ABOUT THE RECIPE:
Oh wow—these "Sweet Cocoa Cupcakes with Vegan Chocolate Frosting" are amazing! That’s what I said the first time I made these simple, but super tempting treats. Avocado and a light version of vegan “buttermilk” both stand in effortlessly for the butter and the egg, while tofu and dark vegan chocolate chips whip up to provide a rich and decadent frosting. So pretty too—a real crowd pleaser!
Makes 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
CUPCAKES
½ cup dairy-free milk
1½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar
½ cup peeled, seeded and chopped avocado (1-inch chunks)
1 cup water, divided, plus more as needed
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons whole wheat flour, plus more as needed
⅔ cup vegan cane sugar
¼ cup plus 1½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FROSTING
⅓ cup dairy-free milk
10 ounces firm or extra firm regular tofu, well-drained and broken into chunks
2 tablespoons vegan powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
⅓ rounded cup vegan chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a six-cup standard muffin pan with paper liners.
To make the CUPCAKES, put 1⁄2 cup of dairy-free milk and the lemon juice into a small bowl and stir to combine. Let the mixture stand for 5 to 10 minutes to make a light vegan “buttermilk.”
Put the avocado and 1⁄2 cup water in a blender and process until smooth and creamy in texture.
Meanwhile, put the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and baking powder in a large bowl and stir with a dry whisk to combine. Stir in the avocado mixture, the “buttermilk” mixture, remaining 1⁄2 cup water and vanilla extract.
The batter may be loose, so if it seems overly wet, stir in more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is not runny or too loose. Alternately, if the batter seems overly dry, stir in a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is moist.
Mound the mixture equally into the six lined cups. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until set and a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes and put them on a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting the cupcakes.
While the cupcakes bake, make the FROSTING. Heat 1⁄3 cup of dairy-free milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming hot, but not boiling. Put the tofu, powdered sugar and chocolate chips in a blender, in that order. Pour in the steaming dairy-free milk and process until smooth.
Put a piping bag that has been fitted with a star tip into a tall glass, so it remains upright. Spoon the frosting into the piping bag. Refrigerate the frosting for at least 2 hours, or until it is firm enough to pipe onto the cupcakes.
Once the cupcakes have completely cooled and the frosting is well-chilled, pipe a generous amount of frosting on top of each cupcake. Serve room temperature, or put the cupcakes in a tightly covered container and refrigerate until serving. For best taste, remove the cupcakes from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
Directions
ABOUT THE RECIPE:
Oh wow—these "Sweet Cocoa Cupcakes with Vegan Chocolate Frosting" are amazing! That’s what I said the first time I made these simple, but super tempting treats. Avocado and a light version of vegan “buttermilk” both stand in effortlessly for the butter and the egg, while tofu and dark vegan chocolate chips whip up to provide a rich and decadent frosting. So pretty too—a real crowd pleaser!
Makes 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
CUPCAKES
½ cup dairy-free milk
1½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar
½ cup peeled, seeded and chopped avocado (1-inch chunks)
1 cup water, divided, plus more as needed
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons whole wheat flour, plus more as needed
⅔ cup vegan cane sugar
¼ cup plus 1½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FROSTING
⅓ cup dairy-free milk
10 ounces firm or extra firm regular tofu, well-drained and broken into chunks
2 tablespoons vegan powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
⅓ rounded cup vegan chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a six-cup standard muffin pan with paper liners.
To make the CUPCAKES, put 1⁄2 cup of dairy-free milk and the lemon juice into a small bowl and stir to combine. Let the mixture stand for 5 to 10 minutes to make a light vegan “buttermilk.”
Put the avocado and 1⁄2 cup water in a blender and process until smooth and creamy in texture.
Meanwhile, put the flour, sugar, cocoa powder and baking powder in a large bowl and stir with a dry whisk to combine. Stir in the avocado mixture, the “buttermilk” mixture, remaining 1⁄2 cup water and vanilla extract.
The batter may be loose, so if it seems overly wet, stir in more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is not runny or too loose. Alternately, if the batter seems overly dry, stir in a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is moist.
Mound the mixture equally into the six lined cups. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until set and a toothpick inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cupcakes and put them on a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting the cupcakes.
While the cupcakes bake, make the FROSTING. Heat 1⁄3 cup of dairy-free milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming hot, but not boiling. Put the tofu, powdered sugar and chocolate chips in a blender, in that order. Pour in the steaming dairy-free milk and process until smooth.
Put a piping bag that has been fitted with a star tip into a tall glass, so it remains upright. Spoon the frosting into the piping bag. Refrigerate the frosting for at least 2 hours, or until it is firm enough to pipe onto the cupcakes.
Once the cupcakes have completely cooled and the frosting is well-chilled, pipe a generous amount of frosting on top of each cupcake. Serve room temperature, or put the cupcakes in a tightly covered container and refrigerate until serving. For best taste, remove the cupcakes from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before serving.