These scrumptious vegan chocolate cupcakes have a gooey chocolate hazelnut filling and taste like heaven on a plate!
This recipe was created by Nourishing Amy.
These delicious chocolate cupcakes are rich, fluffy and moist with a gooey chocolate hazelnut spread filling. Top them with a fluffy vanilla buttercream before dipping them into Dark Hazelnut Chocolate and topping with extra hazelnuts. These cupcakes are vegan, gluten-free and so fun to make!
Makes: 10
Time: 30 minutes plus cooling
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 240ml plant-based milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Fairtrade instant coffee
- 140g Fairtrade caster sugar
- 80ml (70g) sunflower oil, or melted and cooled coconut oil
- 170g self-raising flour
- 40g Fairtrade cocoa powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- A pinch of salt
For The Filling
- 80g dairy-free chocolate hazelnut spread
For the frosting:
- 100g vegan butter, softened
- 1 tsp Fairtrade vanilla essence
- 300g Fairtrade icing sugar
- 2 tbsp aquafaba or plant-based milk
- 180g Divine Dark Hazelnut Chocolate, broken up
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- Crushed hazelnuts
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) and line a muffin tray with 10 cases.
- Stir together the milk and lemon juice in a mixing bowl and leave for 5 minutes to curdle and form a ‘buttermilk’.
- Pour in the coffee, sugar and oil and whisk.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda and add the salt. Whisk to a smooth batter with no specks of flour.
- Use an ice cream scoop or large tablespoon to divide the batter between the cases, filling them about two thirds full.
- Bake for 17 to 20 minutes, until springy to touch and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Remove from the tins and cool fully on a wire rack.
- Core the centre from the cooled cupcakes and keep these bits. Warm the chocolate spread for the filling.
- Add the butter to a mixing bowl and beat with a handheld electric whisk or freestanding mixer until fluffy. Gradually add the vanilla, icing sugar and aquafaba or plant-based milk and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until really fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag with a round nozzle attached.
- Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together. Pour into a glass that’s wide enough to dip in the cupcakes.
- Fill the cores of the cupcakes with the warm chocolate spread and add on the top piece of cake. Pipe on the vanilla buttercream and dip the cupcakes into the glass of chocolate carefully and quickly, allowing the excess to drip off while turning the cupcakes (don’t leave them upside down too long or the frosting will drop off).
- Stand the cupcakes up and sprinkle with crushed hazelnuts. Eat straight away or allow the chocolate to set. Store the cupcakes in the fridge in a sealed container for 2 to 3 days. Unfrosted and unfilled cakes will keep for up to 1 month in the freezer.
Divine Chocolate is a global social enterprise driven by a mission. Our mission is to help end exploitation in the cocoa industry, creating a world where farmers thrive and prosper.
Our business model reflects the belief that producers should earn a share of the profits they help to create. That’s why a shareholder of Divine Chocolate is Kuapa Kokoo Farmers’ Union, a co-operative of 100,000 cocoa farmers in Ghana who grow the finest quality cocoa for our everyday and seasonal collections. The farmers’ ownership stake in Divine Chocolate is a first in the Fairtrade world.
Visit Divine Chocolate’s website
This recipe has been shared as part of our Fairtrade Fortnight 2022 Choose The World You Want festival.
Visit the Choose The World You Want festival