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I've made vegan chocolate cupcakes before but this recipe is quite different! The first ones were super yummy but they had quite a bit of molasses in them and tasted a lot like chocolate gingerbread! Not a problem for me but other people may be a bit weirded out by that! These are a lot more traditional and are some of the most moist cupcakes I have ever had! You would never know these were vegan if you just grabbed one and tried it! :)
It's our nephew's first birthday tomorrow and I was asked to make a batch of vegan cupcakes for the party. Originally, I had planned to make 1 batch of the molasses ones and 1 batch of these but I decided after some thought just to go with these.
This is also my first time using agave nectar as a sweetener - I'm sold! This stuff is totally natural, 100% plant-based, and has a lower glycemic index than regular sugar. It also makes a wonderful vegan substitute for honey. You can mix in into any baking recipe in place of granulated sugar (the ratio is 3/4 cup agave nectar to 1 cup sugar) or stir it into tea in place of honey.
I didn't make the frosting but I'll include the recipe just in case you would like to try it - I've had it before and it is very tasty! Good excuse to satisfy your curiosity and buy a carton of soy milk. :)
PS (and then I swear I will get to the recipe!): The uncooked batter is soooo tasty! :) Best part about vegan baking, really, you get to lick the spoon! And the whisk, and any that drips on the counter, and the spatula... ;)
Here's the recipe - I got this from the mother of one of my students. My changes are in green.
Makes 24 cupcakes
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups agave nectar (or 2 cups sugar)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp. white or cider vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup applesauce (I made some and used that - see tip below!)
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (yeay for chocolate being a superfood! in moderation, of course!)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
For the frosting:
3 cups powdered sugar (you can get some that is "vegan")
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup vegan buttery spread (Earth Balance works well) or vegetable oil
1/3 cup vanilla soy or rice milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Optional fresh raspberries, strawberries, or edible flowers as a garnish
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cupcake pans with cupcake papers.
2. Sift the flour and cocoa into a large bowl. Add the baking soda and salt and stir until combined. If you're using dry sugar, mix it in with these ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the agave nectar (if using it), water, oil, lemon juice, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir well. Pour the water mixture into the dry mixture, whisking vigourously until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps.
4. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners (mine was really runny! This is OK). Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (mine only needed 15) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. To prepare the frosting, blend powdered sugar and cocoa. Melt the buttery spread and then add it, along with the soy milk and vanilla, to the sugar and cocoa mixture. Beat until smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes and garnish if desired.
**Note: You can also make this into a layer cake. Use the same amounts as above but place the completed batter into 2 9-inch round cake pans or 1 9x13-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Bake these cakes for 25-30 minutes at 350 (or until a toothpick comes out clean).
**Applesauce note: So I made this really yummy applesauce yesterday to put into these cupcakes. I kept telling myself "OK, you'll need to give this a quick spin in the food processor so it's not lumpy." Yeah, guess what blondie here forgot to do?! :) Took me a minute to figure out why my batter was lumpy, too! I thought something weird had happened and the agave had reacted with the cocoa or something. :) No, I just had a blonde moment. I was a bit worried the cakes would have weird chunks of apple in them but you can hardly tell.. in the future, or if you try this, make sure and puree the applesauce before adding it to the batter.
Additionally, the applesauce is actually totally optional but it really does add to the moistness of these cakes so it is worth it to throw it in if you have some. It's also super-quick to make! :)
Reference:
I found this in the Fresh Mama's cookbook. The recipe in that book was inspired by one from The Passionate Vegetarian.
I made this since I wanted a natural (high fructose corn syrup-free) applesauce to mix in to some vegan chocolate cupcakes I'm making for my nephew's first birthday this weekend! :) Our little man is one... hard to believe! This was a collaboration of some recipes and suggestions from some of the ladies on the Nest.
This made about 4 cups (it also makes a yummy dessert!)
Ingredients:
4 apples - any kind you like - peeled, cored, and diced
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
Method:
1. Combine apples, water, cinnamon, and allspice in a Dutch oven or heavy saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat for 20-25 minutes (until apples are soft and the liquid has been absorbed).
