Vegan Salted Caramel Mocha Cupcakes

It's officially becoming fall around here, and inspired by a recent post by Juju from Tales of Whimsy featuring Starbucks' salted caramel mocha I figured I'd whip up a batch of cupcakes! Best of all? They're vegan. Have no fear, animal product consumers, this recipe is easy enough that you can substitute the soy milk/ creamer for cow milk/ heavy cream and margarine for butter. Even if you keep it as is, no one will ever be the wiser!

Salted Caramel Mocha Cupcakes

Yields approx. 14 cupcakes

Download or print recipe

Cupcake

1 C.          soymilk

1 tsp.          vinegar

¾ C         granulated sugar

1/3 C         canola oil

1 tsp         vanilla extract

2 T         instant coffee

1 C         all-purpose flour

1/3 C         cocoa powder

¾ tsp         baking soda

½ tsp         baking powder

¼ tsp         salt

1)   Preheat oven to 350 F. Line pan with cupcake liners

2)   Combine soymilk and vinegar in small bowl (liquid measuring cup) and allow to rest for about 3-5 minutes until curdled.

3)   Add sugar, oil, extract and instant coffee. Mixture will become foamy.

4)   In another bowl, sift together remaining dry ingredients.

5)   Slowly pour wet ingredients into dry (do this in three stages) until batter is combined. A few lumps is OK.

6)   Divide batter into liners, about ½ full. I use an ice cream scooper for easier transfer

7)   Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.

Fun Fact: the instant coffee will not give you any flavor of coffee in your chocolate cake but, instead, will enhance the flavor of your chocolate cake making it that much more moist and delicious!

Coffee Buttercream

½ C         shortening, softened

½ C         margarine (I use Earth Balance “butter”), softened

2 ½ C         powdered sugar

1/3 C         COLD coffee

1 tsp         vanilla

¼ C         soy creamer

1)   In mixer, using whisk attachment, cream shortening and butter together until fluffy and white (2-3 min on high). Scrape down bowl frequently.

2)   Alternate whisking on medium/low sifted powdered sugar and coffee into buttercream until combined.

3)   Pour in creamer into buttercream and whisk on medium. Mixture should form glossy medium peaks.

4)   Using piping bag and starred tip, pipe FILLED CUPCAKES (see below) to desired height.

Note: If buttercream is too fluid, add approximately ¼ C more powdered sugar. Alternatively, if buttercream is too stiff, add more soy creamer.

Caramel Filling

1 C         vanilla creamer

¾ C         brown sugar, packed

¼ C         maple syrup

3 T         cornstarch

3 tsp         vanilla

½ tsp         salt, or more (to taste)

1)   In saucepan whisk creamer, sugar, maple syrup, and cornstarch over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, or until thickened.

2)   Take off heat and whisk in vanilla and salt*. Allow to cool slightly.

3)   Once cooled, pour into piping bag. It will still be slightly hot, so wrap with towel to avoid possible burns. Pipe caramel into center of cupcake (you will have to scoop part of cupcake center out), access caramel may spill out.

4)   Drizzle extra caramel over frosted cupcakes.

*Note: The salt depends on how salty you like your salted caramel. Start with ¼ tsp, and pinch more in until desired taste is acquired. I got up to ½ tsp (or a little more) before it tasted right.

Cupcake and buttercream frosting adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero. Caramel filling is adapted from an unknown vegetarian magazine, October 2012 issue.