Chocolate cupcakes with vanilla bean frosting are the perfect treat for any birthday party! These are vegan and gluten free and so decadent!
Oh my word.
It happened. Something I thought would happen eventually with two boys. We had our first broken bone this weekend. :(
Poor Baby Bee ran down the hallway, his brother started after him, and boom, down Baby Bee went and from the way he screamed, I knew something was really wrong. Once we got him to calm down a bit, he tried to stand, and he said, “I can’t! I can’t stand!” and crumpled to the ground. Ugh! It was awful. Off to the ER we went, and the doctor suspects a break in the growth plate in his lower leg. So he has a HUGE hard cast on his little leg – all the way up to the hip. My poor baby!
So now we have to follow up next week with the orthopedic doctor and then we’ll find out how long the cast will be on. There is a possibility that it’s not as bad is it seems, and the cast won’t have to be on for as long, so we are praying for that!
I hope that your weekend was better than mine! And if not, maybe some chocolate cupcakes will cheer you up?
These classic chocolate cupcakes are so easy to whip up. I’ve made them with regular flour and with gluten free flour, and they work very well both ways. I’ve made these with King Arthur Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour, as well as Namaste Perfect Flour blend and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Blends.
This buttercream frosting is made a little bit more special with the addition of vanilla bean. If you don’t have a vanilla bean on hand, you could substitute a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. But I do like seeing the tiny little flecks of vanilla bean in the frosting. It makes me happy.
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Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting.
Easy gluten free vegan chocolate cupcakes with creamy vanilla bean frosting.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend all purpose flour works well if you are not Gluten Free
- 1 cup turbinado sugar or regular sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- â…“ cup organic canola oil
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup water
For the vanilla bean frosting:
- 3 Tablespoons vegan buttery spread
- 2-3 Tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 4 cups powdered sugar I prefer the corn free kind from Whole Foods
- ½ vanilla bean pod inside scraped out to get the seeds
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
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In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
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Add the oil, water, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.
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Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about â…” full.
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Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
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Cool in pan, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the vegan buttery spread and the vanilla bean on medium speed. Add one cup of the powdered sugar and continue to beat. Add a little of the non-dairy milk, then more powdered sugar, and keep alternating until all the powdered sugar is in the mixing bowl. If the frosting is too thick, add a bit more non-dairy milk.
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Frost cooled cupcakes. Store the frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator.
Batter adapted from here.
These vegan chocolate cupcakes are:
- perfect for a birthday party
- a delicious treat to bake with your kids
- a decadent dessert that’s free of the top allergens
So how was your weekend? Did you do any baking? Any ER trips? (I hope not!)
Follow along:
June
Thank you for this recipe! My son who has celiac disease loved them! So far they are the best ones I have made. I used a different flour then you and found there was a taste to them that I didn’t enjoy. I’m harder to please because I still eat gluten! I haven’t had much luck but these cupcakes actually cooked thru! Usually everything I make is either completely uncooked or very dry and crumbly! It’s so upsetting when you bake something and have to throw it all in the garbage! These cupcakes have serious potential..I will try them with a different flour maybe even order the one you used as I have never seen it in the store. Thanks again and am looking forward to trying more of your recipes :)
Gloria
Your frosting sounds delicious! I am wondering if I frosted the cupcakes the night before am I able to leave them out on a kitchen cooling rack for the night? Or is the reason you say store in the fridge is because the frosting can melt?
Kelly Roenicke
It should be fine just for overnight if the temperature isn’t too warm.
Rochelle
I can’t vouch for the gluten free, as I subbed regular flour. I can, however tell you these cupcakes turned out delicious! I also subbed coconut oil, because I’m not a fan of canola. These cupcakes are vegan heaven! Their cakey, yet fudgy and quite amazing without icing! Thank you for sharing! This will be my go-to cupcake recipe for all special occasions!
Alisha
I have made this recipe twice now. They rise beautifully, are rich, but we find them grainy. I used Bob’s 1 to 1 flour and high quality cocoa. They are a bit dense and admittedly better the second day so I highly recommend making them a day in advance. We have not made the frosting yet but hope to try soon. Thanks for the recipe.
Kate
Did you mean baking powder instead of baking soda? I made these for a Christmas dinner and they were very dense and almost inedible. I’m wondering if that was an error?
Kristin
What is a good brand of GF flour to use? I am making these for my son’s birthday and don’t wait to choose a bad brand. I’m new to GF baking.
Kelly Roenicke
King Arthur GF Multi Purpose Flour, Namaste Perfect Flour Blend, Enjoy Life All Purpose Flour, Now Foods GF Flour, all of those work well for cupcakes. :)