Have you ever seen the show Hart of Dixie? I know this post is supposed to be about Chocolate Cupcakes. It is, I promise, stay with me.
If you like Gilmore Girls, or Virgin River, you’ll like Hart of Dixie. It’s a rom-com tv show about a big city doctor who moves to a small town and falls in love (among other things)…and it is SO GOOD I love it and have watched the full series twice four times 😀
CHOCOLATE CAKE IS ROMANTIC
There is a scene in the show where they say that two people sharing chocolate cake is one of the most romantic things to do together. Now, that is what I think about every time I see, make, or hear about chocolate cake, and it always makes me smile. So the next time you’re looking for a romantic dessert, make a chocolate cake (or cupcake) and share it with your partner.
Romance aside, if you’re looking for a cupcake recipe for birthdays, anniversaries, BBQs, potlucks, block parties, or just because — this recipe is still the one for you.
These chocolate cupcakes are the BEST. And I don’t say that lightly. They’ve earned it. I am not typically a “cake-person.” It has to be juuust the right type of cake with a moist cake-part and flavorful not-too-sugary frosting-part. This chocolate cupcake recipe has the perfect balance. It has that moist, chocolaty crumb combined with a silky smooth chocolaty frosting.
IT’S EASY!
Did I mention the cake batter comes together in 30 minutes or less? All in one bowl and no electric mixer needed! You whisk all the ingredients together, scoop into muffin cups, and bake. The frosting whips up quickly too with a handheld mixer. And yet the end result is truly the most wonderful chocolate cake and frosting. It’ll taste like you’ve spent the whole day making it!
It’s naturally dairy-free and vegan. Want gluten-free too? Swap in Bob Red Mill’s gluten free flour in place of the all-purpose flour. SO tasty.
Let’s get baking!
Show off your baking! Share photos on Instagram (or your favorite social media platform) and tag @FetchingGoodies and hashtag #FetchingGoodies. I love to see + share your bakes.
The Best Vegan Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
Ingredients
The Cake Part
- 14 g ground flaxseeds 2 Tablespoons
- 90 g water 6 Tablespoons
- 396 g granulated sugar 2 cups
- 210 g all-purpose flour (or 222 grams gluten-free flour) 1 3/4 cups
- 75 g unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 cup
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 240 ml almond milk (or your fav non-dairy milk) 1 cup
- 120 g canola oil 1/2 cup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 240 ml boiling water 1 cup
The Frosting Part
- 8 oz vegan butter (room temperature) 2 sticks
- 500 g powdered sugar 4 cups
- 75 g unsweetened cocoa powder 3/4 cups
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 60 ml almond milk (or your fav non-dairy milk) 4 Tablespoons
Instructions
The Cake Part
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cupcake pans (12 cupcakes each) with cupcake liners. Set the pans aside.
- Make the flax eggs: Combine the flaxseeds and the 90 g of water. Mix them together with a fork and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients (the sugar through the salt on The Cake Part ingredients list).
- Then, to the dry ingredients, add the flaxseed mixture, almond milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir gently the wet ingredients into the dry until there are no more streaks of flour.
- Add in 240 ml (1 cup) of boiling water: Boil slightly more than 1 cup of water either in a pot on the stove, or in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Slowly pour the boiling water into the other ingredients, while doing your best to continuously whisk the batter while the water is being added. Stir just until fully mixed. The batter will be very thin.
- Now, to get the batter into the cupcake-lined pans. You can either scoop the batter with a large cookie scoop, or, since the batter is so thin, pour the batter into a liquid measuring cup and pour it into the cupcake pans. Either way, you’ll have some drips that get on your counter/the outside of the pan. That’s alright 🙂 It wipes right off. Wipe off any drips from the pan using a damp paper towel before baking.
- Bake the cupcakes in your pre-heated oven for about 20-22 minutes. They’re done when the tops no longer look wet, and when they spring back when you lightly press the top of one with your finger.
- Take the cupcakes out of the oven and cool them in the pan on a hot pad for 2-3 minutes. Then take each cupcake out of the pan and cool them completely on a plate or on wire cooling racks.
- While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting.
The Frosting Part
- Into a medium-sized bowl, sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Set aside.
- Into a large bowl, put the two sticks of room temperature vegan butter. Using a handheld mixer, whip the butter until it’s creamy.
- Add in about 1/3 of the powdered sugar/cocoa mixture. Also add in the vanilla extract and 2 Tablespoons of the almond milk. Turn the beaters on to the lowest speed and slowly incorporate those ingredients. Some of the powdered sugar will probably *poof* as you mix. That’s ok.
- Add in another 1/3 of the powdered sugar/cocoa mixture and 1-2 Tablespoons more almond milk. Beat again. Continue this until you’ve used all the powdered sugar/cocoa mixture. Add more milk as needed, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until you reach a creamy frosting consistency.
- Now, your cupcakes are probably cool, which means it's perfect timing to frost!
- Use a spatula to scoop the frosting into a plastic bag or pastry bag fitted with the frosting tip you want to use to frost. I usually use an open star tip. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Alternatively, if you don't feel like piping, slather that frosting on with a knife.
- ENJOY your delicious cupcakes!
Notes
Did you make this recipe? Share photos on Instagram (or your favorite social media platform) and tag @FetchingGoodies and hashtag #FetchingGoodies to show it off. I’ll share it on the Fetching Goodies Instagram stories, too. 🙂