These Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes are to die for! Free of eggs, butter or oil, and made with whole grain flour, but still full of chocolatey flavor! These cupcakes will make the biggest chocolate fans happy!
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Valentine’s Day is almost here, and it’s got me thinking chocolate! These delicious chocolate cupcakes are a perfect dessert for any chocolate lover. They’re amazing!
But while these cupcakes are rich and chocolatey, they are just a bit healthier than your typical cupcake. And I say just a bit , because there is still plenty of sugar here, so these are still just an occasional treat. But these cupcakes are made with whole wheat flour and no oil.
I’ve made other baked goods with applesauce as a substitute for oil. It worked perfectly in my Vegan Pumpkin Muffins and my Vegan Corn Muffins. But this time I decided to try something a little different.
Instead of applesauce, I decided to try pumpkin puree. Success! You can’t taste the pumpkin in the finished result, but it does add some additional nutrients to the recipe.
Because these cupcakes have no oil, they do tend to stick to regular cupcake liners. I suggest using parchment baking liners. Alternatively you could use a silicone muffin pan or silicone baking cups for baking these cupcakes.
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
To make these cupcakes, you’ll need:
- whole wheat pastry flour
- organic cane sugar
- cocoa powder
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
- canned pumpkin puree
- water
- ground flax seed
- balsamic vinegar
- vanilla
Preheat your oven to 350° F.
Sift together into a medium bowl the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Whisk together the pumpkin puree, water, ground flax seed, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk together just until combined. Don’t over mix the batter
One of the benefits of vegan baking is there are no raw eggs used, so you can lick the bowl! And this batter is sooo tasty!
I’ve found that the easiest way to transfer the batter to the cupcake pan is with a cookie scoop.
Bake the cupcakes for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one comes out clean.
Can’t forget the rich, chocolatey oil-free frosting!
To make the frosting, I used raw cashew butter as a substitute for butter or margarine. I make my own cashew butter by blending raw cashews in a food processor.
While I’m no expert at decorating, my daughter walked into the kitchen when I was decorating these and said they looked much better than she expected for being butter and margarine free.
And, wow! This is some incredible chocolatey goodness!
Can I freeze these cupcakes?
Yes! These cupcakes freeze very well in a Ziploc bag. Let them thaw at room temperature before eating.
Can this be baked into a cake instead of cupcakes?
This recipe can be baked into a 9 inch square cake or other shaped pan of equivalent size. Start checking the cake for doneness at about 23 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Can these Chocolate Cupcakes be made gluten free?
While I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour, it should work with a gluten free flour. I’ve had good success with other recipes using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour.
And what’s cake without ice cream?
Try one of my delicious homemade ice creams to go along with your cake:
- Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream
- Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream
- Vegan Peppermint Ice Cream
- Vegan Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Looking for more oil free vegan baked goods?
- Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Oil Free Vegan Donuts
- Vegan Chocolate Mug Cake
- Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Blueberry Oat Bars
- Vegan Granola Bars
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
If you make these cupcakes, let me know what you think by leaving a comment and a star rating below. I love to hear from you!
And come join my Oil Free Vegan Recipes and Support Facebook group, where you can share your favorite oil free vegan recipes, and give and receive support on your plant based journey.
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- ¾ cup organic cane sugar
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
For the Frosting
- 3 cups organic powdered sugar
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder
- ½ cup raw cashew butter
- 6 to 8 tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line a 12 cup cupcake pan with parchment cupcake liners. Alternately, you can use a silicone cupcake pan.
- Sift together into a medium bowl the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Whisk together the pumpkin puree, water, flaxseed, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk together just until combined. Don’t over mix the batter.
- Transfer the batter into a 12 cup cupcake pan. I’ve found that the easiest way to transfer the batter to the cupcake pan is with a cookie scoop.
- Bake the cupcakes for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one comes out clean.
Make the Frosting
- Mix together all frosting ingredients with an electric mixer. Start with 6 tablespoons of nondairy milk and add more a tablespoon at a time until the frosting is the desired consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are approximate.
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