Vegan Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Dairy-free, Soy-free Cream Cheese Frosting

Here is another entry in the So Delicious and Go Dairy Free Snackable Contest. I use so many So Delicious products in my cooking and in my kitchen that I had to enter another one of our favorites. (It's also one of your favorties! This frosting is one of the most popular recipes on Welcoming Kitchen.)

In no way are these vegan, gluten-free cupcakes health food, but they are delicious. The zucchini keeps the cupcakes moist without lending a vegetable flavor. You just taste chocolate-y cake topped with tangy/sweet frosting. Yum!

Dairy-free and Soy-free Cream Cheese Frosting (Yogurt Frosting)
(Makes more than enough to frost 15 cupcakes or a double-layer cake.)

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons soy-free Earth Balance buttery spread
• 1/2 cup So Delicious vanilla cultured coconut milk yogurt
• 4 2/3 cups powdered sugar 

Preparation:

1. In a food processor, blend together Earth Balance and yogurt.
2. Add in powdered sugar, and process together until smooth.
3. Refrigerate frosting to allow it to firm up before spreading.  (If you know that you want a pretty firm frosting, you can add more powdered sugar in that step as this is a softer frosting.)

Double Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes (adapted from Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes )
Makes 15 cupcakes

Ingredients:

3 cups gluten-free oat flour (or 3 cups GF all-purpose flour and 1 1/2 t. xanthan gum)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup So Delicious vanilla or chocolate cultured coconut milk
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar (or evaporated cane juice)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups raw grated zucchini
1 cup allergy-free chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Oil muffin pans or line with muffin papers.
2. In a medium bowl, combine oat flour (or all-purpose flour and xanthan gum), baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder; stir with a whisk.
3. In a large bowl, combine applesauce with 3/4 teaspoon baking powder.  Add cultured coconut milk, sugars, oil, and vanilla to applesauce.  Thoroughly mix zucchini into applesauce mixture.
4. Mix dry ingredients into zucchini mixture.  Stir chocolate chips into batter.
5. Spoon into oiled muffin pan or muffin pan lined with paper liners.  Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. 
6. Let cool completely before frosting.

Happy Cooking!

Kim 

My new book,  Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.