Today, the wonderful Mr. P from the delicious ‘Delicious Delicious Delicious’ is going to quite literally make you drool.  Thank you P, for this gorgeous EGGLESS chocolate spice cupcake recipe. I am in love with P’s beautiful blog which I am sure you’re all aware of by now. If you’re not, you’re really missing out- I urge you to visit him over at DDD. He’s a baking wizard and literary genius who I’ve grown to simply adore. It is an honour to present him to you as a guest blogger today… You guys are so spoilt rotten!

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes by P of DDD (No, not P. Diddy)

You see, they are eggless. If you don’t bake very much, that might not sound like a big deal, but I promise you it is. It’s a big a deal as you can get. I remember learning in Home Economics at school that the lecithin and fat in egg yolks were what gave texture to cakes, and that eggs also acted as a leavening agent, so it never even occurred to me that you could bake without them. I thought they were essential.


Reader: I was wrong.


(An aside: Have I ever told you that I wasn’t allowed to take Home Economics at GCSE level in school? Nope. We boys had to do Craft and Design, which I was bitter about for years. I’m over the sexism now though. On reflection neither subject has really shaped my life anyway, and having done CDT at least I know how to use a lathe and make egg cups using a vacuum former. I’m such a manly baker…)

As a result, I am extending an open invitation to The Cool Kids’ Club to all of you, in the hope that you too will try these out. I am not vegan, and I don’t avoid eggs generally (which is good, because Mr. Other P adds eggs to everything – curry, pasta, noodles, you name it.), but I am planning on making these again. They are not only the simplest cupcakes I have ever made ( and ridiculously so), but also the cheapest. I’ll be honest – warm from the oven, I could detect a slight after taste of bicarbonate of soda, but once the cakes had cooled, it completely vanished. I can’t wait to try out some different variations of the recipe and am thinking lemon first and foremost.

 
I have tinkered with the original recipe to make these spiced chocolate cupcakes, since they are for the Queen of the Spice Trail, and also completely changed the method used to make them. Mainly because I was making cupcakes, and not a sheet cake. But also because I like to simplify. It’s OK, you can trust me; like I said before, I can operate a lathe.
 

I metricated the recipe: love me, love me.


Chocolate Spice Cupcakes


You will need:


225g plain flour
150g caster sugar (or granulated)
35g cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
75ml vegetable oil
1 tbsp cider vinegar (use whatever type you have)
2 tsp ground allspice
300ml water
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Line a cupcake tin with 12 paper liners.


2. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients gently. You can use a wire whisk.


3. Add everything else, and whisk to mix everything to a smooth, lump free batter. It will be very liquid.


4. Transfer the batter to a jug, and pour into cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 full.


5. Bake for about 25 minutes, until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean.


6. Remove from pan immediately and cool on a wire rack. Then ice with your choice of frosting. That’s right – you have a choice:


Allspice Cream Cheese Frosting


You will need:


100g cream cheese
30g butter
400g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp ground allspice


1. This was going to be green cardamom cream cheese frosting, but my pods were all dried up. I was devastated, but adapted the recipe and like it this way anyway. Cream the butter and cream cheese together, and slowly mix in the sugar until you get the consistency you like.


2. Stir in the spice, and use immediately. This is a lovely, thick, rich icing. Enjoy it!


Lucy and Nuria’s Vegan Version
You will need:


100g soy margarine
250g icing sugar
1 tsp allspice


1. Cream everything together using a wooden spoon; that’s it! (This is such a great icing.)

… And this is why we love you so, P! I don’t know about you, but I’m about to go make me some eggless Chocolate Spice Cupcakes. You can join me for this said midnight munch if you like… But that doesn’t mean that there will be any cupcakes left for you.

Maneh maaf kari de.

Mujhe maaf kar do.

I’m sorry.

and P.

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