Vegan chocolate cupcakes with coconut frosting

I am always surprised at how delicious a vegan cupcake looks and sounds and then how much like cardboard it tastes.
We went to a wedding over the summer where they served vegan cupcakes. We had heard that this particular bakery was just amazing and the cupcakes were so yummy.
I had high hopes for these treats. I barely got to the table to get one before they were gone.

Visually, the cupcake looked great, vanilla cake with vanilla frosting, piped perfectly. You can imagine my dissapointment when I bit into it and tasted like nothing but air and maybe a little sugar. The cake was so light and spongy it was almost rubber-like and the frosting reminded me of a stale version of american buttercream (the kind they frost supermarket cakes with).

A few months later, I tried another vegan cupcake with a friend from Babycakes bakery in NYC. The cake was moist and the frosting creamy but it had strange flavor that I just couldn't get past.

Again, a few months later I tried a vegan cupcake with another friend. This cake was similar to the one from the wedding.

When I decided to buy the "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" book I was once again inspired by vegan cupcakes.
Their recipes were good and some of my cupcakes came out tasting great. However, I still felt like something was missing. The book became more of a guide book on vegan baking rather than a recipe book that I follow exactly.
Because I am not vegan but like vegan baking and eating vegan food I tend to compare things to the full fat, full animal original product that inspired me from the beginning.
When trying to convert a recipe or trying out a new recipe, I try hard to make it taste like it's not vegan.
I love the look on people's faces when they say "this is vegan?"
Vegans food gets such a bad rap for being just that, vegan. But what if you could make food that was better for you and the environment and not feel like you are missing out on anything?

Over the weekend I created a cupcake with the help of my "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" cookbook. This particular batch turned out so well, I even surprised myself!
I like to take recipes and tweak them to make them my own.

My parents, came over on Saturday and I gave them each a cupcake. My mom said they tasted like a Hostess Snowball and my dad, who's two favorite desserts are Oreos and Betty Crocker chocolate cake said he loved them.
They even asked me to bring over some more on Sunday for the SuperBowl!
After dinner Peter ate one and said "oh this one is a keeper." Which we all know when he says that means, I've done good.

Food is subjective. Just because I think something is good, someone else may not.
These chocolate cupcakes with coconut frosting? There's no debating this, they're good!



VEGAN CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH COCONUT FROSTING
makes 12 regular sized cupcakes

You will need:
FOR THE CUPCAKES:
1/2 cup plain rice milk
1/2 cup tofutti sour cream (or any other vegan sour cream)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract, the good kind
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cocoa powder (dutch processed or regular)
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
cupcake pan and liners (I used the silicone liners but you can use paper if you like)
*if using the silicones, spray them lightly

Heat your oven to 350*F
in a large bowl whisk together sour cream, rice milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside
*be sure to whisk well so that there are no lumps and it's a little frothy
in a seperate bowl sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt
add the sugar, vanilla and oil to the rice milk mixture
using an electric mixer, beat until the mixture becomes bubbly and sort of foamy.
add the flour mixture in two batches to the wet and mix until there are no lumps
(a few small lumps won't kill anyone)
pour evenly into the liners (about 3/4 full)
bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
*do not under any circumstances open the over before the first 15 mintues. Your cupcakes will fall.

Let cool completely before frosting

FOR THE FROSTING:
You will need:
1/2 cup non hydrogenated shortening (if you can't find it at your regular store, try Whole Foods, etc.)
1/2 Earth Balance (or your favorite vegan butter)
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, the good kind
1/4 cup light coconut milk
1 bag unsweetened coconut (I used the dessicated kind not the shredded, but either is fine)

Beat the shortening and butter until light and fluffy
scrape down the sides of the bowl
Add 2 1/2 cups of the sugar and continue beating for about 3 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl
combine the vanilla with the coconut milk and slowly drizzle in until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Taste the frosting, if it is not sweet enough for you slowly add the rest of the sugar.
If the frosting seems to loose to you, continue adding the rest of the sugar until it has come to a spreadable consistency.
Frost your cupcakes and sprinkle generously with coconut.
*you may also add some coconut into the frosting and then sprinkle more on top if you like.

enjoy!
xoxoxo