Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream
These vegan chocolate cupcakes are rich and moist then topped with silky smooth buttercream for the perfect celebratory treat everyone will love.
Hey friends, guess what?
Today is my birthday!
Another trip around the sun and another year wiser. I gotta say, this past year was a pretty good one for me. I choose to believe in myself this year. This meant I took some risks, gave myself a lot of self-love, learned new skills, and developed and deepened many wonderful relationships.
So it seems that I’ve got a lot to celebrate today. And we are celebrating this year in decadent style with these vegan chocolate cupcakes.
These vegan chocolate cupcakes are the perfect way to celebrate any birthday. Unbelievably moist and rich with chocolatey goodness in every bite, this is indulgence in its truest form. Better yet, they are super simple to make. Even the most novice vegan baker could make a batch of these turn out perfectly. And to top it off, I added my silky smooth chocolate buttercream.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
These easy, fool-proof cupcakes are made with simple, straight-forward ingredients for a fluffy and delicate cupcake that is lightly sweetened and filled with delicious flavor. Top them with vanilla buttercream or my favorite chocolate buttercream for a treat that no one will believe is vegan.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour – This recipe can be made with a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend.
- Cocoa Powder
- Baking Powder & Soda
- Salt
- Powdered & Granulated Sugar – Check out my guide to vegan sugars and alternative sugar replacements. For a healthier sugar alternative, I recommend coconut sugar.
- Oil – I recommend coconut oil. If you want to eliminate the oil altogether, swap it out for the same amount of applesauce.
- Non-Dairy Milk – I recommend soy milk because it curdles the best. Almond milk will often curdle but not as well. This may affect the overall texture of the cupcakes.
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Vanilla Extract
- Vegan Butter – Look for a high-quality non-hydrogenated vegan butter. I recommend either Earth Balance or Miyoko’s.
- Chocolate Chips
Recommended Equipment
For this recipe, you’ll need basic kitchen equipment such as a mixing bowl, utensils, a wire cooling rack, and a muffin baking pan. I also recommend using an ice cream scoop to evenly and cleanly scoop your batter. For the frosting, a handheld or stand-up mixer is ideal. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Step One – Mix the Batter
In a small bowl combine soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Mix together and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the milk to curdle.
In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. That’s the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add coconut oil, water, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar to soy milk mixture and whisk together. Pour wet ingredients into the dry and gently mix to combine; a few lumps are okay.
Step Two – Bake the Cupcakes
With a large ice cream scoop or piping bag fill a muffin tin with batter so that each muffin mold is 3/4th the way full. Place it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
When the cupcakes are done, you’ll notice that it has begun to pull away from the edges slightly. At that point, you can insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, then it’s all ready to go!
Step Three – Decorate the Cupcakes
Once the cupcakes are ready, remove from the oven and let it cool at least 20 minutes in the cake pan before flipping it out onto a wire cooling rack. This is very important as the structure of the cake is still firming up. If you flip it over too early, it may fall apart or stick to the pan. Let the cupcakes continue cooling on a wire cooling rack until it is completely cool.
Pro Tip: Use chocolate chips when making chocolate buttercream rather than cocoa powder. This gives the buttercream a complex and delicious flavor (especially when you buy high-quality chocolate) far beyond what cocoa powder can do. Melted chocolate also improves the texture creating a creamy silky buttercream that you can just sink your teeth into.
Once the cupcakes are COMPLETELY cool, pipe buttercream onto the cupcakes. If the cupcakes aren’t cool, the buttercream will melt off.
Serving And Storing
Serve the cupcakes immediately or place them in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Store the cupcakes for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. These cupcakes can also be store in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, simply pull out and let thaw at room temperature.
Tips And Tricks
- Do not overmix. Overmixing allows the gluten strands to develop making the cake gummy. Mix until just combined to ensure a light, delicate crumb.
- Do not open the oven door while the cupcakes are baking. This causes the structure to fall leaving you with a dent in the middle of your cakes. You can check for doneness after 45 minutes.
- To prevent the cupcake from sticking, use baking cups and generously spray the cups before filling them with batter.
- Let the cupcakes sit for at least 20 minutes in the pan before flipping out. If you try and flip it out too early, the cake structure may not have fully set and will fall apart.
- Let the cake completely before decorating to prevent the buttercream from melting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this cupcake recipe be made into a cake?
Yes! This recipe will fill one 8 or 9″ cake pan. When making a cake, generously spray the pan with cooking oil. Place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the cake pan before adding the batter.
Bake this vegan cake for about 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Can these vegan cupcakes be gluten-free?
Yes. I have had a lot of luck with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour (<<affiliate link). That is the only gluten-free flour I’ve tried for these cupcakes but I’m sure other 1:1 ratio flours would work as well.
More Vegan Cake Recipes
- Chocolate Zucchini Mug Cake
- Vegan Olive Oil Cake
- Lemon Pound Cake
- Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
- Gluten-Free Carrot Cake
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 3/4 cup soy milk
- 3/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Buttercream
- 1 cup (2 sticks) vegan butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted
Instructions
To make the cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line one muffin tin with baking cups and set aside.
- In a small bowl combine soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Mix together and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the milk to curdle.
- In a large bowl combine cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Add coconut oil, water, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar to soy milk mixture and whisk together. Pour wet ingredients into the dry and gently mix to combine; a few lumps are okay.
- Fill the cupcake holders 3/4 of the way full and bake for about 20 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
To make the buttercream
- Gently melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave.
- Meanwhile, using a stand-up mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the vegan butter on high for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extra and beat for another 5 minutes, scraping down the sides again, as necessary.
- Turn the mixer on low and slowly pour the melted chocolate into the buttercream. Increase the speed to high and mix for another 2-3 minutes.
- Frost each cupcake using a piping bag or offset spatula.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- Do not overmix. Overmixing allows the gluten strands to develop making the cake gummy. Mix until just combined to ensure a light, delicate crumb.
- Do not open the oven door while the cupcakes are baking. This causes the structure to fall leaving you with a dent in the middle of your cakes. You can check for doneness after 45 minutes.
- To prevent the cupcake from sticking, use baking cups and generously spray the cups before filling them with batter.
- Let the cupcakes sit for at least 20 minutes in the pan before flipping out. If you try and flip it out too early, the cake structure may not have fully set and will fall apart.
- Let the cake completely before decorating to prevent the buttercream from melting.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the 
V says
Hi
Could I use the same recipe for donuts ?
V says
hi
I’d like to make this into a single layer cake. refined sugar free and gluten free. Would that work ? Which sugar do you recommend ? In the notes you have mentioned coconut sugar, but in the comments someone has asked about coconut sugar and you were unsure, so I’m a little confused. Any changes to the remaining measurements for a 9 inch cake of that kind ?
Please advise 🙂