Vegan Cupcake Recipe: Chocolate Chai Tea Cupcakes

Looking for a healthier cupcake recipe that you can eat without feeling guilty? Try these awesomely delicious Vegan Chocolate Chai Tea cupcakes - you are in for a treat (even if you are not on a vegan diet!)

Vegan Chocolate Chai Tea Cupcakes (from Koko's Kitchen )

INGREDIENTS

For the cupcakes:
1 c. almond milk
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/3 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt



For the frosting:
1/2 c. Earth Balance vegan margarine (or butter)
3-4 c. powdered sugar
2 chai tea bags
2 tbsp. boiling water
2 tbsp. almond milk
1/4 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS

For the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the vinegar with the almond milk and let sit for five minutes. Whisk together the almond milk/vinegar, oil, sugar and vanilla. In another bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add wet to dry and mix until combined. Pour batter into greased cupcake molds and bake for 25 minutes, or until springy. Let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:

Beat the Earth Balance until soft. Brew the tea in the two tablespoons of boiling water and let sit for ten minutes to steep. Then, add the almond milk. Add that mixture, plus the powdered sugar and cinnamon to the earth balance and continue to beat for 10 minutes until very light and fluffy. Frost cupcakes.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Decadent Coffee Cupcake Recipe

What could be better than a cup of coffee in the morning? A coffee cupcake of course! Combining my absolute favorite flavors, chocolate and coffee, this is a cupcake recipe that deserves to be treasured and devoured (at least once a month!)

Chocolate coffee cupcakes with mocha ganache and mascarpone cream (from Spoonfulblog.com)
(Recipe By Daniel Boulud)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup instant coffee powder
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter -- at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup coffee beans -- crushed
8 ounces milk chocolate -- finely chopped
2 cups mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar -- sifted

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 30 standard muffin cups with paper liners.

Combine the milk, cocoa, coffee and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, constantly whisking, until the cocoa and coffee have dissolved. Let cool and pour into a liquid measure.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of a mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk mixture in three batches, ending with the liquid. Fill each muffin cup halfway with the batter. Bake 18 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the mocha ganache and mascarpone cream:

Combine 1 cup of the heavy cream and coffee beans in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat, cover, and let infuse for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean sauce-pan and bring back to a boil. Put the chocolate in a medium bowl and pour the hot cream over it, stirring slowly, until the ganache is smooth. Spoon enough ganache over each cupcake to fill the liners to the rim.

Using a whisk or in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the remaining 2 cups of heavy cream to stiff peaks. Add the mascarpone and confectioners sugar and whisk until smooth. Spoon the mascarpone cream into a pastry bag fitted with a medium round tip and pipe the cream on top of the ganache in a circle.

Happy Mother's Day!

Hope you have a wonderful day!!

Chocolate Cupcakes For Mother's Day!

What Mother's Day treat is a must-have at this mom's house? Chocolate. Yes, I am a serious choc-o-holic, I admit it. So one of my favorite desserts is chocolate cupcakes. If you are looking for a yummy cupcake recipe for Mother's Day, here is a delicious one from Real Simple:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, spooned and leveled
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 recipe Chocolate Ganache Frosting (you can get the recipe at Real Simple)
• miniature marshmallows, for topping

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
3. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not over-mix).
4. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tins and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool.
5. Spread the frosting on the cupcakes and sprinkle with the marshmallows.

This recipe should make about 24 cupcakes.