give this recipe a try.  you wont be sorry!