VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER CUPCAKES (with vegan chocolate ganache)

And just when I thought I wasn’t going to buy any more cookbooks until I’d cooked my way through those I already owned, I found myself browsing through amazon‘s collection… and I decided that two more couldn’t hurt my bookshelf . So I placed an order for Paul Hollywood’s How to Bake  and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, both of which arrived last week.

I am seriously hooked on peanut butter (of the unsweetened, crunchy, organic variety) right now, and when I came across the following recipe I thought it would be the ideal starting place. Moist and deliciously peanut buttery, these cupcakes are also a make-ahead baker’s delight, as they freeze and defrost perfectly!

VEGAN PEANUT BUTTER CUPCAKES 

INGREDIENTS

1.75 dl soy milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1.2 dl organic, sugar-free chunky peanut butter
.8 dl canola oil
1.6 dl granulated sugar
2 tbsp syrup
1 tsp pure organic vanilla powder
2 tsp ground flaxseed
2.5 dl plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C.
2. Line cupcake tin with liners.
3. Mix soy milk and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside to curdle.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cream the peanut butter, oil, sugar, syrup, vanilla and ground flaxseeds until well combined. Add the soy milk mixture and mix until incorporated.
5. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a separate bowl and mix. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.
6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake for 23-26 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to cooling racks.
7. Once cooled, top cupcakes with vegan chocolate ganache or frosting of your choice.

SIMPLE VEGAN CHOCOLATE GANACHE

INGREDIENTS

90g vegan dark chocolate (I use Plamil brand)
3 tbsp soy milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat soy milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until just about to simmer. Add chocolate pieces to the pan and stir into soy milk to melt.
2. Spoon* or drizzle over cupcakes and allow to cool in order to set fully.

*NB- I did this very hastily, hence these cupcakes having a rather “rustic” appearance… but by all means, take your time decorating with ganache if you want a more sophisticated looking cupcake.

* The dl measurements that I use in recipes on my blog are a standard metric measurement: 1 dl = 100 ml, 10 dl = 1 liter
*Recipes very closely adapted from ones found in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.