Divine Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes by Steph Sunshine
August 27, 2020
Many years ago, I had a small baking business selling cupcakes at pop-up markets. I was obsessed with creating the perfect cupcake recipes, and I was known to most people as "the cupcake lady."
Now that I'm vegan, I can't use those recipes anymore. But lucky for you, I've been in the kitchen working hard at making vegan versions of some of those recipes! Chocolate is always my first choice of flavor for any sweet food, so the first recipe I've veganized is, of course, my famous chocolate cupcake recipe. I made these over and over, tweaking amounts and ingredients until I had them just right. I knew I finally had a winner when I almost made myself sick from eating so many of them. 🙈🤣
These cupcakes make a wonderful gift for the vegan chocolate lovers in your life, for birthdays, valentine's day, and more.
Pair these with any frosting you like; I recommend my cookie butter frosting recipe or my vegan buttercream frosting! Hint: replace a bit of the powdered sugar with unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao powder in the buttercream frosting for chocolate buttercream. You can also stir in some melted chocolate chips instead of cocoa powder.
I recommend using high-fat vegan butter sticks for this recipe, such as Earth Balance or Miyoko's. If vegan butter is unavailable in your area, or unreasonably priced, try my homemade vegan butter recipe.
Recipe makes approximately 20 cupcakes.
Divine Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes by Steph Sunshine
Yield20 cupcakes
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Ingredients
- 89 mL aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
- 200 g vegan granulated sugar
- 59 mL plain, unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tbsp. white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- 237 mL water
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 175 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat (or a double-boiler), melt the vegan butter and unsweetened chocolate, stirring constantly. Once everything is melted and combined, remove from heat.
![Vegan butter and chocolate melting in a pan]()
The chocolate can burn easily if you don't keep stirring it.Using an electric mixer (a stand mixer is preferred, but you can use a hand mixer as well), whip the aquafaba until it is white and foamy (this should take around 5-10 minutes).
![Aquafaba whipped in a mixing bowl]()
Your aquafaba should turn white and foamy after 5-10 minutes of whipping.Slowly add the sugar to the aquafaba and mix it together. (You can continue to use the mixer, or you can stir by hand if you don’t have a stand mixer).
Add the chocolate mix to the aquafaba mix, and combine.
Combine the almond milk and vinegar and set it aside for a few minutes to curdle.
![Almond milk and vinegar in a bowl with a fork.]()
Mixing vinegar with almond milk will curdle the almond milk.In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil, then remove it from the heat. Stir it into the chocolate mix. Add the vanilla and mix.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a small mixing bowl.
Alternate adding the milk and dry ingredients into the chocolate mix, and stir. Make sure everything is combined, but don’t over-stir.
![Chocolate cake batter being mixed in a mixing bowl.]()
Alternate adding the flour and milk little by little.Line two muffin pans with paper cupcake liners. Fill the liners about 80% full with batter.
![Cake batter in a cupcake tray]()
Fill approximately 2/3 of the liner cups with batter.Bake about 20-21 minutes (an inserted toothpick should come out clean when they’re done).
Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, then use a piping bag to pipe your choice of frosting on top. Enjoy!
![Cupcakes on a cooling rack]()
Allow your cupcakes to cool completely before frosting them.
Notes & Hints
I don't recommend substituting the vegan butter for oil because the vegan butter adds to the flavor of the cakes.
The best way to pour the batter into the paper liners is with a measuring cup or pitcher with a spout. The batter is thin, so it pours easily.
To adapt the recipe to cake pans, divide the batter evenly between the two greased pans. Full-sized cakes will require more time to cook; start checking the cakes for doneness after around 27 minutes at 350°F (180°C).
Store in an airtight container (or cover with plastic wrap) at room temperature for 3-4 days. Refrigerate for slightly longer storage, or freeze for several months.
For best results, use a digital scale to weigh your ingredients.
Nutrition Data
Serving Size: 1/20 of recipe; Calories: 142; Fat: 7 g.; Saturated Fat: 5 g.; Cholesterol: 0 mg.; Sodium: 113 mg.; Carbohydrates: 17 g.; Fiber: 2 g.; Sugar: 10 g.; Protein: 2 g.; Vitamin A: 1 mcg. RAE; Vitamin B12: 0 mcg.; Vitamin C: 0 mg.; Vitamin D: 0 mcg.; Calcium: 13 mg.; Iron: 1 mg.; Potassium: 42 mg.; Zinc: 0 mg.Note: This data should be used only as an estimate. Please see the nutrition section of my terms and conditions for more information on how this data is calculated.
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