Going Vegan should never mean going without, especially not when delicious baked goods are concerned!
I’ve created a vegan version of this American classic, achieving the same subtle vanilla chocolate flavour and soft velvet texture.
Worth noting that I did cheat a little – I used vegan red food colouring to give my cakes a little oomph of colour! But I have a reason why…
Traditionally, this famous cake got it’s name from the smooth ‘velvety’ texture that was created when the basic bicarbonate of soda (raising agent) reacted with the acidity of the vinegar or buttermilk. The bubbles produced by this reaction during baking would make the sponge light and soft. The vinegar and buttermilk would then also react with the cocoa powder, giving the cocoa a red hue and therefore turning the cake a tinted red.
These days cocoa powder is processed differently by using an alkalising agent. This means the cocoa powder is darker, and less acidic so the red hue can no longer be acheived. Nowadays, we have to make do with a cheeky bit of food colouring to achieve the same result.
This recipe makes 12 cupcakes and takes approximately 1 hour to make.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 200 ml plant-based milk (I prefer almond!)
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp cider vinegar
- 75 ml oil (e.g. vegetable, sunflower, rapeseed, coconut)
- 50 ml maple syrup or agave nectar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 200 g gluten-free self-raising flour
- 100 g ground almonds
- 1 tbsp baking powder (make sure this is gluten-free)
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- few drops of vegan red food colouring
For the frosting:
- 200 g vegan butter block (I used Naturli’), softened
- 400 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- vegan sprinkles to decorate
To achieve the signature bright white icing, add 1/2 tsp of titanium dioxide powder to the buttercream. This is a safe to eat food whitener but it does affect the texture of the icing so use sparingly!
Useful Equipment: 12 hole muffin pan, 12 muffin cases, mixing bowl, spatula, jug, hand/stand mixer, piping bag and nozzle (I used a Wilton 1M).
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 175 °C fan/ 325 °F and line the 12 hole muffin pan with cupcake cases.
- In a jug, combine the milk and 1 tbsp of the cider vinegar and leave to stand for at least 10 mins.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the oil, 1 tsp of cider vinegar, maple syrup/agave nectar, vanilla and salt.
- Add the flour, almonds, baking powder, bicarb and cocoa powder and mix to combine.
- Add the milk and vinegar mixture as well as a few drops of food colouring and fold to combine.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 15-17 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Place the cupcakes on a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, cream the butter in a bowl until smooth. Gradually add the icing sugar and whisk until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Fill your piping bag (with your chosen nozzle in place) and pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Decorate with vegan sprinkles and enjoy!
These cupcakes will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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I tried out a cake with the above recipe. The cake was very soft and tasty. Thank you.
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!