Chocolate Cupcakes - Pareve

Amarante

Wed, Mar 20 2024, 3:51 pm

These were very good and simple to make.

Note that it uses self rising flour

Chocolate Cupcakes

Whether you are in the mood for something rich and chocolatey, or fresh and citrussy, these light springy cupcakes use oil rather than butter, so will keep moist and fresh for a good few days – ideal if you want to plan ahead for an occasion or celebration. Better still, as they contain no eggs or dairy, they should be your go-to recipe when you need to take dietary requirements into consideration. There are plenty of other flavour suggestions for you to try for each of the recipes in the

Flexible sections below.

Prep 30 minutes / Cooking 20 minutes / Makes 12

Excerpt From: Jo Pratt. “The Flexible Baker

For the cakes

325ml/11 fl oz/1⅓ cups soya, oat, coconut or almond milk (avoid almond for nut-free) - I used soy as that is the recommended plant milk for baking
2 tsp white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
225g/8 oz/1¾ cups self-raising (self-rising) flour
25g/1 oz cocoa powder
200g/7 oz/1 cup caster (superfine) sugar
100ml/3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla bean paste - can sub vanilla extract

For the frosting

50g/1¾ oz dark chocolate (dairy-free), chopped
150g/5½ oz plant-based margarine or butter - I use Myokos
300g/10½ oz/2 cups icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
1 tbsp soya, oat, coconut or almond milk
white, milk or dark chocolate (dairy-free) shavings or flakes, to decorate

Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas 4. Line a deep muffin tin with 12 muffin cases.

In a jug, stir the milk and vinegar together in a jug and leave to stand for a few minutes until the milk thickens and curdles slightly.

“In a large bowl, sift together the flour and cocoa powder and stir in the sugar until combined. Whisk in the thickened milk as well as the oil and vanilla until you have a smooth loose batter.

Divide the batter between the muffin cases. I find this easier to do evenly with an ice-cream scoop although a jug or ladle are also good. The cases should be about two-thirds full.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until risen and golden. Turn the muffins out to cool on a wire rack.

To make the frosting, place the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water to slowly melt. Alternatively, gently melt in the microwave in 10-second bursts. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, beat together the margarine or butter until smooth, then add the icing sugar and beat well until light and creamy. Add the melted chocolate and 1 tablespoon milk. Beat until totally mixed in then either pipe or spread over the top of the cupcakes. Decorate with some shavings or flakes of chocolate.

Flexible

Flavour swap: to make double chocolate orange cupcakes, make the cake batter as above, adding the finely grated zest of 1 orange and 75g/2¾ oz dairy-free chocolate chips.

For a twist on the frosting, try a chocolate caramel frosting. Swirl 5 tablespoons vegan caramel through the chocolate frosting and pipe or spread onto the cupcakes. Finish with a drizzle of extra caramel on top (gently warmed first to loosen if necessary