This enticing recipe for vegan cocoa coffee cupcakes with a creamy and caffeinated espresso icing is a java-lover’s dream. Created by Krys Kagan, it was an official entry in one of our prior So Delicious Dairy Free Recipe Contests.
Special Diet Notes: Mocha Coffee Cupcakes with Espresso Icing
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, and vegetarian.
Not a Fan of Coconut? You can easily make the coffee cupcakes coconut-free by omitting the coconut and using your dairy-free, coconut-free milk beverage and creamer of choice.
- ½ cup dairy-free vanilla milk beverage
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup coconut flakes, lightly toasted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup fresh prepared coffee, cooled
- ¼ cup oil
- ½ cup dairy-free buttery sticks
- ½ cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening (such as Spectrum Shortening)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons espresso coffee grounds
- 2 to 3 tablespoons vanilla dairy-free creamer
- 15 dairy-free dark chocolate covered espresso beans*, for garnish
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
- In a small cup, combine the milk alternative and vinegar. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients, including the coconut milk and vinegar. Gently stir until incorporated, making sure not to over stir.
- Pour the batter into 15 paper lined muffin pans.
- Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake comes out clean.
- Place on a rack, and let cool completely.
- In a bowl, cream together the margarine and shortening until creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar a cup at a time, beating until creamy after each addition. Add the coffee, and cocoa powder. Add the creamer. Cream together until combined.
- Smooth onto cooled cupcakes, or use a bag to pipe the icing. Place an espresso bean on top of each iced cupcake.
5 Comments
Have you tried this recipe gluten free? Suggestions?
Hi Erica, no I haven’t. Since they are egg-free, too, good gluten-free results could be tricky. If you opt to keep them vegan, then you will need binder in your flour mix. With cupcakes, I prefer to use no gum binders (I don’t like the gummy texture they take on due to the delicate nature) and add eggs with the gluten-free flour, if needed instead.
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Ehh, does she really mean coffee grounds? Or ground espresso powder? Two very different things.
Espresso powder.