DICKCEMBER: HOT COCOA CUPCAKES

Welcome back to another instalment of Dickcember! Hot cocoa is a winter classic and I'm bringing it to you in an amazing little cupcake form! You don't need a fire or a winter storm to enjoy this rich chocolatey and gooey treat. If you wish to make a boxed version of these, simply follow the preparation instructions on the side of the box and then follow the rest of the instructions below.

MAKE ME SANTA DADDY

To make the batter you will need the ingredients below:
2 c. all-purpose flour 

2 c. organic sugar (or stevia)

1 1/2 unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp sea salt 

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence
 2 teaspoons egg replacer combined with 4 tablespoons warm water
(this makes 2 eggs)
1 c. almond or soy milk

1 c. vegetable oil

Use festive coloured paper cups for the cupcakes. Line the cupcake pans with them and preheat the oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and mix well. Add in the milk, vanilla, egg and vegetable oil. Mix with electric mixer until the batter is smooth. Pour batter into prepared cupcake liners, about ⅔ full. Put into bake for 16-18 minutes. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely either on the counter or in the icebox before attempting to ice them. 

ICING
This can be a difficult icing to make. I want to do more experiments with it to give it more of a body and hold that many non-vegan icings have. I've not really explored a lot with marshmallow icings, especially vegan ones, but there will be more to come! 


You may have some trouble getting the vegan marshmallows to melt like the regular ones; To make the fluff for the icing, what I did was take 2c. vegan marshmallows, 1 tsp. vanilla essence and 2 tsp. coconut butter (any vegan butter will do.) and put them together in a saucepan that I'd sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. I sprayed the mixing spoon I was going to use to avoid the sticky mess and heated on low, constantly stirring. After that, I added 1-2 tsp of almond milk (you can use any substitute you desire) Blend in with 4c icing sugar; you can do it in the same saucepan once it's cooled down to save yourself on mess and clean up!

Carefully spoon the icing into an icing bag. Make sure that your icing tip is one with a large round opening on it; when you ice the cupcakes you want to give the appearance of a nice dollop of melting marshmallow or cream. Allow the icing to sit for about 5 minutes before dropping little chocolate chips on the top of them. You can use grated dark chocolate if you prefer and little bits of crushed peppermint to add a peppermint twist to them. My sister asked why I didn't do that, so that's why it's added here and not in the finished photos. Store in a cool place or even refrigerate before serving for a nice firm cupcake. 

The vegan eggnog cupcakes featured in the title photo will be posted soon! 

**Why are you putting things in F rather than C now? Because most of my audience is in the United States. I can put them into C as well if you guys would like, just let me know!

BUY:

Egg-Replacer: Ener-G Egg Replacer 

Chocolate Chips: Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Kosher and Paleo-Friendly) 

Mini-Marshmallows: Dandies Vegan Mini Marshmallows
Butter Replacer: Pure Blends Coconut Oil Based Vegan Butter