Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
On January 20, 2014 by Meghalee Das
Vegan chocolate cupcakes are just regular cupcakes without eggs and milk. If the right amount of ingredients is used, the cake will have a moist and light texture instead of a crumbly one. I have been trying vegan recipes since the last few months and will be posting some of them soon. This is the third time I have baked vegan chocolate cupcakes and I am finally satisfied with the results. The biggest problem with vegan cooking is that since we can’t use eggs or regular milk, it makes most baked goodies dry and taste strange… But there are many ingredients that you can substitute for eggs, and use soy or almond milk, which are easily available at all grocery stores.
You can have a “vegan buttercream” frosting, usually made with soymilk and white vegetable shortening. I could give you the recipe but I honestly did not like it when I made it last time. It was greasy but I needed to put something to keep the cake moist.
This time I used my homemade blueberry jam as a filling to not only keep the center moist, but also make it taste more delicious. I made the jam with blueberries, sugar, maple syrup, gelatin and lemon juice. I never wrote down the recipe because I was trying it for the first time and didn’t think it would be so great! I still have about half the jar left but next time it’s berry season, I will definitely write the exact amount of ingredients.
You don’t have to make your jam, just buy your favorite jelly or preserves from the market and fill the cupcake with a pointed icing tip. Frosting or icing is optional.
Ingredients:
Soy milk/almond milk: 1 cup
Apple cider vinegar: 1 1/2 tsp
Vegetable oil: 1/3 cup
Sugar: 3/4 cup (use only 1/2 cup if the jelly filling is very sweet)
Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
Dry ingredients:
Plain flour: 1 cup
Cocoa powder: 1/3 cup
Baking soda: 3 tsp
Baking powder: 1/2 tsp
A small pinch of salt
Method:
1. In a bowl, add soy milk and vinegar and let it curdle a little. Meanwhile, sieve together all the dry ingredients in another bowl and keep aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Add vegetable oil, sugar and vanilla extract to the soy milk mixture and stir well to dissolve the sugar.
4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to it and mix till no lumps remain. The mixture will be a bit runny and that is fine.
5. Place liners in a cupcake pan, pour the cake batter and bake for 18 minutes. Check if the center of a cupcake is baked by inserting a toothpick.
6. Let them cool for 5 minutes, while you fill a piping bag with your favorite jam.
7. Insert the piping tip into the center of the cupcake and squeeze till the jam overflows to the top. You can cover the top with frosting if you wish, but I prefer only the jelly.
This is how the center looks!
- Soy milk/almond milk: 1 cup
- Apple cider vinegar: 1½ tsp
- Vegetable oil: ⅓ cup
- Sugar: ¾ cup
- Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
- Plain flour: 1 cup
- Cocoa powder: ⅓ cup
- Baking soda: 3 tsp
- Baking powder: ½ tsp
- Salt: A pinch
- In a bowl, add soy milk and vinegar and let it curdle a little.
- Meanwhile, sieve together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder with a pinch of salt in another bowl and keep aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add vegetable oil, sugar and vanilla extract to the soy milk mixture and stir well to dissolve the sugar.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to it and mix till no lumps remain.
- Place liners in a cupcake pan, pour the cake batter and bake for 18 minutes. Check if the cupcakes are baked by inserting a toothpick. Let them cool for 5 minutes, while you fill a piping bag with your favorite jam.
- Insert the piping tip into the center of the cupcake and squeeze till the jam overflows to the top.
