Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

The one thing that it's hard to find readily available in the shops or when eating out round here is vegan puddings and cakes (apart from a few exceptions that I will post about another time). So home made cakes are the way forward.

This is adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero (see their blog here http://vegancupcakes.wordpress.com/) which is simply brilliant. It's an American recipe so is measured in cups. I have invested in a cup scoop as a lot of the recipe books I use are American. Otherwise websites like this one (http://www.calculateme.com/index.htm) are useful for converting the amounts.



Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

1 cup of soya milk
1 teaspoon of cider vinegar
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/3 cup sunflower oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of orange extract (or if plain chocolate just put in more vanilla)
1 cup plain flour
1/3 cup of cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon of bicarb of soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350f/ 180c/ gas mark 4 and line a muffin tin with bun cases

2. Whisk together the soya milk and the vinegar and leave to curdle

3. Add the sugar, oil and extract to the soya milk and beat until foamy

4. In a seperate bowl sift together the flour, bicarb, baking powder, cocao and salt. Add this to the wet mixture in two batches and beat until smooth.

5. Pour into the bun cases (about 3/4 full) and bake for 18-20 mins.

For Chocolate Orange Topping

Melt vegan dark chocolate (I used to use Green & Black's but they've started using milk in their ingredients! so check the ingredients list)

Add a few drops of orange extract.

Carefully drizzle over cooled cakes and leave to set.