This week the newest member of our family turned one. That thing that every person you know (and don’t know in line at Target) says about it going by way too fast is true. Completely true. We had a great day celebrating and we couldn’t have made it happen without the help of Isa Chandra and Terry Hope Romero’s Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. It’s a must own for all your celebrations. This birthday, we went with the basic chocolate cupcake and chocolate mousse topping. Super simple and incredibly delicious results — rich and chocolately but not too sweet. It's way past my bedtime, but I had to share these recipes. Oh and if you have a little extra time check out a few youtube videos on how to pipe icing with a pastry bag. It's totally worth it and beyond easy.
Side note: Has anyone tried any of the recipes from their book as full cakes or just cupcakes? It should work as a regular cake too, right?! Vegan baking can be persnickety...
Chocolate Mousse Topping
12 cupcakes
About 15 minutes to make plus an hour to chill
From Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra and Terry Hope Romero
Ingredients
- 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 12 oz. extra firm silken tofu
- ¼ cup plain soy milk
- 2 tbsp. agave syrup or maple syrup
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In the microwave, melt the chocolate chips. Put them in a microwave-safe bowl for about 45 seconds, stir with a rubber spatula and return for another 30 seconds, sir and repeat until just melted. Be sure to check the chocolate often, to avoid burning it in the microwave. Once melted, remove from heat and let cool for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Crumble the tofu into a blender. Add the soy milk, agave and vanilla extract. Puree until completely smooth.
- Add the chocolate to the tofu and blend until well combined, using the spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender.
- Transfer the mousse to an air tight container or a bowl covered with plastic wrap and let chill for about an hour.
Basic Chocolate Vegan Cupcake
12 cupcakes
About 40 minutes to make
Also from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra and Terry Hope Romero
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
- ¾ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
- Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle.
- In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. If you don't have a sifter, a colander with a fine mesh will do just fine. Tap the side until all the dry ingredients have passed through.
- Add the sugar, oil and vanilla extract to the soy milk mixture and whisk for a few minutes until foamy.
- Add the dry ingredients in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain. Pour into liners, filling ¾ of the way. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cupcakes cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to cooling rack.
Heidi
Hi Katie,
This is the all-time favourite go-to chocolate cupcake recipe. Thanks so much!
I now need to make gluten-free choc cupcakes for a party. How can I adjust your recipe to be gluten free. I assume it's not just change the flour type.
Thanks
Katie Koteen
Hey Heidi! I haven't tried a GF version of this recipe. But if you have any success, let us know how it goes!
thomas johnson
my oldest son and I made this recipe as a cake and it turned out awesome. we used a 9×13 and it was pretty thin very similar to a sheet cakes thickness. it was moist and delicious for days afterwards. if one wanted a thicker cake go for a round cake tin or a 9×9. we did NOT adjust the recipe so same portions AND roughly the same cook time. experiments are exciting!
Well Vegan
@Thomas - Thanks for the results! It's a totally versatile recipe. It only makes 12 cupcakes, so I'm guessing you would double it to make a more traditional 9x13.
Cara
Tom is making this as a cake today...I will report back with results!
Well Vegan
@Cara- Oh good! I can't wait to hear how it comes out 🙂
MJ
Just wanted to list a few vegan sugars:
Florida crystals
Jack Frost
Country Cane
365 whole food brand
I'm excited to try these 🙂
Well Vegan
@MJ-Thanks for this! Recommendations are always appreciated 🙂