These chocolate cupcakes are rich and moist for the perfect vegan dessert. Replace those eggs with applesauce for an easy and delicious cupcake that everyone will love and NO ONE will believe is vegan. Fail-proof and a total crowd pleaser. .
Who’s ready to celebrate with me? What’s the occasion, you ask. Oh, just another beautiful day in May. Spring is here. The sun is out. And I’m making cupcakes for work.
Life is pretty good.
This is one of the most tested recipes I’ve ever shared on the blog. I worked hard to get these cupcakes just perfect before sharing them with you. And I’m so glad I did. They are tender, moist, deeply chocolatey, perfectly sweet, and so good that you will fool vegans and omnivores alike.
Best of all? They are totally fail-proof. Without any usual or hard-to-find ingredients, even the most novice of bakers can master these cupcakes in no time.
Don't believe me? Try them for yourself!
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
These easy, fool-proof cupcakes are made with simple, straight-forward ingredients for a fluffy and delicate treat that is lightly sweetened and filled with delicious flavor. Top them with chocolate buttercream for a dessert that no one will believe is vegan.
Here is everything you need.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
Ingredient Notes
- All-Purpose Flour – For a gluten free cupcake, swap out regular AP flour for a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend.
- 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.
- Vegan Butter – Look for a high-quality non-hydrogenated vegan butter. I recommend either Earth Balance or Miyoko’s.
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)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One – Make the Batter
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. As the oven heats, line a muffin tin with baking cups and generously spray. 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.
Add coconut oil, water, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar to soy milk mixture and whisk together.
In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. That’s the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour wet ingredients into the dry and gently mix to combine.
Pro Tip: Be careful not to overmix. Otherwise your batter will lose its fluffiness and the cupcakes will turn out dense and gummy. 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 ¾th 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!
Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool at least 10 minutes in the muffin tin 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 try and remove them too early, the cupcakes may fall apart or stick to the pan. Let the cupcakes continue cooling on a wire cooling rack until it is completely cool.
Step Three – Decorate the Cupcakes
To make the butter cream, gently melt the chocolate in a double boiler or microwave.
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 extract 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 until it is smooth and velvety.
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 mini 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
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.
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.
Yes! This recipe can be made in advance. To do this, bake the cupcakes according to the instructions. Once the cupcakes are cool, wrap it tightly them plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. This cake can be frozen for up to 2 months. When ready to frost, let the cupcakes thaw at room temperature for 3-4 hours.
The chocolate buttercream can be made up to 5 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
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
- ¾ cup soy milk
- ¾ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Buttercream
- 1 cup (2 sticks) vegan butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ 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 ¾ 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
Damaris says
These were the best cupcakes I've ever made! I used oat milk, red wine vinegar and sunflower oil and they were perfect, believe it or not. The trick must be the extra liquid. Thank you for sharing.
Deborah Koyanagi says
I've been commissioned to bring cupcakes to a bridal shower, and thought why not bake them yourself - a non-baker - sure why not? In my quest for recipes I have found you and yours, they look so yummy and simple! Question tho - can I use coconut sugar or any others instead of white sugar, and if so, would the measurements be the same? And, instead of regular sized muffins I am thinking of making minis - what would the baking time then be? Many thanks - great recipes!
Happy Baking
Deborah
Sarah says
Hey Deborah,
Coconut sugar would affect the texture and without having tried it myself, I'm not sure what the ratio would be. I'm sure it would also require some tweaking of the other ingredients to get the texture right. However, you can make these mini cupcakes. I would start baking them at 10-12 minutes and check them after that. Let us know how they turn out!
Tara says
We made the minis tonight and they were great, however I used Earth Balance whipped butter (instead of sticks which I can’t find anywhere) and the frosting was a disaster. I’ll opt instead for regular butter if that’s the key?
Lindsay says
Our Kroger's has the sticks. Hope you can find them at a Kroger near you.
Bonnie says
Most chocolate chips have milk in them, so NOT vegan. My daughter is allergic to milk and we’ve always had trouble finding things she can eat. We usually end up using dark chocolates because of the milk issue. Carob chips usually are dairy free but they don’t melt as well. Always read your labels.
Sarah says
There are a handful of easily accessible vegan chocolate chips. Some that are naturally vegan and others that are intentionally. Checking labels is good but most well-stocked grocery stores should have at least one vegan option.
Marie says
The smell of vinegar when I opened the oven door was overwhelming....later the buns tasted absolutely awful...
Sarah says
How much vinegar did you put in? You shouldn't taste it at all.
Ester says
Hi!
I'm trying to bake this but I don't understand the meassurements for the butter (or vutter, as my friend says).
Thank you!
Rose says
Can you use vegetable oil instead of coconut oil and would the amount be the same.
Sarah says
Yes, that should work fine.
Neely says
Can you make this a day before or needs to be made same day serving?
Sarah says
You can make them the day before. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Mode Donovan-Deklerk says
Hi making these for a vegan friend. I am not vegan my self. I'm pretty comfortable with all the ingredients except vegan butter. Can you give me a brand I can look for or a supermarket you buy it at?
Thanks.
Sarah says
Earth Balance is my favorite. Many vegans would agree! P.S. you're a good friend 🙂
Kathryn says
Just made a batch of these as mini cupcakes for a local fundraiser. They were bit hit! One women told me they were 'to die for' (I did add an extra tsp of apple cider vinegar when adding the wet ingredients0.
Sarah says
So glad to hear that. Thank you!
Rose says
I love the recipe!! Is there a way to make the frosting more stiff before applying with a tip to the cupcakes? Also, do you have a vanilla cupcake recipe with white buttercream icing?
Thank you!
Sarah says
If you refrigerate the frosting after it's whipped up but before you apply it to the cupcake, you should have a stiffer frosting. I don't have a vanilla cupcake yet but now it's on my list! Thanks for the suggestion.
Janey says
This recipe was great! I made a cake instead if cupcakes with your recipe for my daughter's birthday and both my girls and I loved it !
Jen says
Do you think coconut milk would work?
Sarah says
I'm not sure how coconut milk reacts with apple cider vinegar. It might not create a buttermilk texture like soy, but I imagine it would still work for the recipe.
Katherine says
I make these with coconut milk and they always come out amazingly moist. I never will use another chocolate cupcake recipe again...thank you for this recipe!!!
Val says
The cupcakes turned out crumbly and way to dark. How can i fix that
Sarah says
I'm not sure without more details of how you prepped them.
Rose says
Are there any tips to keep it from being too crumbly? I did the recipe exact.
Sarah says
Without having watched you do the recipe, I really don't know what happened to yours. They should come out very moist. I haven't had anyone have experience with them being crumbly.
Katie says
Have you made this with any milks other than soy? I have rice milk and am wondering if it will have the same reaction.
Sarah says
The rice milk won't curdle which will affect the overall texture of the cupcake, but not significantly.
Melissa Reichert says
What about almond milk? Only soy will curdle it?
Sarah says
Other readers have used almond milk with success. I'm sure it would be fine.
Sophie Rodrick says
Hi!
Just wondering if it was possible to do these gluten free also?
Thank you 🙂
Sarah says
Yeah, if you use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend, like Bob's Red Mill's option, they should turn out good.
Joan says
Happy Birthday Sarah! Thanks for your excellent blog and recipes.
Sarah says
Thanks so much, Joan!