Vegan Cupcakes for Valentines Day

Being vegan doesn't mean you have to give up home-baked goodies for Valentines Day. These yummy vegan chocolate cupcakes with either chocolate glaze or vegan buttercream frosting will satisfy your sweet tooth. Non-vegans will love them too!

(Recipes adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero).

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup soy or rice milk

1 teaspoon vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a dozen muffin cups - either outfit a muffin pan with paper or foil liners, or use a baking sheet and set out 12 paper liners nested inside foil liners, or else use silicone muffin cups.

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the soy or rice milk, vinegar, sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. In another bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, pausing two or three times to stir, and keep stirring until all the large lumps are gone.

3. Pour the batter into the cupcake liners until they are about two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Glaze:

Ingredients:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted

3 tablespoons soy or rice milk

Chocolate sprinkles (optional).

Instructions:

1. Whisk the chocolate glaze ingredients until smooth and spread the glaze on the cupcakes. If you choose, top with sprinkles.

Fluffy Buttercream Frosting

This is a basic vanilla buttercream frosting. If you're not opposed to using food coloring, you can add a couple of drops to make pink or red decorative frosting for Valentines Day. You could also play around with extracts or stir in vegan cookie crumbles if you want.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening

1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margarine, Earth Balance or similar

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted if clumpy

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer

Instructions:

1. Beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes.
2. Add the vanilla and soy milk, and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.