Basic (Vegan) Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
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The name says it all, a simple but perfect, tender, and all-around wonderful chocolate vegan cupcake. Change the look and flavor by topping with any frosting, glaze, or filling you can imagine. The Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting is especially delicious. This recipe is the basis for so many great chocolate cupcakes in this book.
We’ve even been known to whip up an unadorned batch and serve them with a glass of cold soy milk when the need for good, honest chocolate cake arises.
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, chocolate extract, or more vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
- Whisk together the soy 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 soy 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 (a few tiny lumps are OK).
- Pour into liners, filling 3/4 of the way. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
Variation:
Cookies ‘n’ Cream Cupcakes (pictured): Mix into cupcake batter 1 cup (about 10 cookies; chop first, then measure) of coarsely chopped vegan chocolate cream-filled sandwich cookies, like Newman-O’s. Bake as directed.
This recipe, while from a trusted source, may not have been tested by the CHOW food
team.
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I just made these almost exact to the recipe (I used almond milk instead of soy, and all vanilla extract). They were perfect! Super moist with a delicious choocolatey taste. I topped them with a vegan peanut butter frosting...to die for! This will be my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe from now on.
I replaced the oil with pureed prunes (baby food, actually) they still came out moist, fluffy, and delicious! However, it probably would had been a little moister on the outside if I'd used some oil. (2/3 parts pureed prunes, 1/3 part oil) It hardly mattered after frosting them, though. I also replaced most of the sugar with stevia powder and topped it off with agave nectar.
These cupcakes are unbelievable. I even made them with gluten-free flour so they were gluten-dairy-egg-animal free and they were moist, chocolatey, and delicious. I added orange extract instead of what is recommended, and I was very impressed. Add a bit of food colouring to the icing and they're pretty AND tasty. :)
Can I use balsamic vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar?
These cupcakes were awesome! I was looking for a healthier version of the cupcake and this does the trick:) I used rice flour instead of regular flour and 1% organic milk as I am not a vegan and loved it! I didn't even bother frosting the cupcakes as they are yummy without.
So how do these cupcakes taste?
@AAQjr: I agree that using the most cruelty-free ingredients is best. However, if anything that involves harm to other sentient creatures is considered non-vegan (instead of a strictly ingredient based definition), then veganism is unattainable since every ingredient and lifestyle involves some amount of harm to sentient creatures. In other words, if you define veganism as harming other sentient creatures, then it becomes a complex spectrum where no one is truly vegan and no one is truly non-vegan. However, this way of looking at it is more logical. @misssomer: So are you saying that we should let others continue committing atrocities just because we don't want to make them feel unpleasant? This position of isolationism only works if everyone were ethical, because as soon as people become unethical, isolationism allows them to continue. Slavery would not have been abolished if abolitionists decided not to make it “everyone else's problem”, nor would the Holocaust have ended if people weren't willing to intervene in other people's unethical behavior. I understand how righteous, confrontational vegans can be annoying, but since intervention is necessary to stop injustice, consider how you can use your criticism to offer an alternative way to intervene.
@AAQjr: Relaaax. The recipe only specified granulated sugar and never demanded you buy bone-char-chemical infused sugar. I am a raw food vegan and get a little tired of other people who choose a cruelty-free existence but make it everyone else's problem.
To be vegan, that sugar should come from beets. NOT refined cane sugar
I do not like Canola Oil, it makes me fill uncomfortable - upset stomach and I believe may has just the same with many but weren't able to detect it.
I think she meant to add the dry to the wet in 2 different batches, meaning do half the dry to the wet, mix them well, then add the other half of the dry mix. I have seen many chefs/bakers say it makes for a more fluffy, better tasting product. Just a thought.
What about the nutritional values? How much fat? Calories? Carbohydrates, etc?
thinker, you mix half of the dry ingredients at a time into the wet ingredients. Best, Deborah from CHOW
"Add in two batches?" What two batches? Do we use twice as much of the dry ingredients?
This was my first vegan baking experience. I liked the texture, but using almond extract overpowered the chocolate flavor. Next time I would skip the almond and go with vanilla extract, and add maybe even three times the cocoa.
