Sweet, vegan, very easy to make, and not horribly unhealthy... can't argue with any of that! I can only take personal credit for the frosting part of this recipe - and I think it's the best chocolate ganache I've concocted so far (though a previous and also delicious recipe I've made and remade can be found here). The dark chocolate and comparatively low-ish ratio of sugar makes for an intensely chocolate and not overly sweet, decadent and smooth frosting. There's even a very slight bitter taste sensation, which is akin to dark chocolate - so if you're a dark chocolate lover, you'll love this frosting.The cupcake portion is a recipe I slightly adapted from one by vegan baking blogger Chocolate Covered Katie (click here for her "Skinny Vanilla Cupcakes" recipe). I made a few adjustments, but also keep in mind that I tweaked some components to better accommodate baking at a high altitude (5K feet). I found the cupcakes to be particularly tasty the day I made them - and wow will they make your kitchen/home smell great! They retained good flavor - very vanilla-y, which I love - and moisture the day after as well, though I found the texture to get ever so slightly slightly rubbery. It's only a minor and mild criticism though, and probably the price to pay for making a not ridiculously bad-for-you cupcake, and overall the texture was very pleasant - I'm just comparing this to the soft crumble of other well-loved cupcakes. I used a total of 2 tbsp of oil this time, but next time may try adding another half to full tbsp and see if that makes a difference.So, here's my vegan dark chocolate ganache frosting recipe - and don't forget to click through for my slightly adapted recipe of CCK's vegan vanilla cupcakes!Recipe: Dark Chocolate Ganache Frosting (Vegan)What You Need
1/2 c coconut milk (from a carton)
1/8 c coconut milk (from a can)
6-7 oz dark chocolate (make sure it's doesn't contain milk products if you want to keep it vegan)
3 tbsp cocoa powder
a pinch of salt
1 tsp instant coffee grounds
3 tbsp turbinado sugar
2 tbsp Earth Balance (from the EB sticks)
What You Do
Combine all ingredients (minus the 1/8 c canned coconut milk) in a small saucepan and melt over med-low heat until melted, whisking frequently.
Once melted and smooth, remove the pan from the heat and add in the canned coconut milk, whisking to combine.
Whisk briskly for 2-3 minutes.
Chill the mixture until it cools and begins to thicken - about 15-20 min. - and whisk again.
Spoon the chocolate over your cupcakes and devour!
Notes: You don't need to refrigerate the frosted cupcakes; the frosting on top will solidify at room temp and keep for a few days (it's a good idea to cover them with tin foil or store in an air-tight container). I had a good amount of excess frosting though, which I put in an air-tight container in the fridge; it thickens to a soft, fudgy consistency after chilling for a longer period of time. I bet you could whisk it again even more and pipe the frosting on at that stage, though I haven't tried it myself yet... guess I'll have to soon!
Click through or keep reading for the cupcake recipe!Recipe: Better-For-You Vanilla Cupcakes (Vegan) (adapted from CCK) - makes about 8-9 cupcakesNote: the below recipe I used for the cupcakes is appropriate for high altitude baking (I am at 5K feet, so leavening agents, sugar and liquid quantities, as well as oven temp and sometimes baking time can vary slightly from what you need closer to sea level)What You Need
1 cup white spelt flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 + 1/8 tsp baking soda
5 tbsp turbinado sugar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup vanilla yogurt (I used 1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt and 1/2 cup cultured coconut milk yogurt)
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp coconut milk
3 tbsp coconut oil
What You Do
Preheat oven to 360, and grease a muffin tin with oil or Earth Balance. Combine all dry ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk very well. Combine all wet ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. Pour the wet mix into the dry and stir until just thoroughly combined - you don't want to over-mix when it comes to cake batter. Spoon or scoop the batter into the greased muffin cups and bake on the center rack for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out just dry (a few crumbs stuck on it is fine, you just don't want super wet batter). Once done, remove from oven at let cool for 15+ minutes in the tin before overturning and cooling completely on a cooling rack. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.