These rich and delicious chocolate cupcakes by Isa Chandra Moskowitz are from Forks Over Knives – The Cookbook. The frosting is made with dates and gets surprisingly fudgy. You can top each cupcake with a berry to make them extra special.
Ingredients, Makes 12 Cupcakes
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (non-dairy)
• 1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup dry sweetener (such as sucanat, date sugar and maple sugar)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, or spelt flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder, either Dutch-processed or regular unsweetened
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 batch Fudgy Chocolate Frosting (recipe follows)
Preparation
– Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with silicone liners or have ready a nonstick or silicone muffin pan.
– To melt the chocolate, use a double boiler or simply take a small sauce pan and fill half way with water. On top of that place a small sauté pan. Fill the sauté pan with chocolate and bring the water to a boil. Use a rubber spatula to mix the chocolate as it melts. Once melted, remove from heat and let cool for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside. (Alternatively, you can also melt the chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave.)
– In a large bowl, whisk together the plant-based milk and vinegar. Let it sit for a few minutes, until curdled. Stir in the dry sweetener, applesauce, vanilla, and melted chocolate.
– In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the mixture to the wet ingredients, one half at a time, and beat until no large lumps remain.
– Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, filling each cup three-quarters full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
– Remove the pan from the oven and let the cupcakes cool for at least 20 minutes, then carefully run a knife around the edges of each cupcake to remove. The cupcakes should be completely cool before frosting with the Fudgy Chocolate Frosting.
Fudgy Chocolate Frosting
Makes 1 cup
This frosting goes great on Double Chocolate Cupcakes, but once you get a taste of how delicious it is, you’ll find lots of places to use it.
Ingredients
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1-1/2 cups dried, pitted dates, tough ends removed
• 1 tablespoon brown rice syrup
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preparation
– Put the boiling water and cocoa powder in a blender. Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds, or until the mixture is relatively smooth. Scrape down the sides of the blender. Be careful not to let steam build up.
– Add the dates, brown rice syrup, and salt to the blender. Blend until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the blender with a spatula to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated. Add the vanilla and blend until combined.
– Transfer the mixture to an airtight container. Let chill completely, for at least 3 hours, until it becomes firm and spreadable.
TIP: Spread the frosting onto cooled cupcakes with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. You can also pipe the frosting with a pastry bag fitted with a wide metal tip.
Isa Chandra Moskowitz has been cooking up a vegan storm for the past two decades. She is the author of 7 cookbooks, including Veganomicon and Appetite For Reduction. A Brooklyn native, she now lives in Omaha Nebraska, where she spreads vegan cooking love and does feral cat rescue work.
More information: http://www.forksoverknives.com/category/recipes/
