Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (17 page)

Variations :

THE EARL OF GREY CUPCAKES:
Substitute Earl Grey tea for plain black tea. Omit spices and add ½ teaspoon each grated lemon and orange zest. Leave out spices from topping, dusting with powdered sugar or a thin layer of
SUPER NATURAL AGAVE ICING
(page 149)

Hazelnut Cupcakes with Mocha Hazelnut Mousse Filling

MAKES 12 CUPCAKES

WE WANT TO
say these cupcakes are totally European with all these hazelnuts, mocha mousse filling, and dark chocolate. So much so that you’ll need to eat these wearing a black turtleneck and driving a tiny but amazingly fuel-efficient car, but who are we kidding... they’re just really yummy. The filling recipe is a variation of the CHOCOLATE MOUSSE TOPPING and it makes more than you’ll be able to stuff into twelve cupcakes. But since when did people start complaining about a little leftover chocolate mocha mousse? Use it for dessert the next day.

P.S.: We know you love your chocolate but please check out the raspberry-filled LINZER TORTE variation just once. Trust us.

 

 

INGREDIENTS

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup hazelnut meal or hazelnut flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup rice milk or nut milk
1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
1/3 cup canola oil
¼ cup maple syrup
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur, or 1½
teaspoons hazelnut extract
RICH CHOCOLATE GANACHE TOPPING
(page 143)
1 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts, for
garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Make the
MOCHA HAZELNUT MOUSSE FILLING
(recipe below) first and prepare the
RICH CHOCOLATE GANACHE TOPPING
when cupcakes are fully cool.

TO MAKE THE CUPCAKES:

1. Line cupcake pan and preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, whisk
together rice milk and ground flaxseed. In a large bowl, sift together flour, hazelnut meal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

2. Add the maple syrup, sugar, canola oil, vanilla, and hazelnut liquor to the rice milk mixture and beat well. Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing till mostly smooth. Pour into liners, filling them two-thirds of the way. Bake 22 to 24 minutes till a toothpick inserted through the center of one comes out clean. Cool completely on racks before filling.

TO ASSEMBLE:

1. Fit a pastry bag with a wide piping tip. Fill the bag with
MOCHA HAZELNUT MOUSSE FILLING.
Have
RICH CHOCOLATE GANACHE TOPPING
prepared and a frosting spatula ready for frosting cupcakes.

2. Use a finger to poke holes in the top of each cupcake. Fill each cupcake with as much mousse as you can. Use your finger or a knife to remove any excess cream from the tops of the cupcake. Spread the ganache onto cupcakes—two layers of ganache (a heaping teaspoon each time) can help create a smoother surface. Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Place the cupcakes in the fridge to set the ganache. An easy way to do this is put them all on a cutting board and place the whole thing on a shelf.