The Best Black Bottom Cupcakes
These are a childhood favorite of mine, gone vegan. Chocolatey cakey goodness wrapped around a brilliant cashew cream cheese - absolutely divine! The combination of the uber-creamy cashew center with the sharp, decadently rich chocolatey outside is superb. These are the perfect cupcake to share with others, or to make for someone's birthday or special occasion.
Equipment
- Oven
- 12-count Cupcake Tin
- Cupcake Papers
Ingredients
For the Cashew Cream Cheese Filling
- ½ tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 1 ½ tablespoons warm water
- ½ cup cashew cream cheese, (recipe below)
- 2 tablespoons sugar*
- ½ cup vegan chocolate chips
For the Cupcake Batter
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup all-natural Dutch cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water, or whiskey, if that floats your boat
- ⅓ cup coconut oil or vegan butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Cashew Cream Cheese**
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked overnight, or boiled for 10 minutes, or soaked for 30 minutes in hot water
- 2 ½ tablespoons unsweetened coconut yogurt
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine the flax and warm water in a bowl, and set it aside to congeal. It should take about 5 minutes for it to become gluey.
- Meanwhile, time to make your cashew cream cheese. Drain the soaked cashews, then add them to a blender along with coconut yogurt, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt and zest. Blend until smooth. Helpful tip: turn off the blender, then mix the ingredients inside every once and awhile to get them a-blending.
- Next, combine the gluey flax mixture with about ½ of the cashew cream cheese mixture, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt, and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips to that afterwards.
- Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Then, once the oven is preheated, add the water, oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla to these dry ingredients. Combine them until few lumps remain - careful not to overmix it.
- Fill your cupcake wells about ⅓ of the way full, and then dollop a full tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into each well. Then, fill the cupcake wells another ⅓ of the way with the remaining mixture, enough to cover the cream cheese.Alternative: fill the cupcake wells ⅔ of the way full, and add a full tablespoon dollop of cashew cream cheese on top. It's just a matter of preference and aesthetic, really.
- Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until the edges are firm to the touch. An inserted toothpick should come out with no batter on it, but it may have chocolate since there are chocolate chips in mix.
- Let cool for 10 minutes, and then you're ready to eat your delicious vegan cupcakes. FYI: The cupcakes are easier to remove from the wrappers when they're fully cool.
Video
Notes
Recipe Changes from Original Recipe (as well as the video)
* I replaced 1/2 cup of sugar in the cashew cream cheese with 2 tablespoons instead.
** I halved the amount of cashew cream cheese, since I almost always had excess once I was done filling the cupcakes.
Nutrition
Serving 1 cupcake Calories 299 kcal Carbohydrates 42.6 g Protein 4.2 g Fat 14.9 g Saturated Fat 8.7 g Sodium 260 mg Potassium 136 mg Fiber 1.7 g Sugar 27.3 g Calcium 19 mg Iron 2 mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @thatvegannephew on Instagram with the hashtag #thatvegannephew !