Chocolate Cupcakes Topped With Fluffy Chocolate Buttercream

Today is the charity cake sale that happens once a term. A lovely idea that the children really enjoy, but a whole different story for my girls…. They’ll only be able to buy something if I make it rather than browsing and choosing any they like.

Sounds like another excuse to get baking! This time we decided on light chocolate cupcakes topped with fluffy chocolate buttercream and decorations. I hope they sell well as I feel it’s really important that my girls see other people choosing to eat the food that is safe for them, rather than it seeming different to what everyone else wants. Extra effort to make them look irresistable.

(UPDATE: the cupcakes sold like er hot cakes, and were pounced on by plenty of children. Great news!)

Chocolate Cupcakes (dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, sesame-free, soya-free, vegetarian and vegan)

Makes 12

• 1 cup oat milk
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup dairy-free spread, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup drinking chocolate powder
• 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

– Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Centigrade/Gas Mark 5
– Fill a cupcake tray with cupcake cases
– Mix together the oat milk, lemon, melted spread and vanilla.
– Stir in the sugar
– Sift in the flour, drinking chocolate, bicarbonate, baking powder and salt.
– Gently mix to form a smooth, very wet silky mix.
– 2/3rds fill the cupcake cases
– Bake for 18-20 minutes until a knife comes out clean
– Cool on a wire rack

Fluffy Chocolate Buttercream (dairy-free, egg-free, soya-free, sesame-free, nut-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan)

Enough to spread on 12 cupcakes, double the mix to pipe luscious mounds of buttercream!

1/3 cup dairy-free spread
2 tbsps vegetable fat
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups icing sugar
Up to 1/4 cup oat milk

– Whisk together the fats.
– Add the cocoa and whisk well.
– Whisk in the icing sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, adding a splash of oat milk each time.
– Pipe or spread onto the cupcakes.