Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

Recently, I ordered and received two vegan cookbooks from the Book Depository, after they had a 10% off offer in May.

I am now feeling personally accountable for Border's recent decision to close their stores in Australia. Online book ordering was, after all, the main contributor to the flagging store-based book trade. Borders, I am so very sorry. I was so excited when you arrived. I am quite devastated that you're leaving.

In an effort to partially absolve my guilt, I plan to get a lot of use out of the cookbooks.

And where better to start than with dessert?

The inspiration for today's baking. I know, it isn't actually a cupcake recipe. But it is a cake recipe. 


The Vegan Table, by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, was the first book to arrive. I have flagged a number of her recipes to try, savoury and sweet, but decided to start with a cupcake adaptation of the Red Velvet Cake with Buttercream Frosting. I felt like making cupcakes, I had never before made vegan cupcakes, and it seemed like a good choice for a sunny Autumn Sunday.

My main adaptations, other than converting cake to cupcake (and thus halving the recipe quantities), was to increase the cocoa and omit the red. Thus, chocolate cupcakes were born:

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

Adapted from The Vegan Table's recipe for Red Velvet Cake with Buttercream Frosting

 Makes 12 - 16

Cupcakes:

• 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used soy)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 180'C and prepare your cupcake tin
2. In a medium bowl, combine the milk, sugar, oil, vinegar and vanilla, and beat with an electric beater on medium speed for 1 - 2 minutes.
3. Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and mix well. 
4. Bake for 20 - 22 minutes, until the cupcakes spring back slightly when touched.

Frosting:

• 50g non-dairy spread, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp water

1. Combine the ingredients and beat on medium - high speed with an electric beater, until light and fluffy.
2. Spread over completely cool cupcakes.

Clearly, this isn't a particularly healthy treat. It isn't low in fat or sugar, and it does use refined ingredients. It does taste pretty good though - and at least no animals were involved.

The cupcakes themselves are light and fluffy, and the icing tastes exactly like the dairy buttercream frosting I remember on cupcakes as a child. I certainly wouldn't have any qualms serving these at a non-vegan party.

I might keep this batch just for us though.

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