Beautiful Food

I know what you’re thinking— how can something that looks this tasty be Vegan!?

(That means it contains zero animal products).

Vegan and plant-based recipes are all the rage.  And why shouldn’t they be?  As long as I can find a tasty enough recipe that I can be surprised and delighted by, then I don’t care if there are no eggs in the thing I’m eating!

There are so many new reports about people with food allergies and intolerances that it makes one’s head spin.  Perhaps the issues with food have been there all along, and because of the social media explosion, we’re now sharing more information than ever before in human history.  Whatever the reason, because of this rise in knowledge about food allergies and food preferences, people have also educated themselves better on what to use as alternatives in their traditional, favorite recipes.  Myself included.

Now, if you have tree-nut allergies or coconut allergies, then this recipe might not be for you.  I have to do some more research on alternatives to butter- and nuts for that matter.   There isn’t anything that comes to mind, at the moment, that has as satisfying a crunch as pecans!

It just so happens that yesterday was my mom’s birthday.  (Happy Birthday MOM!) And her most favorite cake it German Chocolate, at least, that I can remember.  My other family members are on semi-diets, and I am avoiding dairy (as suggested by my Doctor).  With all of that TMI, I borrowed this recipe from Katie @produceonparade.  She is a vegan and blogs about all things…well, vegan!  You should check her out!

So without much more gobble-ty gook, I bring you a fantastic, chocolatey, moist and tender cupcake that leaves out the eggs AND the butter.  Hooray!

Ingredients: 

Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• heaping 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 cup room-temperature coffee (or water)

Frosting:

• 1 1/3 cups soy or coconut milk
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp coconut extract (optional)
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 2 cups shredded coconut
• 1 cup pecans, finely chopped

Directions: 

Cupcakes

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining wet ingredients.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, little by little until the batter is smooth.

Preheat oven to 350º F

Arrange a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners. Evenly distribute the batter into the liners. You can fill them 3/4 full, they won’t pop out over the edges at all.  (At least, they shouldn’t…) Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes until fragrant and the tops bounce back when lightly pressed.

Remove from oven and allow to rest on a wire cooling rack. After 10 minutes, remove cupcakes from the tin and allow them to cool even further.  (I suggest 30 minutes total).

Frosting

While the cupcakes bake, in a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine the milk, sugar, and vanilla.  Heat until almost boiling, whisking frequently.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cold water and cornstarch. Slowly whisk the cornstarch liquid into the milk and sugar mixture. Continue to whisk until very thick and difficult to stir.

Immediately remove from heat and stir in the coconut and pecans. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before spreading onto the cupcakes.

Use a regular spoon to help top the cupcakes with heaping amounts of frosting.  Be generous!

Because the original blog called for stuffing the cupcakes (which I skipped because I wanted these done quick), I had leftover frosting.  If you want to see how she filled the cupcakes with frosting as well, see the original post —> Here.  

Time commitment: 90 minutes 

Yields 12 cupcakes

 

Even my cat wanted a bite!

Enjoy!

-K