It never fails to amaze me; the number of people that assume I simply don’t eat junk food. Vegans eat junk food. And some vegans eat plenty of it. You may be surprised to know that Oreos are actually vegan. Getting junk and sweets as a vegan is pretty easy these days, with local grocery stores even selling plant based birthday cakes for kids. They aren’t usually advertised as such, but if you read the labels, you are sure to find something free of eggs and dairy, mostly because of people’s allergies these days.
I myself have a huge sweet tooth. I always have some treats to snack on around my kitchen. But one thing that I’m very thankful for is my self-control. I can eat half a cupcake, and leave the other half for the next day. Everything in moderation, right? I think it’s absolutely okay to treat yourself every now and then. Typically, I try to bake everything as healthy as possible. Apple Sauce instead of butter or oil, buckwheat or quinoa flour and cacao instead of cacao, but I do think every now and then, it’s completely ok to splurge and enjoy a sugar filled dessert! Just don’t make it a habit!
One of my favourite treats is my chocolate cupcakes. To be honest, I don’t even love chocolate! I typically prefer vanilla. But these cupcakes really, really, do the trick. This recipe was originally in “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World” and I’ve altered it a bit, and added my own chocolate icing creation, that’s more like a fudge icing.
Cup Cakes
- 1 cup of soy milk
- 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup of coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup of canola oil
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla
- 1/2 All Purpose Flour (Organic; I prefer Bob Redmills)
- 1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/3 cup of cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 2 teaspoons of cinnamon (My secret!)
Preheat the oven at 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper cups or a bit of coconut oil.
Whisk together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar and let it sit for a few minutes to curdle.
Combined everything else in a mixing bowl, then add the curdled milk concoction and beat it. There will likely be a few lumps remaining, and that’s okay. Fill your muffin trays about 3/4 full. This should make 12 cupcakes exactly.
Chocolate Fudge Icing
- 2 1/2 cups of organic powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup of cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup of vegan butter (I like earth balance)
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla
- 4 tablespoons of soy milk
- A dash of cinnamon
With the icing, be careful to mix it well. Organic powered sugar tends to be a bit clumpy and you will want a nice smooth icing for these cupcakes. You may want to add another tablespoon or 2 of soy milk, depending on how thick you want the icing. This consistency though usually works well for me and I’ve been making this icing for 10 years now! It’s my favourite and probably your most standard vegan chocolate icing.
Let your cupcakes cool down before adding the icing. Something else that I like to do sometimes is put my icing in the fridge so it sets a little bit, before I put it onto the cupcakes. Don’t tell anyone these cupcakes are vegan and they will never guess!
Like always, please be mindful in using only organic products to ensure good quality.
