ABOUT THE RECIPE:

Wow! That’s the reaction you’ll get when you serve these divine Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes. Packed with chocolaty flavor and topped with a decadent cashew-based frosting, no one will ever know that they are vegan and gluten-free!

MAKES 18 CUPCAKES

INGREDIENTS:

FROSTING
1 cup raw cashews
¾ cup water (for soaking cashews)
1 1⁄3 cups nondairy milk, divided
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons vegan cane sugar
¾ cup vegan dark chocolate chips (55% to 70% cacao)

CUPCAKES
2 tablespoons flaxseeds
2½ cups quick cooking, gluten-free rolled oats
1⅓ cups vegan cane sugar
¼ cup almond flour, plus more if needed
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1⅓ cups nondairy milk
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:

To make the frosting, put the cashews and water into a bowl. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Drain the cashews and rinse in cold water.

Heat 1 cup nondairy milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until simmering. Put the soaked cashews, 1 tablespoon oil, and 3 tablespoons sugar into a blender, then add the chocolate chips. Pour in the simmering nondairy milk and process for about 20 seconds. Add 1⁄3 cup cold nondairy milk and process until completely smooth. Refrigerate the frosting for 3 hours to firm up.

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a twelve-cup standard muffin tin and a six-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.

Put the flaxseeds into a high-performance blending appliance and process into fine flour. Transfer the flaxseed flour to a large bowl. Put the rolled oats into the blender and process into fine flour. Add the oat flour, 1⅓ cups sugar, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the flaxseed flour, and stir with a dry whisk to combine. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add 1⅓ cups nondairy milk, 1⁄3 cup oil, and vanilla and stir to incorporate. (If batter seems loose, add 1 more tablespoon almond flour.)

Divide the batter evenly among the 18 muffin cups. Bake for 32 to 37 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool completely. Pipe or spoon a generous amount of frosting over the top of each cupcake. Covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator, leftover cupcakes will keep for about 3 days.