Not so impressed with this one. I know about vegan baking, and man this cake came out so dry and crumbly. Bummer!
I just made these last night with the vegan fluffy butter cream cookies and cream frosting. They are AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS! Instead of sugar in the cupcakes, I used 1/2 cup of agave nectar, and instead of regular flour, I used whole wheat flour. They really turned out sooo good. My husband loves them, too! Delish!
i made these for my co-workers sons who are allergic to almost everything!! they devoured them!! i've never made vegan cupcakes but now im hooked they are delicious! i made chocolate with Pamela's Dark Chocolate Frosting (wheat-free, gluten-free, non-dairy) and they were absolutely amazing i got rave reviews!!
I just made a batch of mini and regular-sized cupcakes and they 're fairly good but I thought they'd be much better. I used vegetable oil and sucanat as substitutes. Could that have degraded the flavor?
I made these yesterday and they were amazing! I used So Good Trim Fat Free soy milk and they turned out very moist and fluffy.
These are awesome but the oil is too much for me. I made them a few times and ended up subbing with silken tofu because they're too dense otherwise!!
Made a batch to celebrate the 3rd birthday of our Dr. Sketchy burlesque life drawing group, complete with the frosting. I added halved maraschinos and hand-made pasties in honor of the event. They were a hit - folks thought I was lying when I said I made them myself! Here's a link with a picture of the cupcakes about half-way down: http://drsketchydetroit.blogspot.com/2009/08/happy-birthday-to-us.html
I'm going to make these for my brother's 3rd grade class during the first week of school. I think they'll really like it.
I made these yesterday and they were delicious. I couldn't believe how moist and tasty it was. After one of my cousins ate one, I told him it was vegan and he was surprised. It was moist and rich. It was very easy to make.
I made these cupcakes and the icing for an organic garden fundraiser this weekend and they sold out! Thank you all for your comments which helped me successfully bake my first vegan recipe. I carefully followed the recipe, however, I used vanilla soymilk. My only problem was amount. I tripled the amount of ingredients for the cupcakes, bought the bigger cupcake papers and generously filled them. Instead of getting 36, I got 18. The icing recipe was more than enough to ice these bigger cupcakes which took 22 minutes to bake. They were beautifully big, dark chocolate cupcakes with really lovely white icing and a big pecan half on top. I encourage other bakers to try these (cupcake and icing) recipes.
Since the title says "100% vegan", I think a note on sugar should be included... a lot of granulated white sugar is processed using bone char, so for the recipe to truly be "100% vegan", organic or evaporated cane juice sugar (or another sweetener) should be specified.
These taste fantastic! They ahve stayed soft and moist and the crumb has an exellent texture. I was trying to cut down on the sugar and fat content so, instead of heaps of rich buttercream, I iced them with a simple, plain, glace icing and some coloured sprinkles (they looked very cute). Next time I'm tempted to try a coconut icing with a dizzle of chocolate ganache for a more 'grown-up' cupcake.
really freaking good, i suck at cooking but they came out great, people devoured them at the show i brought them to.
This is my second time using this recipe. They are so good! This time I used two parts vanilla extract, one part mint. Delicious!
Awesomeness in a cupcake. I used mint extract instead of almond or chocolate, and it worked well.
These are easy to make! Lovely taste. Not too sweet. I made them with almond milk and they turned out great!
No one in my family is vegan (I wouldn't mind trying it, but money is tight, so I basically have to eat what's put in front of me), but my brothers and sister and I all love these cupcakes! I made them and I knew as soon as I took the cupcakes out of the oven and finished the buttercream frosting that they would be phenomenal! The only problem is I have some frosting left over, and I have no clue what to do with it, I don't know when I'll have the time to make the cupcakes again (plus I don't know if it'd be enough), and I don't want to waste it!
one note -- my layer cakes turned out a bit wet on the bottom... they didn't release very cleanly from the bottom edges, even though the cake tester came out totally dry.
