Chocolate-Avocado Vegan Cupcakes

I have seen several different recipes over the past year, that use avocado in place of the traditional butter and eggs when chocolate is involved.  This is one vegan recipe I couldn't resist.  It comes from Joy Wilson's Joy the Baker Cookbook.  I happened to have a just-ripe avocado sitting on the counter, waiting to be used.... normally I would have made guacamole with it, but since I have been doing so much running lately, I am craving sweets.

This looked like it would fill the bill... and did it ever!  Don't be worried if you see little bits of the avocado as your pour the batter into the muffin cups.  They will disappear as they bake. 

The Captain prefers plain cupcakes so I only frosted a few of them... you decide. They certainly do not need the frosting.  And I bet no one will know there is avocado in them unless you tell. 

Here is Joy's recipe.

Chocolate-Avocado Vegan Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup mashed ripe avocado (about half an avocado)
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 

1. Place rack in the upper third of the oven, and preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Line a cupcake pan with foil or paper liners.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk sugar, oil, avocado, water, vinegar, and vanilla.
5. Add the flour mixture to the avocado mixture and fold with a spatula until well combined.
6. The batter will be so loose that you can pour it into a measuring cup to dispense into the cupcake molds. Fill each cupcake liner until it’s about two-thirds full.
7. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
8.  Let cakes cool for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

I didn't care for the frosting recipe that accompanied these cupcakes so I made up one of my own... it lightly frosted only 4 of the cakes so you can alter the ingredients accordingly. If you want to stay with the vegan theme, use Earth Balance butter or a vegan margarine.

Elle's Mocha Frosting
Makes enough to frost 4 cupcakes

• 1-1/2 Tbs butter at room temperature
• 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup icing (powdered) sugar
• 1/4 tsp  vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cold coffee 

1. Cream butter with cocoa and icing sugar. 
2. Add vanilla and coffee and mix well.
3. If it is a bit dry add water, a drop or 2 at a time until it is the consistency you like.
4. Spread over 3 completely cooled cupcakes.

Per serving, without icing.
Weight Watchers P+ = 4.
Calories 153; Protein 2g; Carbohydrate 30g; Fat 3g; Fibre 1g.

Per serving, with icing.
Weight Watchers P+ = 7.
Calories 240; Protein 2g; Carbohydrate 42g; Fat 8g; Fibre 1g.

I like to use silicone liners because they don't stick.

Mix the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda together.

Combine the sugar, oil, avocado, vinegar, water and vanilla together.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold gently.

The batter makes 12 large cupcakes.  Allow the cooked cupcakes to cool a bit before removing from the baking tin.

Moist and delicious!  No frosting here.

Cream butter with cocoa and icing sugar.

Add wet ingredients and mix well.

Frosted and garnished with a bit of powdered sugar.

You decide!

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