“These cupcakes are the perfect way to celebrate Easter and get the kids involved to help decorate! They consist of perfectly soft and rich sponge filled with a chocolatey core. Quick and simple to make but truly indulgent, a real Easter treat.”
Double chocolate Easter cupcakes
MAKES 12
For the cupcakes
225ml soya milk 1tbsp apple cider vinegar 195g plain flour 40g cocoa powder 210g caster sugar 1tbsp instant coffee powder 1tsp bicarbonate of soda ½tsp salt 90ml vegetable oil, or any neutral oil 1tsp vanilla extract
For the chocolate core
1tsp vegan chocolate spread for each cupcake
To decorate
125g vegan butter block
250g icing sugar
2tsp plant milk
1tsp vanilla extract
Food colouring: pink and green
Desiccated coconut, to finish
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Line a muffin tray with 12 cupcake cases.
2 Put the soya milk in a jug and heat in the microwave for 1 minute to warm through (alternatively you can do this in a pan on the hob). Once warmed, mix in the apple cider vinegar and set aside to curdle – this will take about 5 minutes.
3 Meanwhile, put the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, coffee, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together with a balloon whisk until fully combined.
4 Once the milk has curdled, add the oil and vanilla to the same jug and mix. Pour the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk until fully combined and a glossy, lump-free mixture is formed.
5 Divide the batter between the 12 cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Once baked, place the cupcakes on a cooling rack to cool completely.
6 Meanwhile, make the buttercream. Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer if you have one, or a large mixing bowl. Beat until the butter is soft and paler in colour, then add the icing sugar, milk and vanilla. Beat again until fully combined and the buttercream is very light and almost white in colour.
7 Divide the buttercream between three bowls, placing half into one bowl, then split the remaining half between the other two bowls. Place a small amount of green food colour into the larger bowl full of buttercream, making it as bright as you like. Place a small amount of pink food colour into one of the smaller bowls of buttercream, leaving the remaining amount white.
8 Once the cupcakes have cooled fully, use a sharp knife to cut out a small circle from the centre of each cupcake, leaving you with a hole at the core. Place a teaspoon of chocolate spread into the centre of each cupcake.
9 To decorate, just have fun! If you have a grass piping nozzle, then place that in
