For love or chocolate

I started a new job for the month of January. To win over my co-workers I quickly whipped this up. It worked like a charm. This will melt anyone’s heart.

Raspberry Filled Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes:

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
1-1/2 c unbleached white flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c brewed coffee
2 t pure vanilla extract
2 T vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 375-degrees.

2. Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and sugar into a large bowl.

3. In a 2-cup measuring cup, measure and mix the oil, water (or coffee), and vanilla. Slowly and gently pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl and mix the batter with a whisk.

4. When the batter is smooth, add the vinegar and stir quickly. There will be pale swirls (and some bubbling) in the batter where the baking soda and vinegar are reacting. Stir just until the vinegar is evenly distributed throughout the batter (the color becomes more consistent throughout).

5. Pour batter into a lined muffin tin and bake for 25 minutes--testing with a toothpick. Remove to a cooling rack and frost.

Vegan Vanilla Icing
1 c shorting (transfat free)
3 c powdered sugar
½ T vanilla extract
1/8 c soymilk
4 drops of food coloring

1. Beat all ingredients on low, then high with an electric mixer, until fluffy.

Raspberry Filling
1 frozen bag of raspberries
1 cup of sugar
2 T corn starch
Water

1. Heat raspberries and sugar in a pot on the stove at medium high heat until bubbling.
2. Mix corn starch with just enough water to make a lump free slurry.
3. Add corn starch mixture to raspberries and stir, still on the heat, till the mixture is thick and clear and glossy.


Cupcake Assembly:
1. After cupcakes and raspberries are cooled to room temperature, you can start assembling.

2. Cut a cone shape out of the top of each cupcake. Cut the bottom part off of the cone of the cap, eat or discard.

3. Fill the cupcake with a spoon full of filling, place cap back onto to seal in the filling. This doesn’t have to be perfect.

4. Pipe the icing onto each cupcake

5. Decorate as you like.