I haven’t eaten meat for decades but have always loved my dairy products. I remember when I first become vegetarian, going out to eat in suburban Sydney meant pasta for dinner. And I’m not talking delicious hand-made gnocchi with wild mushrooms, or eggplant lasagne, but usually dry packet pasta with generic tomato sauce. Yawn.
Now, the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction – vegans are welcomed with open arms at fine dining establishments, and ten per cent of Australians are vegetarian.
I am slowly becoming more aware of the amount of diary I use when I bake: eggs, butter, milk, cream… it all adds up. I thought I would experiment by baking vegan chocolate cupcakes from scratch. The beauty of this easy chocolate cupcake recipe – aside from being egg-free and dairy-free – is that it uses just one bowl and requires no electric mixer. This makes it ideal for a last minute baking urge, or to make when you’re staying somewhere that isn’t flush with baking paraphernalia.
I used coconut milk as we always have it in the pantry for curries and laksa. Make sure you shake the tin really well before opening to evenly distribute the coconut cream.
I am still perfecting a perfect vegan frosting so I just dusted these vegan chocolate cupcakes with sifted icing sugar.
GATHER:
1 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2/3 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup self-raising flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
LET’S GET TO IT:
Preheat oven and line 9 large cupcake cake holes with wrappers.
In a large bowl whisk together the coconut milk, vinegar, sugar, oil and extract.
In a bowl whisk together the self-raising flour, cocoa powder and baking soda and make a well.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry and whisk until it comes together.
Fill cupcake wrappers to 2/3 full then bake for around 18 minutes – test with a skewer, there shouldn’t be any wet batter.
Remove to wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar when completely cold.
the hungry mum 
I like the coconut flavor! Vegan cupcake — healthy too.
Cheers. Coconut milk is so delectable.
They look delish, will definitely sneak them on the family. I’m vegan except when it comes to a bit of cheese here or there {naughty}, but there are definitely some great options to eat out. Mejico at Miranda also have a full vegan banquet option so eating out in a group is too easy. Plus the vego food is usually so good that everyone wants to try it!
Hey, thanks Ana 🙂 I could never give up my cheese, even though my Dr recently declared I need to cut back #NotGunnaHappen #StuffYouCholestorol I love Mejico! So freaking good.
They look wonderful! I bet the coconut milk makes them extra lush 🙂
Thanks! I adore coconut milk.
Chocolate and coconut….irresistible!
It is one of my fav cake combinations 😉
Wow! I’m saving this recipe to try it later 🙂
Thanks – hope you love these vegan cupcakes 🙂
Hey, I would love to make this for dessert! How can I store them to successfully maintain its freshness if I bake them a few hours in advance?
That’s great to hear! They will keep fresh if you place them in a sealed container after they are totally cooled.