Vegan Mocha Chocolate Cupcakes

A little rain won’t stop me! Azra started her first year of medical school after returning from Bosnia, and although I am sad she is no longer in Boston, I am so excited for her! We had planned weeks ago a time that I could come see her new house and have her cook for me, and the hurricane almost threw a wrench in our plans. While there was definitely some heavy rain at certain points in my drive, the hurricane was still in the Southern East Cost on Saturday night and was not going to get in the way of my Saturday night plans! (We also were both, thankfully, spared from too much storm damage on Sunday, though many people in MA and where I am from in NJ were hit much harder.) I am so glad I got to visit Azra’s new home! Her apartment is gorgeous, especially with our fun housewarming gifts! Melissa, my college roommate and I, got her some houseplants to decorate her room with, similar to ones she had in college. A cactus, and bamboo to balance the feng shui!

Azra made a fantastic Bosnian dinner, breaking out the big guns with a spinach and cheese pie. Her mom had very little faith and even offered to make it for Azra and have me pick it up to bring out, but Azra persisted. She did an excellent job! As good as her mom’s, which is a huge complement!

Even after such a filling dinner, there is always room for dessert! Especially Chocolate Mocha cupcakes, my dessert contribution! I chose these specifically for Azra, knowing her shared love of good coffee. These cupcakes were so good that Azra and I split a second. Good thing they are pretty low in fat and sugar! I searched for a good chocolate cupcake that didn’t need egg since I had none on hand, and could be substituted to use an overripe banana. The good thing about using bananas in place of some of the oil is that it takes out some of the fat and allows you to cut down on added sugar without losing moisture or flavor. This recipe from Erica’s Sweet Tooth was perfect! The cupcake is a little denser, but rich and moist and flavorful. The espresso powder in the cupcake really helps to enhance the cocoa powder, giving it a dark chocolate flavor. And the icing makes the cupcake! Just the perfect amount of sweetness and coffee flavor. I hope you get a chance to make these and enjoy them as much as we did!

Question: What is your favorite flavor combination with chocolate?

Vegan Mocha Chocolate Cupcakes

adapted from Erica’s Sweet Tooth, makes 10 cupcakes

for cupcakes:

1 cup almond milk

1 tbsp canola oil

1 mashed banana

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tbsp ground flax seed

1/3 cup cocoa powder

¾ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp instant espresso

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together almond milk, canola oil, mashed banana, vanilla and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix together the rest of the dry ingredients. Slowly stir the wet into the dry ingredients. Line a cupcake tin with paper cup liners, and fill 2/3 of the way with cupcake batter. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For icing:

1/4 cup Earth balance buttery stick

1/8 cup coffee

1/2 tsp espresso powder

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Brew a cup of coffee. Dissolve espresso powder into 1/8 cup it while still hot (and enjoy the rest!). Place coffee/espresso mix in the fridge to cool. Once cooled, in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the margarine, vanilla and coffee until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium-low, add the sugar in 3 additions, beating well after each. Spoon icing onto cupcakes smooth with a knife.

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