With or without the little homemade mini eggs, these dark rich chocolate cupcakes topped with chocolate ganache are a staple.
Although I’m not plant based, I do love creating plant based alternatives. It just means they suit more people’s needs, I like the challenge, and I have been known to run out of eggs on more than one occasion.
Chocolate cupcakes are one of the easiest of the baked the goods to make plant based. They rise beautifully, and can be just as light and fluffy as their egg containing counterparts.
I add a flax to the mixture to thicken the batter, provide a little more structure, and to add a little hidden fibre, because why not!
Recipe created for Linwoods Health Foods.
Chocolate Easter Cupcakes
Print RecipeIngredients
- **Cupcakes**
- 210g plain flour, white spelt flour, or gluten free alternative*
- 60g cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp Linwoods Milled Flaxseed
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 200g caster sugar
- 200ml unsweetened oat or almond milk
- 180ml hot water or coffee
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 100ml light olive oil or rapeseed oil**
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- **Frosting**
- 110g firm plant based butter alternative, at room temperature
- 360g icing sugar
- 25g cocoa powder
- 2 -4 tbsp oat or almond milk, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- **Mini Eggs**
- 50g ground almonds
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp each of matcha powder, beet powder and ground turmeric
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 180C (350F).
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Whisk in the milled flaxseed.
In a separate bowl or jug whisk together the oil, milk, apple cider vinegar, hot water or coffee and vanilla extract.
Add wet to dry and whisk to combine; do not overmix, once it’s just combined it’s good to go!
Line your muffin / cupcake tray with paper liners.
Fill liners ⅔ of the way with the batter.
Bake in your preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Allow to cool in the trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool fully.
Beat together the vegan butter, cocoa powder, icing sugar, vanilla and 2 tbsp of almond or oat milk. Add a little more milk if necessary to create a thick, smooth, spreadable consistency.
Mix together the ground almonds, vanilla extract, and maple syrup for the mini eggs in a bowl.
Divide the mixture into three, and mix each one with ½ a tsp of natural colouring… either matcha, turmeric or beet powder. Use your hands to knead the powder into the almond dough to create a uniform colour. Divide colourful doughs into little mini egg shapes,
Pipe buttercream frosting onto the cooled cupcakes, top with mini eggs and sprinkle with some chocolate sprinkles if desired.
Store cupcakes in the fridge for up to three days. Allow to come to room temperature to serve.
Notes
*Make sure to use a gluten free flour blend. These won’t work if you just replace the plain flour with all rice flour or buckwheat for example. **By light I mean light tasting, a refined more neutral tasting oil.
