Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

If last year's challenge for Sabrina's birthday was to make a cake without any wheat, corn, or dairy, then this year's challenge was to make a cake that also did not have any eggs. It took me several tries, but the girls didn't mind eating the trial versions, even if they didn't turn out quite right. I started with a Cook's Illustrated recipe for vegan chocolate cake and an award-winning recipe for vegan chocolate cupcakes. Unfortunately, these recipes didn't work as well using gluten-free flour. However, with a bit of tweaking, I came up with a version that turns out just right. For the frosting I started with a recipe for vegan chocolate frosting, which I adapted based on the ingredients I had on hand.

We had these cupcakes at Naomi's birthday party and at Sabrina's school party for her birthday. Needless to say, we've had a lot of cupcakes over the past month. I thought I might get tired of them, but not yet. Now I just need to think of a reason to make some more.


Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
makes 12 cupcakes or 1 cake (in an 8"x8" pan or a 9" round cake pan)

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla rice milk. I use either Trader Joe's or Rice Dream brand.
• 2 Tbsp. ground flax seed meal. I used Bob's Red Mill brand.
  
• 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa. I use Ghirardelli's.
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Use Trader Joe's alcohol-free vanilla extract or another vanilla extract that does not have corn syrup and is preferably alcohol-free, since the alcohol could be derived from corn. Recently I have been using Rodelle Vanilla Flavor alcohol free all natural extract, which I found at Stop and Shop.
• 6 Tbsp. canola oil

Ingredients for the frosting:

• 1/2 cup dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips. I recommend Ghirardelli, Trader Joe's, or Enjoy Life brand.
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 Tbsp. agave syrup or honey
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. Use Trader Joe's alcohol-free vanilla extract or another vanilla extract that does not have corn syrup and is preferably alcohol-free, since the alcohol could be derived from corn. Recently I have been using Rodelle Vanilla Flavor alcohol free all natural extract, which I found at Stop and Shop.
• pinch of sea salt

Instructions for the cake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8"x8" Pyrex pan, a 9"x9" cake pan, or 12 cups of a muffin tin with canola oil. If you would like to use cupcake liners, just grease the top of the muffin tin, so that any batter that rises above the liners does not stick to the muffin tin.

Heat 1/3 cup of the rice milk in the microwave until warm. Stir in the flax seed meal and set aside. In a large bowl sift the flour, cocoa powder, sea salt, and baking soda by stirring them with a large whisk. Make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients and then set the bowl aside.

Warm the remaining 2/3 cup of rice milk. In a medium bowl stir together the granulated sugar and warmed rice milk so that the sugar starts to dissolve. Then whisk in the apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and canola oil. Finally stir in the flax seed meal and rice milk mixture.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until the flour mixture has disappeared. Scoop the batter into the cake pan or muffin tin and bake for 15 minutes. If making cupcakes, let them cool for a couple of minutes before removing them from the muffin tin. Let the cake or cupcakes cool completely before spreading on the frosting.

Instructions for the frosting:

Place a small saucepan over low heat. Add the chocolate chips and canola oil to the pan. Stir frequently, until the chocolate chips have just melted. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the agave syrup, vanilla extract, and sea salt.

Place the pan in the refrigerator for 20 minutes so that the liquid cools and thickens slightly. Then pour the liquid into the bowl of a standing mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat the liquid on medium speed until it lightens in color and thickens to a spreadable consistency. Spread the frosting over the cake or cupcakes.