WE'RE BACK! With Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes!

AHHHHHHH! It's been a million years (approximately)!!!! We vegan blargers are truly sorry for our absence! However, the good news is that we are in fact alive and well, and still love our vegetables!

Mmmmmmmm....

To make up for the inordinate amount of time since our last recipe posting, we have an equally inordinately delicious and INORDINATELY CHOCOLATE-Y recipe to share with you!

Quite possibly the tastiest cupcake ever.

These cupcakes are packed with deliciousness... in the form of incredibly rich and dense chocolate mousse! Bet you can't guess what the secret ingredient is...! ;)

Chocolate Mousse Cupcakes
yields 12 extremely rich and delicious cupcakes

Ingredients:
for the cupcakes (adapted from Isa Moscowitz's VCTOW, recipe found here)

1 cup soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp brewed coffee
1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla extract)

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Ingredient-o's!

for the mousse (adapted from Angela Liddon's Chocolate Torte filling, here. This is one of my favorite recipe blogs!)

2 cups avocado flesh, mashed (we used 3 small avocados)
3/4 cup soymilk
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp smooth peanut butter
1 Tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder

4 oz 100% cocoa unsweetened baking chocolate

almonds, chopped (optional)

Moooooooousse.

Directions:
the cupcakes
1. To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, combine the soymilk and vinegar and let curdle. Then add the sugar, canola oil, coffee, and almond extract.


2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. You should really sift in the cocoa powder so that it distributes evenly, but I usually just stir it around to try to break up the clumps. Sorry! I really should be sifting it. Either way, add the cocoa powder to the dry ingredients. (:

Dry ingredients!

3. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet, and stir with a whisk until most of the lumps are gone, being careful not to over-mix.

Combine and conquer!

4. Oil or line a cupcake pan, and fill each cup two-thirds of the way full with batter. Bake for 20 - 24 minutes, until the tops seem firm and a toothpick comes out clean! :)

Mix it up real good...

the mousse
1. While the cupcakes are in the oven, in a bowl mash two cups of avocado flesh until it's mostly smooth. This part (and the rest of the mousse process) can be done in a blender if you have one nearby!

AVOCADO MUSH! Resist the urge to make guacamole.

2. Add the soymilk, sugar, and peanut butter and stir/blend until combine. Add the salt, cornstarch, and cocoa powder (sift it!) and mix again. I'm guessing you can guess which stirring utensil I was using here... a whisk! :D

THE HOLY GRAIL OF... CHOCOLATE!!!

3. Melt the baking cocoa over the stovetop or in a double boiler. Pour the melted chocolate into the mixture, and stir/blend until everything is fully combined. The mixture should be fairly thick and scoopable, but may need to chill for a few minutes first.

mousse-cupcake assembly!
1. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 15 - 20 minutes before adding the mousse. If it looks like it's starting to melt (we didn't run into this problem, but you never know!), let the cupcakes cool for longer.

Time for your lobotomy, cupcake! ~(^_^~)

2. Carefully cut out the top center of the cupcake, resist the urge to eat it, and scoop in a spoonful of mousse to fill.

Filled with love.

3. Put the cut-out piece back on top, and spread a thick layer of mousse to cover the top of the cupcake, YUM! It's okay if it's a little messy, because the mousse will pretty much cover it up, and smooths out really well.

MORE CHOCOLATE!!!!!

It's also okay because what you're making is extremely chocolatey and delicious, so no one will care. :)

Nice and smooth.

4. If you are adding almonds (DO IT), spread them out on a plate and carefully roll the cupcake in them so that the mousse on the top gets covered with almond pieces.

It adds the perfect crunch. :)

Store in the refrigerator. Enjoy! :)

TADA! Cupcake perfection.

These were truly amazingly delicious, and the mousse was extremely rich, creamy, and dense. 

SO MUCH DELICIOUS. Another recipe coming soon to a blarg near you. Stay tuned!

More coming soon, thanks for sticking with us! WE'VE MISSED YOU SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!! Expect more soon! ~(^_^~)