It’s not too often that I make vegan desserts… partly because it can be a little tricky, but mostly because I love butter. I first made these cupcakes a couple of years ago for a dinner party with friends who are vegan. I wasn’t quite sure how they would turn out, and was surprised to find that they were actually fantastic . Arguably better than my regular chocolate cupcakes. Even my husband agreed, and he’ll tell it like it is.

Since arriving in France, I’ve found that many of my recipes from Canada just don’t work quite the same way here… the butter, milk, and eggs are different, and the flour is a lot different. So I was curious to see how these vegan cupcakes would fare… and was happy to find that they’re still awesome :) (probably because they don’t contain butter, milk, or eggs!). So without further ado, here’s the recipe :

The cake portion of this recipe has been adapted from an original recipe provided in the book ‘ Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes ‘.

INGREDIENTS
makes 12 cupcakes

220 g cake flour (use T45 if in France)
175 g sugar
30 g cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
75 mL vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
310 mL warm water

for the ganache;
30 g cocoa powder
50 mL boiling water
125 g strawberries, plus more for garnish
100 g + 85 g icing sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in a little warm water

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 180 C (~350 F), and line a cupcake tin. Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large bowl (yes, even the sugar!).

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix on low speed until combined, and the batter is smooth. (It will be quite liquid!)

Divide the batter among the 12 tins, and bake for ~20 minutes, until done (toothpick inserted into center should come out clean). Allow the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack.

For the ganache;
Combine the cocoa powder and boiling water in a small bowl, and mix until smooth. Set aside.

Place the strawberries and 100 g of icing sugar into a blender, and puree completely. Pour the liquid into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch, while constantly stirring. Remove from the heat once thickened considerably.

Combine the strawberry jelly and cocoa powder mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed, just to combine. Add the remaining 85 g icing sugar, and briefly beat again until smooth and shiny.

Dip each cupcake into the ganache, and return to the cooling rack to set up. Garnish with sliced strawberries if desired.

NOMMM. You’d really never know that these cupcakes contain no butter, milk, or eggs!

PS – click here for the printable version of the cupcakes, and here for the ganache :)