Simple vegan chocolate cupcakes with an easy vanilla buttercream! These are a great go-to recipe anytime you need a good vegan dessert.
Three out of five of us in the Baked collective follow a plant-based diet, and we know a good vegan chocolate cupcake! Despite the simplicity of this recipe, it’s really, really good, and a great one to keep on hand.
Even if you’re not vegan, we think that dairy and egg free recipes are good to have around. Maybe you’ve run out of eggs, or you need your last stick of butter for another recipe – vegan baking is very pantry friendly and tastes great when done properly.
This recipe uses rich cocoa and olive oil for a fantastic chocolatey combination. Flax eggs keep the cupcakes sturdy, apple cider vinegar adds extra lift, and a fabulous vegan buttercream is the icing on top.
It’s a good base recipe that can be changed up based on what you need. Think adding raspberries or orange zest to the batter, topping with any variety of frostings (peanut butter! orange!), or make them into red velvet. The options are endless.
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Ingredients
Method
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a muffin tin and set aside.
In a small bowl combine the flax meal and water and let stand for 5-10 minutes or until thickened. This is a flax egg.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
Once the flax egg is ready, stir in the almond milk, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil.
Make a well in the flour mixture, then pour in the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool the finished cupcakes on a wire rack before frosting. The cupcakes will keep (un-frosted) for 2-3 days at room temperature and freeze well. They should be refrigerated if frosted.
Tips and Notes
Here’s a guide on how to make a flax egg, and how they work.
We’ve frosted the cupcakes with our vegan vanilla buttercream, using a large star tip for an easy, pretty topping. If you want to get a little fancy, try buttercream roses, or check out this post on using different piping tips for all kinds of decorations.
Frosted cupcakes are best stored in the refrigerator. They can even be frozen after icing – just freeze individually on a tray before placing in an airtight container to freeze for up to two weeks. Un-frosted, they can be frozen up to a month.
Substitutions
You can use spelt flour for a slightly more wholesome cupcake, or sub in whole wheat pastry flour.
Cane sugar and all-purpose sugar can be used interchangeably in this recipe.
Prefer a different frosting? Try our vegan cream cheese frosting (add some cocoa for a chocolate twist), coconut whipped cream, or this vegan chocolate ganache.
Any thinner non-dairy milk can be used here. Almond, oat, cashew, anything that comes in a carton. We don’t recommend canned coconut milk, which makes a very dense cake.
More Vegan Baking
Vegan Vanilla Cake
Peach Galette with Raspberries and Ginger
Cranberry Apple Crisp
Chewy Vegan Ginger Cookies
Vegan Spiced Apple Baked Oatmeal
If you make this recipe, let us know by tagging @baked_theblog + #bakedtheblog on Instagram! We love to feel like we’re in the kitchen with you.
Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Description
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 2 Mixing bowl
- Muffin tin
- muffin cups
- Wire rack
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon flax meal
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Vegan Vanilla Buttercream, for frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a muffin tin with muffin cups. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the flax meal and water and let stand for 5-10 minutes or until thickened.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Once the flax egg is ready, stir in the almond milk, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil.
- Make a well in the flour mixture, then pour in the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Cool the finished cupcakes on a wire rack before frosting with vegan buttercream. The cupcakes will keep (un-frosted) for 2-3 days at room temperature and freeze well. They should be refrigerated if frosted.
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