Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Basil

Vegan chocolate cupcakes can easily rival any non-vegan counterpart. These vegan chocolate cupcakes are light and bouncy like Hostess cupcakes - but leagues better. The best part of the vegan chocolate cupcakes was how well they domed. As my friend NZ Cupcake Queen (author of The Cupcake Project - not to be confused with this blog, Cupcake Project) says:

Feeling that a vegan chocolate cupcake (delectable or not) was uninteresting, I decided to make it a chocolate basil cupcake. Basil tastes strikingly similar to mint - so much so that my tasters said they would have confused these cupcakes for chocolate mint cupcakes if I didn't tell them otherwise (or if they weren't topped with basil leaves). However, the basil was different enough from mint for me to like it - I'm not a fan of mint.


I used basil grown in our own home garden, and I'm proud to enter this cupcake into this month's Grow Your Own roundup hosted by Amy of Playing House.

I love how the event logo looks just like the basil leaves on my cupcakes!

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Basil Recipe

I found the recipe for vegan chocolate cupcakes on Kylie's blog, The Baking Bird. She got the recipe from the cookbook La Dolce Vegan!. Below is a reprinting of the recipe adapted to cupcakes with the addition of basil.

Makes about 20 cupcakes

• 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 C flour
• 1 3/4 C sugar
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 C fresh basil leaves, packed firmly
  
• 1/2 cup soft or silken tofu
• 1 C soy milk
• 1 T apple cider vinegar
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 1/2 C oil
• 1/2 C water

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
   
2. In a food processor, chop basil finely.
3. Add the tofu, soy milk, vinegar, vanilla, and oil to the food processor and process until smooth.
4. Pour contents of the food processor into the bowl with the dry ingredients.
5. Add the water.
6. Stir together until fully combined.
7. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
8. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when touched.

The Frosting

I frosted the vegan chocolate cupcakes with vegan chocolate ganache.