For those of you wondering if these would work for layer cakes, I just did and it turned out ok. The recipe yields about 2 1/3 cups of batter. Use this chart to see which pans that will fill: http://www.baking911.com/cakes/data.htm
I made these and they were wonderful - tender and cakey and moist. My first vegan attempt and it was delicious!
is there directions for a cake (pan size, baking time)? I want to try and make a layer cake. Thanks!
I'm usually terrible at baking vegan treats. Always, actually. I've never made anything that didnt burn, turn out soggy, or just straight up taste bad. These are the best vegan cupcakes I've EVER HAD, and I MADE THEM!!!!!!! My boyfriend's comin back from a month trip in Europe, and can't wait to eat healthy and vegan again---well, healthy these may not be, but vegan they are. If you have a chance, make these! they rule!!!!
I have to say, they are awesome. My non vegan family loved it, and I served them to a few friends who are also non vegan. I frosted these with the coconut icing from the Ginger Macademia Carrot cake recipie. Awesome! Next time I might try adding prune puree to replace some of the oil and substitute cane sugar instead of regular to make them a little healthier. I bet they would taste great with peanut butter frosting too.
These are the yummiest, moistest vegan cupcakes I've ever had. My boyfriend refuses to eat most vegan dishes, but he ate 3 cupcakes within the 20 minutes of taking them out of the oven! BEST CUPCAKES EVER!
I believe this recipe is from the cookbook listed above, 'Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World' by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. You should contact the publisher.
I was wondering if I can use this recipe for a cookbook I'm currently working on, its centered around cupcakes. If you do then great I'll give you my contact info and ofcourse I'll give you credit. But if you dont then I understand :)
oh my god these cupcakes are heaven! i just made them and i've already eaten three...oops:) i forgot to add the baking powder and they were still amazinG! i only had to cook them for 15 minutes. next time im going to try substituting applesauce for oil and see how it goes. i also used almond milk instead of soy milk, and almond extract along with the vanilla.
oh my god these cupcakes are heaven! i just made them and i've already eaten three...oops:) i forgot to add the baking powder and they were still amazinG! i only had to cook them for 15 minutes. next time im going to try substituting applesauce for oil and see how it goes.
do you think i could use french vanilla soy creamer instead of the soy milk? i was thinking it would make it a bit more yummier.
do you think i could use french vanilla soy creamer instead of the soy milk? i was thinking it would make it a bit more yummier.
Would this work with almond milk? We don't use cow or soy milk. Thanks
I am sure goat's milk would work just fine.
Can you replace the soy milk with goat milk? I want to bake them for a child who is allergic to cow's milk but doesn't eat soy..
These are actually really good. We made them and it's a way different experience than most store-bought vegan stuff.
I had to join CHOW to say the frosting looks fabulous!
I made one of her recipes from the nytimes and blogged it - incredible flavor and texture, slightly more candyish than the usual cupcake, which suits me fine. Will be buying the cookbook and any of her other books... http://omnivoreherbivorecarnivore.blogspot.com
These are phenomenal.
I made these yesterday and fell in love with them! They're so moist and the vegan frosting is awesome! I will definitely make these again.
I enjoyed these so much that I ended up buying the cookbook.
I made a double batch of these with the recommended vegan icing and they were a smash hit. I got many compliments from both vegans and omnivores alike.
Oh, my goodness!! These are heavenly! I made these using half AP flour and half Pastry flour!! Yum! Yum! Yum!! They werent too sweet, but that was fine b/c the icing that I made was sweet. They paired together just right! Now, I want the book!! LOL!! I will make these again and again and again!
Great recipe. Fools everyone.
You can forget the Newman-O's, Oreo cookies are now vegan.
This is probably the best chocolate cake/cupcake recipe I have ever made and I have made my share of vegan cupcakes. I am making these over and over and have won over loads of non-vegans. The frosting is amazing as well. I am making my current batch with mint newman o's. I highly recommend these!
I made these yesterday for a 2 year olds birthday. They were delicious! Very moist. I frosted them with a vegan "buttercream" frosting, which made them over the top! A repeat.