Vegan Chocolate Cookie Cupcakes
Emma C treated us to these vegan-friendly cupcakes in the Suma canteen, in honour of National Cupcake Week! This recipe makes 12 large cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes.
Ingredients
- 240ml soya milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar will do)
- 170g granulated sugar
- 80ml sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, chocolate extract, or more vanilla extract
- 150g plain flour
- 50g cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 100g vegan chocolate biscuits
For buttercream icing
- 225g sunflower spread
- 525g sifted icing sugar
- 50g cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 60ml plain soya milk
- More biscuits for decoration
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C and line a muffin or cupcake tin with cupcake cases. Whisk together the soya milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle.
- Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and other extract, if using, to the soya milk mixture and beat until foamy.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain.
- Put your biscuits into a plastic bag and bash them with a rolling pin until you have lots of small biscuit pieces. Alternatively you could whizz the biscuits in a blender for a few seconds. Stir the biscuit pieces into your cake mixture.
- Pour your mixture into the cases, filling them 3/4 of the way. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.
- To make the icing, beat the margarine until it becomes soft and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and cocoa powder and beat for about 3 minutes more.
- Add the vanilla and soya milk, and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes.
- The buttercream is now ready to pipe or smooth on to the top of your cakes. Crumble over the remaining chocolate biscuits for a nice finishing touch.