Dutch Rocky Road Cupcakes

♫ Listening to: Your New Beloved by Lovelife ♫

If you like chocolate cake, you might also like my chocodiles.

This recipe makes 24 rocky road cupcakes.

Chocolate Cupcake Ingredients

• 2 cups nondairy milk
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 ½ cups unbleached white flour
• ⅔ cup dutched cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅔ cup sunflower, safflower, or melted coconut oil
• 1 ¾ cups organic or raw sugar*
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Cupcake Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 cupcake tins with 22 cupcake papers.

Mix together the nondairy milk and the vinegar and let stand.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Add the vegetable oil, sugar, and vanilla extract to the milk, and mix.

Pour liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix. Fill cubbies ⅔ full.

Bake in a 350º oven for 22 minutes.

Vegan Chocolate Frosting Ingredients

• ½ cup homemade vegan butter (or sub organic earth balance)*
• ½ cup organic palm shortening*
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup natural cocoa powder
• 4 cups organic powdered sugar*
• 4 tablespoons nondairy milk (I used homemade almond milk, but you can use anything really)

Vegan Chocolate Frosting Directions

Mix the butter, spectrum sustainable organic palm shortening , and vanilla extract using a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer until it’s smooth and creamy.

Sift the cup of cocoa powder into the bowl of butter and spectrum sustainable organic palm shortening . Mix.

Add a tablespoon of almond milk while it’s mixing.

Sift a cup of powdered sugar into the bowl.

Add a tablespoon of almond milk while it’s mixing.

Sift a cup of powdered sugar into the bowl.

Stop mixing. Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.

Sift a cup of powdered sugar into the bowl.

Add a tablespoon of almond milk while it’s mixing (you’re basically just adding a tablespoon of non-dairy milk every time the mixture gets too thick).

Sift a cup of powdered sugar into the bowl.

Add a tablespoon of almond milk while it’s mixing.

Pipe onto cooled cupcakes. This recipe makes enough to pipe onto 24 cupcakes or if you’re spreading it with a knife, you can half this recipe.

Vegan Rocky Road Garnish Ingredients

• 44 almonds
• 6 ounces / half a bag of vegan chocolate chips
• 22 mini marshmallows (or 6 big ones, each cut into 4 pieces)

Vegan Rocky Road Garnish Directions

Melt the vegan chocolate chips in a double boiler.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Dip each almond into the melted vegan chocolate chips using a fork or chopsticks to fish it out once it’s completely coated.

Set each coated almond onto the parchment paper.

Chill all the chocolate covered almonds in the freezer or fridge until hardened.

Top each iced cupcake with 1 marshmallow and 2 chocolate covered almonds.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

* I use mostly organic ingredients when I cook, but I realize that not everyone has the disposable income to purchase all organic ingredients. Therefore, I only specify organic on the ingredients that really matter - when buying the organic version is the only way to ensure that the item is vegan.