Happy Valentine’s Day!
We hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day with lots of hugs and kisses.
I think most people are still scared from trying something if they hear it’s Vegan. Vegan simply means not made with any animal products. For baking that means no eggs or dairy. While it is a bit of a challenge to create something without eggs or butter it’s not impossible.
These chocolate cupcakes have been in my baking repetiore for about a decade. I created the recipe at the time when being Vegan first became popular. It’s a very simple recipe, but if you don’t treat the ingredients properly the results are disasterous.
For example I tried using very hot water once to bring out the chocolate flavor in the cocoa powder like I do for my Devil’s food cake. The result was a very dense flat cupcake. Why? Because the recipe has baking soda in it which reacts only once with heat. The very hot water activated the baking soda too early therefore it didn’t rise in the oven.
I also recommend weighing the ingredients for this recipe. The most accurate form of measure for baking is by weight, but not everyone has a scale at home. If you are an avid baker I highly recommend getting a scale.
Just to give you an example this recipe calls for 1 1/4 oz of cocoa powder. I have used different brands of cocoa powder and have found that 1 1/4 oz one time was 7 Tablespoons
and another brand was 10 Tablespoons.
For the home baker not using a scale, I measure my flour by scooping a spoonful at a time into the measuring cup and leveling off the top.
It is also important to sift your cocoa powder if there are lumps in it. I forgot once and didn’t sift. Instead I used a whisk to combine the ingredients and break up the lumps. BIG MISTAKE. I overworked the gluten in the flour and the cupcakes came out rubbery and gross. Alexander trooper that he is, still ate them.
Share your love with your kids this Valentine’s Day and make these cupcakes together!
Enjoy!
Avec Amour, Victoria and Alexander
P.S. If you really want to splurge and yes there truly is a difference, get Valhrona cocoa powder. You can order it from Jet.com or directly from Valhrona in Brooklyn. They only problem is it’s about $25.00 a pound. If I win the lottery it will be a staple in my pantry, along with a 20 quart Hobart, marble countertops, a walkin convection oven … Oops I was dreaming – the type of dream only pastry chefs have.
I can’t believe these are Vegan! Chocolate Cupcakes
Yield – 1 Dozen Cupcakes
1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour (8 oz)
3/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Sugar (7 oz)
1/2 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder (1 1/4 oz), sifted
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Warm Water
1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
1 teaspoon White or Cider Vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Stir together dry ingredients
in a large mixing bowl,
stir together liquid ingredients in a small bowl.
Fold together the dry and liquid ingredients
until just combined,
do not over mix.
2. Scoop batter into muffin paper lined cupcake tins.
Bake for 15 – 17 minutes until a cake skewer comes out clean or if you press on top of muffin and it springs back from the touch.
Cool.
These are great on their own. If you are making them, but not vegan, cut in half, drizzle with raspberry sauce and serve with a huge dollop of whipped cream. XOX
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour (8 oz)
- 3/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Sugar (7 oz)
- 1/2 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder (1 1/4 oz), sifted
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Warm Water
- 1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
- 1 teaspoon White or Cider Vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Stir together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, stir together liquid ingredients in a small bowl. Fold together the dry and liquid ingredients until just combined, do not over mix.
- Scoop batter into muffin paper lined cupcake tins. Bake for 15 - 17 minutes until a cake skewer comes out clean or if you press on top of muffin and it springs back from the touch. Cool
Notes
These are great on their own. If you are making them, but not vegan, cut in half, drizzle with raspberry sauce and serve with a huge dollop of whipped cream. XOX
