Name: Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Cashew Frosting
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Yield: 18
Cuisine: Plant-based
Ingredients: 1 cup raw cashews; ¾ cup water (for soaking cashews); 11⁄3 cups plant-based milk, divided; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 3 tablespoons vegan cane sugar; ¾ cup vegan dark chocolate chips (55% to 70% cacao); 2 tablespoons whole flaxseeds (or use pre-ground flaxseeds); 2½ cups quick cooking, gluten-free rolled oats; 11⁄3 cups vegan cane sugar; ¼ cup almond flour, plus more if needed; 1⁄3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 1½ teaspoons baking powder; ¼ teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon salt; 11⁄3 cups plant-based milk; 1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Jump to Recipe

Wow! That’s the reaction you’ll get when you serve Jazzy Vegetarian Laura Theodore’s divine vegan chocolate cupcakes. Packed with chocolatey flavor and topped with a decadent cashew-based frosting, they’re vegan and gluten-free, which means everyone can enjoy them.

Making a generous 18 cupcakes, these can serve as a festive alternative to a birthday cake, or any special occasion treat. Or really, any occasion when you’re craving a delectable treat.

Recipe is from Chef Laura Theodore’s Jazzy Vegetarian: Lively Vegan Cuisine That’s Easy and Delicious, 10th Anniversary edition © 2011/2022. Published by JV Media. Learn more about this wonderful book following the recipe box. Photo credit: Laura Theodore.

Laura Theodore is a recognized public television personality, 3-time TASTE award winning vegan chef, cookbook author, podcast radio host, and award-winning recording artist.

Tune in for the latest season of Laura’s vegan television show, Jazzy Vegetarian, airing nationally on the Create Network (check local listings) and listen to The Laura Theodore Podcast on Apple Podcasts. Visit Laura on the web at Jazzy Vegetarian.

Jazzy Vegetarian, 10th Anniversary edition, is available wherever books are sold or directly from Laura Theodore (signed copies!).

Explore more delectable vegan desserts by Laura Theodore …

Yield: 18

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Cashew Frosting

Wow! That’s the reaction you’ll get when you serve Jazzy Vegetarian Laura Theodore’s divine vegan chocolate cupcakes.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

Frosting

1 cup raw cashews
¾ cup water (for soaking cashews)
11⁄3 cups plant-based milk, divided
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons vegan cane sugar
¾ cup vegan dark chocolate chips (55% to 70% cacao)

Cupcakes

2 tablespoons whole flaxseeds (or use pre-ground flaxseeds)
2½ cups quick cooking, gluten-free rolled oats
11⁄3 cups vegan cane sugar
¼ cup almond flour, plus more if needed
1⁄3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
11⁄3 cups plant-based milk
1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

To make the frosting, combine the cashews and water into a bowl. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Drain the cashews and rinse in cold water.
Heat 1 cup plant-based milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until simmering.
Put the soaked cashews, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a blender, then add the chocolate chips. Pour in the simmering plant-based milk and process for about 20 seconds.
Add 1⁄3 cup cold plant-based milk and process until completely smooth. Refrigerate the frosting for 3 hours to firm up (either in the blender, if it fits in your fridge, or scrape into a bowl and cover).
Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a twelve-cup standard muffin tin and a six-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.
If using whole flaxseeds, put them in a high-performance blending appliance and process into fine flour. Transfer the flaxseed flour to a large bowl (otherwise simple place pre-ground flaxseeds in the bowl).
Put the rolled oats into the blender and process into fine flour. Add the oat flour, 11⁄3 cups sugar, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the flaxseed flour, and stir with a whisk to combine.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add 11⁄3 cups plant-based milk, 1⁄3 cup oil, and vanilla and stir to incorporate. (If the batter seems loose, add 1 more tablespoon almond flour.)
Divide the batter evenly among the 18 muffin cups. Bake for 32 to 37 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool completely. Pipe or spoon a generous amount of frosting over the top of each cupcake.

Notes

To store: Covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator, leftover cupcakes will keep for about 3 days.

More about Jazzy Vegetarian 10th Anniversary edition

Embrace healthful eating . . . one mouthwatering vegan recipe at a time! Viewers of the award-winning public television series, “Jazzy Vegetarian,” will now be able to cook their favorite plant-based dishes from the show with this exciting, new, revised and updated edition of Chef Laura Theodore’s most popular cookbook, “JAZZY VEGETARIAN: Lively Vegan Cuisine That’s Easy and Delicious!”

With over 120 dazzling vegan recipes, more full-color photos, and 25 new recipes from Season Ten of the highly successful PBS television series, this updated edition divulges Laura’s secrets for creating light, wholesome, and satisfying dishes that everyone can master.

From tips on how to be more efficient in the kitchen, to the best way to shop for organic produce, Laura’s passion for cooking is contagious and her dedication to a vegan lifestyle is motivational.