Perfect Vegan GF Chocolate Cupcake

The search for the perfect vegan cupcake has taken me 6 months, countless recipe trials and modifications. Finally, I can share with you success..best yet, no eggs, gluten, sugar or dairy. I served this at a recent gathering of very picky eaters who called it the best cupcake they've ever had -firm and moist - no one could ever guess it was gluten free. I owe this find to the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen blog whose recipe won out on all the others. I used it as a base and modified to enhance the moisture.

The biggest complaint of gluten free baked goods is that it is crumbly and dry. With any of these ancient grains that lack gluten it is sometimes necessary to let the batter sit with the liquid to allow it to absorb. In classic baking, this is a no-no as this cannot be done with recipes which are heavily leavened with eggs as the incorporation of eggs give the lift and rise to the cake. However, with vegan desserts, this is possible with the absence of eggs. I have tried soaking the batter after mixing for 15-20 minutes for this recipe and it makes a noticeable difference in the texture of the crumb.

This recipe I tested both with rice and hemp milk. The hemp milk gave it a creamier texture and the coconut sugar I use for its low glycemic properties. (It is one of my favorite sweeteners and works great in recipes where brown sugar is used.) I am sure this recipe will fool even your toughest critics. This recipe yields about 9 large or 20 mini cupcakes:

1 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup grapeseed oil

3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 cup hemp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Heat oven to 350 F. Spray muffin tins.

Mix together sorghum, tapioca flours, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, baking soda and sea salt.

Beat oil, coco sugar, hemp milk and vanila together .

Beat in dry ingredients until well mixed. Let sit for 15-20 minutes to absorb the moisture.

Fill pans 3/4 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes for mini cupcakes and 20-15 for regular size cupcakes.

When cooked, wait 5 minutes then remove from tins and cool on rack before frosting.

This frosting seems to work well with these cupcakes and it isn't too sweet. It does pipe on very soft and you may need to modify it to the stiffness you want by adding more coconut oil which solidifies at room temperature. The coconut gives it a nice taste.

Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup palm shortening
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp arrowroot powder
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredient together until fluffy. Pipe on to cooled cupcakes.