January 13, 2016

Vegan Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes

stacynoren

I have never wanted to be vegan.  While I do not eat a lot of dairy and I am not a huge fan of meat, I am entrenched in my consumption of eggs.  I have them every day and I don’t know that I could give them up.  They just taste too good scrambled and mixed with a little pineapple mango salsa…  But that isn’t the point.  I was once again watching The Kitchen and in one of their “New Year, New You” healthier cooking episodes they brought a guest to visit and make one of the most intriguing cupcakes I have seen in a long time. <img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-501" src="http://blog.cakebythecup viagra generic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/DSC_0559-300×200.jpg” alt=”DSC_0559″ width=”300″ height=”200″ srcset=”https://blog.cakebythecup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/DSC_0559-300×200.jpg 300w, https://blog.cakebythecup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/DSC_0559-768×512.jpg 768w, https://blog.cakebythecup.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/DSC_0559-1024×683.jpg 1024w” sizes=”(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px” />

The guest, Chloe Coscarelli, has a wildly popular vegan restaurant and wants to show people that everyone can enjoy vegan food.  I will tell you that everyone will enjoy this cupcake.  This cake, because it’s vegan, contains no milk, no eggs, no butter, and no cream; yet, you won’t even know they are missing.  The cake rises wonderfully, it is light and full of moisture.  And, because sweet potatoes are used on the batter, there is a rich, warm moist taste that reminds you of Thanksgiving.

This is my new favorite chocolate cupcake recipe.  It is amazing!  Just give it a try.  Do not be intimidated because it’s vegan.  The cake is easier to mix up than a normal cupcake.  And on the plus side, eating these won’t make you plus-sized (not an actual guarantee).  They are lighter than a traditional chocolate cake and you get some of the delicious nutrients that come with eating your veggies.  Thank you, sweet potatoes!DSC_0565

The only thing to be aware of is the frosting.  The cake is topped with a light coconut whipped cream.  This is made from whipping the cream of coconut milk with some powdered sugar.  What you need to know is that the can of coconut milk needs to stay upright and remain unshaken.  If the can is jostled then the cream and the coconut water will mix together and you will not be able to whip the cream.  If the can is jostled, allow it to settle over night before making this recipe.

Give it a try.  I know you will love this cake 🙂DSC_0569

 

Vegan Chocolate Sweet Potato Cupcakes
2016-01-06 22:19:38

Rich, moist vegan chocolate cupcake with a light coconut whipped cream frosting.

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For the Cupcakes
  1. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  2. 1 cup sugar
  3. 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  4. 1 teaspoon baking soda
  5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  6. 1 cup water
  7. 1/4 cup canola oil
  8. 2 tablespoons white or apple cider vinegar
  9. 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  10. 3/4 cup pureed sweet potato
For the Cream
  1. Two 13.5-ounce cans of coconut milk (not lite), such as Thai Kitchen brand or Whole Foods 365 brand, chilled in the refrigerator overnight (be sure not to shake or stir)
  2. 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  3. Chocolate shavings, for garnish, optional
  4. Ground cinnamon, for garnish, optional
For the cupcakes
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup cupcake pans with 14 cupcake liners.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the water, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and sweet potato until smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
  3. Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full with the batter. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean with a few crumbs clinging to it. Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.
For the coconut whipped cream
  1. Chill the bowl and whisk of a stand mixer in the freezer for about 10 minutes. If they are not very cold, the cream will not whip properly. Skim the solidified coconut cream from the chilled can of coconut milk and transfer the solids to the bowl of the stand mixer. Do not include any of the coconut water, even if you have to leave behind a little margin of coconut cream (even a little bit of coconut water can harm your results).
  2. Add the powdered sugar and whip for a few minutes until the mixture begins to stiffen and turn into whipped cream. Chill the whipped cream in a covered container in the refrigerator. It should firm up even more as it sits in the refrigerator for the next few hours or overnight.
By Chloe Coscarelli
Cake by the Cup Blog https://blog.cakebythecup.com/