Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Mousse Frosting
Recipes available in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World
These cupcakes are delicious. Including non-vegan and non-gluten-free cupcakes, I think these are near the top of the list for flavor and consistency.
For the chocolate cupcakes, I used the "Chocolate Gluten Freedom" recipe in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. The recipe calls for tapioca flour, ground flax seed, white rice flour, and quinoa flour. Thanks to Ocean State Job Lot's huge selection of Bob's Red Mill products, I was able to find every flour except quinoa. I happened to have 1/4 cup of Whole Foods' Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Mix on hand, so I substituted that for the quinoa flour. I suspect almond meal would work just as well.
Gluten-free cupcakes do not rise as much as gluten cupcakes (according to the book), so you can fill the cupcake tins almost to the top.
The frosting recipe I used is called "Chocolate Mousse Topping," and it is also found in the book. The base of the frosting is extra-firm silken tofu (like Mori-Nu, which is shelf stable). I found gluten free/vegan chocolate chips at my local grocery store in the gluten-free section. I thought about using Whole Foods' vegan chocolate chips because the ingredients appear to be gluten free, but because the package doesn't specifically say "gluten free," I decided against it.
Right from the blender, the frosting is pretty soft. It's the consistency of pudding right after you mix it up. Like pudding, the frosting becomes firmer after refrigeration. The recipe said to chill the mousse for an hour before serving. I did frost a couple of cakes after the mousse had chilled for an hour, but as you can see from the first photo at the top of this page, it was still quite soft.
It took several hours for the mousse to become properly firm for frosting. The second photo was taken several hours later, and you can see that the frosting holds its shape much better.
I love this recipe, and I think I'll continue to make it even for my gluten-eating friends. Many gluten-free baked goods have a jello-y consistency. They wobble when you shake the pans. These cupcakes are not like that. They are cake-y, as a cupcake should be. I am not a fan of overly sweet frosting, so this chocolate mousse hit the spot. It is light, fluffy, and not too sweet. I was thrilled with the results.
If you don't yet own a copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World, make sure to get your hands on one soon. Happy baking!
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