Chocolate Cupcakes (non-dairy)

Are you still on track to fulfill all your New Year’s Resolutions? If the answer is yes, good for you! You’re one of the lucky ones. And if the answer is no, well, welcome to the club. But in any case, shake it all off because February is here! You know what that means? Spring is right around the corner! And a new chapter can be written in 2019, regardless of what your New Year’s Resolutions are, it’s a brand-new month. While it might still be winter and super cold, you can already picture the fresh flowers, the refreshing smell of a newly mowed lawn, a crunchy salad, and (unfortunately), you’ve also started some of your Spring cleaning. While you’re still daydreaming of Spring, I have the perfect chocolatey dessert to hold you over until warmer days finally come back again – Chocolate Cupcakes are the one and only answer!

With moist chocolatey cake and delicious chocolate cream to garnish, this dessert is everything you need right now. If you want to make this dessert even more decadent, you can fill the cupcakes with pleasing chocolate ganache that you only discover once you've taken a bite, YUM! Chocolate ganache is simply melted chocolate mixed with heavy cream; don’t let the name scare you! Each type of chocolate (dark/ milk/ white) has different ratios to keep when making ganache and you can read all about it here.

Because I wanted to make these cupcakes parve (nondairy), I used nondairy heavy cream for the chocolate ganache. You can also use coconut cream if you prefer.

For the cream on top of the cupcakes, I also used non-dairy heavy cream, if you don't mind or you want the cupcakes to be dairy, just use regular heavy cream. Additionally, I created a post about vegan whipped cream that is made from coconut cream and can also replace non-dairy heavy cream, check it out.

In short, if you plan to use coconut cream, you need to be able to whip it to a stiff peak! Be sure to chill the tin of coconut cream for an entire night in the fridge. When whipping the cream, just use the non-liquid parts that float to the top of the tin. It is important to use coconut cream with high fat in it, like 20% or more. You won’t be able to whip lower fat creams.

The cupcakes themselves contain shredded coconut that goes perfectly well with the heavenly chocolate flavor and adds more texture to the cake. The shredded coconut makes an excellent fit if you choose to use coconut cream.

The last garnish I added to these divine cupcakes is strawberries; not only do they look nice and add color, but they taste delicious! Overall, they enhance the flavor of the chocolate cupcake. You can also garnish with other fruits or omit them – it's your choice.

To bake the cupcakes, I used silicon cupcakes cases. You can use paper cases as well, just be sure to place them inside a cupcake tin so the shape of the cupcakes will remain.

If you are in the mood for vanilla cupcakes, my blackberry vanilla cupcakes are just what you need! Or if you are on the hunt for other delicious desserts, be sure to explore my recipe index.

I hope you will enjoy scarfing down these delectable chocolate cupcakes, start the recipe now: