Vegan chocolate cupcakes with coconut frosting are by far one of my favourite cupcakes! This recipe is an oldie, but goody from my collection. It works great as a cake too, but cupcakes are much more fun. The recipe for the cupcakes is an old Depression era one using ingredients that were more readily available and is vegan by default as eggs and butter were quite hard to come by. The touch of cinnamon is my addition, but I think it completes the cupcakes. They are moist, delicious and so easy to make!
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Wet ingredients
120ml or 1/2 cup hot water
30g or 1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
100ml or 1/2 cup cold water
100ml or 1/2 cup sunflower, rapeseed or vegetable oil
Dry ingredients
180g or 1 1/2 cup plain flour
180g or 1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
good pinch of sea salt
Preheat oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Line a 12 muffin hole tray with cupcake papers or line 20cm cake tin. In a large bowl combine cocoa powder, cinnamon and hot water. Whisk until smooth. Add cold water and oil. In a separate bowl combine flour, sugar, bicarb and salt; mix well. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix well using a whisk.
Use a 1/4 cup to pour batter into 12 muffin holes or divide into cake tins. Bake for 15-20 minutes, 25-30 if baing in cake tins. Or until firm and cracked. Let cool and frost with frosting of choice.
Coconut Frosting
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup almond milk
1 tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp icing sugar
Toast coconut in dry frying pan, careful not to burn. Combine almond milk, cornflour and icing sugar in a small pot and bring to a simmer. Whisk until thick and then add toasted coconut.