Cupcakes that everyone loved!

I wanted a special treat for my nieces this weekend. They were stopping by along with their parents and grandparents- all the in-laws! We had planned to order pizza and Chinese for dinner and I had bagels, cinnamon rolls from the Amish market, and fruit for breakfast but felt like I wanted to have something homemade, something fun, something everyone would like.

So I choose to make Fauxtess Cupcakes from Vegan With a Vegeance but passed on the filling. Instead, I topped them with cute peace signs. The cupcakes were a hit with everyone- even DH had seconds! And I made truffles with the leftover chocolate ganache and some chopped hazelnuts. Make sure to check out the notes at the bottom of this post :)

Fauxtess Cupcakes

adapted from Vegan With a Vegeance

Makes 12-15 cupcakes

1 cup unbleaches all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup plain soymilk or rice milk (I like the unsweetened one from Whole Foods)

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a regular-size cupcake pan with paper liners or lightly grease.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powders, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. (I find using a spoon to start and a whisk to finish easier than sifting.) In a large mixing bowl combine the soy milk, oil, maple syrup, sugar, vinegar, and vanilla, and beat at medium speed with a hand-held electric mixer for 2 minutes. Add half the dry ingredients to the wet mixing well. Add the second half of the dry ingredients, continuing to mix for another minute.

Using a large cookie scoop, fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full. Bake about 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly in the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Chocolate Ganache Icing

adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World

1/4 cup soy milk

4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli- dairy free!)

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Bring the soy milk to a gentle boil in a small sauce pan. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips and maple syrup. Using a heatproof spatula mix until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. Set aside at room temperature until ready to use.

Spoon some of the chocolate ganache (once its cooled) onto the tops of the cupcakes and spread almost to the edges. Top with a really cool peace sign (from King Arthur).

Truffles

Refrigerate leftover ganache till firm. Scoop out about a tablesoon and quickly roll into a ball. Roll in a mix of cocoa powder and confectioner's sugar then in some chopped hazelnuts. Set on wax paper and chill until firmed back up. Keep cool until ready to eat.

Notes- this batter works great in my twinkie pan- I think I'll make some chocolate twinkies soon!

-love the truffles!

-the 365 organic unsweetened soy milk worked great- no soy taste in the cupcakes and I had some pretty picky eaters tasting them! I think I will try rice milk next time- I like using it for sweeter baking.

-the peace signs are no longer available from King Arthur's webpage- they were a summer seasonal item.