Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate cupcakes are a quintessential part of every diet, or at least they should be. When I decided to stay vegan, I knew there were certain things I could never live without, and chocolate cupcakes is on the top of that list. Vegan baked goods get a bad rap. This is because many vegan treats try to be healthy on top of cruelty-free. This means cutting out fat, sugar, and, let's face it, taste, along with all the animal products. This is totally unnecessary. I don't eat baked goods to get fiber and protein. I eat them for fun! I promise that these cupcakes are both compassionate, and delicious. There have been so many accomplishments in developing vegan friendly foods, that there is no reason to sacrifice flavor anymore. So the next time you're making chocolate cupcakes, give these a try. You won't be disappointed!

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour sifted
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
1 cup cold water

Heat oven to 350?. Prepare cupcake pans with canola oil spray, or cupcake liners. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the vanilla, oil, vinegar and water, and stir until just combined. Scoop batter into prepared pans. Bake for 15 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Alternatively, this can be made into a cake. Just bake in a 9" round cake pan for 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Frosting

1/3 cup non-dairy butter
2 cups confectioners sugar sifted
1/4 cup cocoa powder sifted
2/3 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 3 tablespoons water or non-dairy milk (add more as needed)

In a stand mixer, whip the butter until smooth. Add alternately 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon water or milk while mixing. Add cocoa and vanilla and mix well. If frosting is too dry, add more liquid. If it's too thin, add more sugar. I like to scoop frosting into a freezer bag, snip off one corner, and swirl onto the cupcakes.

Colleen Boucher is the creator and writer of the blog Dinner Peace (http://dinnerpeace.blogspot.com/). She is an evolving vegan eater, and recipe creator, health advocate, and wellness specialist. Dinner Peace is a blog for current vegans, vegetarians, and anyone interested in occasionally trying to go meatless, lose weight, or just get healthy.