cupcakes

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Ugh. What a weekend. It poured rain for two days straight.

The silver lining? I had plenty of time to cook. And cook. And cook some more...as you will see all this week.

First up are Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes. I thought they would add a little spice to an otherwise gray weekend.


I had never made vegan cupcakes before and wasn't sure what to expect. These turned out incredibly moist and really flavorful. (Note: The frosting is not vegan.)

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes from Love and Olive Oil

For cupcakes:

1 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons corn flour or very fine cornmeal

1/4 cup almond meal (if you can't find almond meal, just grind up almonds until they're very fine in the food processor)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

Whisk together coconut milk and flaxseed and allow to sit for 10 minutes, then whisk in sugar, oil, vanilla, and almond extract. In another bowl, sift together flour, corn flour, almond meal, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne. Gently mix in wet ingredients.

Fill cupcake liners with 1/4 cup of batter (approximately 2/3 full). Bake for 22-25 minutes at 350 or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.


For icing:

1/4 cup cream cheese

1/4 cup butter or margarine, room temperature

3-3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon milk or soy milk


For frosting, cream together butter and cream cheese. Slowly add most of the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Add soy milk, extracts, and coloring (if desired), and mix until combined. Add remaining powdered sugar, adding more if necessary to achieve proper consistency. Mix at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.