Vegan chocolate pumpkin cupcakes

This post is an exciting one! since it will be the first time that I'm posting a recipe here on Desserts for Breakfast.  When mentioning and/or talking about my desserts with others, I keep getting asked about my recipes, so by popular demand, I will start including some here in the posts.  The recipes that I post here will be a mix of those adapted from other sources (as noted) and my own.  Please enjoy!

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For a recent dessert bar order, the host requested that I make a vegan dessert.  I don't do much vegan baking, but when I do, I refuse to compromise in flavor and texture.  I wanted the vegans to have something that even the non-vegans would find scrumptiously delicious and irresistable, so I decided to go with chocolate cupcakes.  I've also been getting fairly excited about the upcoming chilly weather of fall (we're still in the 100 degrees here in California), so I decided to add pumpkin into the "buttercream."

vegan chocolate cake

with pumpkin 'buttercream'

I have to say that this chocolate cake recipe that I tried was so surprising--it totally rivaled even my best non-vegan chocolate cake recipe.  The pumpkin buttercream, however, is a tad sweet, so I would use it with moderation.  I am working on developing a non-vegan pumpkin buttercream that isn't so sweet, so I'll post that when successful.

(btw, these cupcakes were a hit at the wedding.  They were so good that people didn't even know they were vegan and the vegans were shocked to hear that they could eat them.)

Read on after the jump for recipes.

Vegan chocolate cake
adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Note that my quantities/ingredients are different because this is what is written in my own notes.  Makes about 24 regular-sized cupcakes and ~72 mini-sized ones.


2 cups almond milk (I prefer almond to soy because it provides more flavor IMO)
2 tspn apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 tspn vanilla

2 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tspn baking soda
1 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a mixer bowl, combine the almond milk and vinegar with a few strokes.  Allow them to sit for a few minutes until curdled.  Then add the sugar, oil, and vanilla.  Beat until frothy.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two stages, beating thoroughly in between.  After last addition, beat until smooth but do not overmix.
5. Fill cupcake molds (greased or with cupcake paper) until about 3/4 full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes and then remove from oven and cool for 10.


Vegan Pumpkin 'Buttercream'

1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated margarine (i.e. Earth Balance)
8oz. canned pumpkin
nutmeg, to taste
cinnamon, to taste
clove, to taste
powdered ginger, to taste
1 tspn vanilla
3-4 cups of powdered sugar, sifted

1. Sift the powdered sugar. The easiest way I've found to do this is in a food processor, since I go through vast amounts of the stuff.
2. Combine shortening and margarine in a mixer bowl.  Beat until creamy.
3. Add the pumpkin to the shortening and margarine and beat until combined.
4. Add spices to taste and add the vanilla.  Mix.
5. Slowly begin to mix in the powdered sugar, beating all the while, until the desired consistency is achieved.  If the buttercream gets too stiff, you can stir in a bit of almond milk.

After frosting the cupcakes, decorate as desired or with sifted cocoa powder.

Enjoy!