Dry Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups blanched almond flour
- ½ cup arrowroot flour
- ¾ cup cacao powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. pink salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 c. almond milk
- 1 T. apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 T. virgin coconut oil, melted
- 2 T. coconut butter, melted
- 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
Ganache Filling:
- 2 Honey Mama’s Chocolate Cake bars, chopped
- 3 T. full-fat coconut milk
Vegan Meringue Frosting:
- 1 can chickpeas, liquid drained and reserved (115 ml)
- 150g powdered sugar or caster sugar
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
2. Add apple cider vinegar to a glass measuring cup and fill to the 1 cup mark with almond milk. Whisk gently, then set aside to curdle slightly.
3. Sift all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and set aside.
4. Whisk coconut sugar, honey, melted coconut oil, melted coconut butter and vanilla; add curdled almond milk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and slowly pour in the wet ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon until just mixed.
5. Fill muffin cups ¾ full, pressing gently with the back of a spoon to create a level surface. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.
6. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then move to a wire rack. Let cool at room temperature for 1 hour.
7. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a cupcake corer (or a small paring knife) to remove the top center of each cupcake. You can save the pieces for later use (they make tasty crumbs to sprinkle on top of future desserts!).
8. To make the ganache, place the chopped Honey Mama's pieces inside a heat-proof bowl, then pour warm coconut milk over the top. Let sit for about 30 seconds, then stir gently until all chocolate is melted. Place the ganache in a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Squeeze a small amount of ganache (about 2 tsp.) into the holes in the cupcakes. Smooth the top, then set aside.
9. To make meringue frosting, start by sifting powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Set aside. Pour the aquafaba (chickpea liquid) into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix at high speed for about two minutes, or until the aquafaba is thick and foamy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the remaining ingredients, one spoonful at a time. Slowly turn the speed back up, and mix on high for about 5-8 minutes, or until stiff peaks form.
10. Fill a new piping bag with the meringue, and pipe into a decorative swirly pattern on top of each cupcake. Use a blowtorch to brown the meringue.
11. Enjoy immediately or keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes:
- In my experience, vegan meringue doesn’t hold up quite as well as traditional meringue. Therefore, these cupcakes are best eaten the day they are made.
- A traditional buttercream frosting could be substituted for the meringue. You can find an easy vegan buttercream frosting here.
