The most delicious vegan chocolate cupcakes with a deep chocolatey flavor and whipped ganache frosting. They're fluffy and light, yet decadent, and so easy to make!
Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F). Line a 12-hole muffin pan with cupcake liners.
To make the vegan "buttermilk" add the soy milk and apple cider vinegar to a medium bowl or jug, stir and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the olive oil and sugar to a stand mixer or large mixing bowl and cream them together with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds. Add in yogurt and vanilla and mix again to combine. Whisk in the vegan buttermilk.
Add the dry ingredients and hot coffee to the bowl of wet ingredients in 2 increments. Whisk to combine between each one, being careful not to overmix the batter. The batter will be quite thin, so don't be alarmed!
Divide the batter between the cupcake liners using an ice cream scoop or cookie scoop. Fill the liners no more than three-quarters.
Bake for 20-22 minutes. Check they are done by piercing them with a toothpick or a knife, the knife should come out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool further for 30 minutes to cool completely.
Assembly
Make the vegan chocolate ganache and whisk it into whipped ganache (Full instructions are in the blog post).
Transfer the whipped ganache to a piping bag fitted with an open star nozzle and pipe it on top of each cupcake.
Storage
These cupcakes are best served at room temperature. Always store them in an airtight container. If you're keeping them for more than a couple of days, refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I recommend taking them out of the fridge for at least 2-3 hours to bring them to room temperature before serving. Especially if you’re topping them with vegan ganache which stiffens up when chilled.
Notes
Some sugar in the US is not vegan, if in doubt use organic sugar.
To make fewer cupcakes, use half of the recipe for 6 cupcakes. You can also make 18 smaller vegan buns with this recipe.
You can freeze them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. This can be done with or without frosting too.