Double Chocolate Cupcakes

By seo53

Ingredients

• 1 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Valrhona
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 cup dairy-free soy margarine, softened
• 2 1/4 cups white granulated sugar
• 3/4 cups unsweetened applesauce
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips or chopped dark dairy-free chocolate
• Vegan Chocolate Frosting, for icing (or another vegan frosting recipe, see below)

Details

Servings 24
Adapted from dairyfreecooking.about.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 standard 12-cup muffin trays with paper liners. Set aside. (Note: it's a good idea to lightly wipe the top of the pan around the cupcake tins with cooking spray to prevent any cupcakes that overfill their liners from sticking to the pan.) Place the cocoa powder in a medium-sized bowl. Pour the boiling water over the cocoa powder, whisking until the mixture is smooth. Let the mixture cool to room temperature. Set aside.

2. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until well mixed. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat the dairy-free soy margarine until creamy. Add in the sugar and beat for 3-4 minutes, or until the mixture is fluffy. Beat in the applesauce and vanilla until the mixture is well combined. In several additions, add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing until smooth. Fold in the dark dairy-free chocolate chips (or chocolate chunks, if using) until evenly distributed throughout the batter.

4. Fill each of the cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full using a measuring cup or ladle. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops of the cupcakes spring back slightly when touched. Transfer cupcakes to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting with Vegan Chocolate Frosting.

Other Suggested Vegan Frostings:

Coffee Frosting
Dairy-Free Buttercream Frosting
Peanut Butter Frosting
Tomato Frosting
Vegan Ganache