2. Allow the apples to cool and then smush them with a fork or potato masher. You could also transfer them to a food processor or blender to get a really smooth consistency.
References:
Thank you to Beebe929, ses1199, and CJNeeley from the Nest. :) I also used this applesauce recipe from a Nestie blog (oops - didn't write down your Nest name...). I left out the sugar based on suggestions from other Nesties and my desire to not use refined sugar in this (it will be eaten by vegans, after all!) :)
I love banana bread and will sometimes deliberately buy ripe bananas just so I have an "excuse" to make it (like I need an excuse!) This weekend, I decided to try out a new spin on the banana bread recipe I've been using for years to make these muffins. They are so full of banana flavour - really wonderful! :) They have wheat germ so they are a great source of vitamin E and folic acid.
Makes 12 large muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. aluminium-free baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (superfood!)
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (superfood!)
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ1 cup mashed banana (about 2-3 medium bananas) - I like to think bananas are a superfood!
1 additional banana, mashed (egg substitute) - superfood! (eggs are a superfood, too, if you choose to make this non-vegan)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup applesauce (you could also use 1/4 cup cooking oil if applesauce is unavailable)
1 tbsp. raw turbinado sugar (optional)
Method:
1. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper or foil cupcake cases. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, wheat germ, and walnuts. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and set aside.
3. In another bowl, combine the bananas (including the "egg" banana), brown sugar, granulated sugar, and applesauce. Add this banana mixture all at once into the well in the dry mixture. Stir until just moistened - the batter will be lumpy.
**Do not overmix as this will create tunnels and pointy tops on your finished muffins.**
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin (an ice-cream scoop is your friend here!) Sprinkle the unbaked muffins with a little turbinado sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Reference:
The basic banana bread recipe (and cooking times) are from The Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (1996 edition). I got the inspiration to add the wheat germ and turbinado sugar from Cooking Light's Orange-Cranberry Wheat Germ Muffin recipe which I love so much! The nutmeg and brown sugar additions were just last-minute changes I decided to try out - thank goodness they worked! I know messing with baking recipes can be a bit risky!
These are from the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book - I use these all the time! Hope they are helpful to other people. These are just the most common ones, I'll keep adding to it.
*Baking powder, 1 tsp. - you can use 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar plus 1/4 tsp. baking soda.
*Bread crumbs (fine, dry), 1/4 cup - use 3/4 cup soft bread crumbs; 1/4 cup cracker crumbs; or 1/4 cup cornflake crumbs.
*Chocolate, semisweet, 1 ounce - use 3 tbsp. semisweet chocolate chips/pieces; or 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate plus 1 tbsp. granulated sugar.
*Chocolate, sweet, baking, 4 ounces - use 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 3 tbsp. vegetable shortening.
*Chocolate, unsweetened, 1 ounce - use 3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder plus 1 tbsp. cooking oil or melted vegetable shortening.
*Cornstarch, 1 tbsp. (for thickening) - use 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour.
*Corn syrup, 1 cup - use 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup water.
*Egg, 1 whole - use 2 egg whites; 2 egg yolks; or 1/4 cup frozen egg product, thawed.
*Flour, cake, 1 cup - use 1 cup minus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour.
*Garlic, 1 clove - use 1/2 tsp. bottled minced garlic; or 1/8 tsp. garlic powder.
*Herb, snipped fresh, 1 tbsp. - use 1/2 to 1 tsp. dried herb, crushed.
*Honey, 1 cup - use 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup water.
*Lemon juice, 1 tsp. - use 1/2 tsp. vinegar.
*Onion, chopped, 1 small (1/3 cup) - use 1 tsp. onion powder; or 1 tbsp. dried minced onion.
*Sour cream, dairy, 1 cup - use 1 cup plain yogurt.
*Sugar, granulated, 1 cup - 1 cup packed brown sugar; or 2 cups sifted powdered sugar.
*Tomato sauce, 2 cups - use 3/4 cup tomato paste plus 1 cup water.
