Chocolate Cupcakes With Green Matcha Frosting (oil free)
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You know what goes really well together? Chocolate + Matcha.
And that's exactly what we have going on here today.
Not only is this a super fun recipe to make, but man is it delicious!
Fluffy vegan chocolate cupcakes with a tasty matcha latte frosting on top - refined oil free and refined sugar free to top it all of!
matcha latte frosting? Say whattt?
Okay so maybe I'm reaching a little bit calling this frosting a matcha latte - but hear me out. The frosting has matcha, and almond milk, and tastes like what I believe a sweet sweet matcha latte in frosting form would taste like - so yea, matcha latte frosting was born. 😛
The matcha I use is this brand that I buy off of Amazon and it works very well in baked goods. I used this same matcha powder to make the best pomegranate matcha cake ever, which is also another favorite at our home.
The cupcake base is made using spelt flour (affiliate link) - and if you've been around here for a while you probably know I love this stuff...
I make all sorts of yummay spelt flour goodies such as these homemade fluffy spelt vegan pita breads and these fluffy spelt breakfast vegan pancakes
I make basically all of my non-gluten free baked goods using spelt flour.
It's an ancient whole grain and it's also alkaline-forming, which is always a plus in my book. (Please note spelt flour is *not* gluten free)
let's talk vegan fluffy chocolate oil free cupcakes:
The cupcake base is pretty easy and straightforward to make. Add all ingredients together to form a 'pourable' batter (think pancake batter) and pour into cupcake molds leaving a little bit of room up top for expansion.
Mine usually are ready at the 20 minute mark, but as ovens vary, yours might take five minutes give or take longer/shorter than mine. I always give them a quick check with a toothpick - if it comes out nice and dry that means cupcakes are ready.. however if there is wet cupcake batter stuck to it, it usually means cupcakes can cook for a little while longer.
Once you remove cupcakes from the oven let them cool completely before serving. The cupcakes will continue to 'cook' as they cool down so it is important to *not* skip this step.
As far as the matcha latte oil free frosting goes:
Since we are not using oil, this cashew based frosting tends to melt a lot faster at room temperature vs traditional frosting which has a ton of oil and powered sugar (usually) to help it keep it's shape.
No need to fear though. I found a helpful trick that works like a charm. If you want stiff frosting that will not melt then I highly highly recommend that you make the frosting the night before and let the frosting sit inside a piping bag in the fridge overnight.
The next morning the frosting will be much thicker and you'll get the most perfect healthy-frosting-swirls instagram has ever seen. 😛
Make sure to keep the frosting in an airtight container so that the color is not affected. As you can see in my pictures, the frosting kept it's color AND it's beautiful swirly shape throughout the photographic session.
If I had not let the frosting sit in the fridge overnight, these pictures would show a terrible melty-frosting mess.
Making the frosting the night before is a win-win, because then you have half of the recipe ready to go and the swirls will hold their shape but of course this is not necessary.
If you do not mind having slightly melted frosting feel free to serve on the same day.
What are these cupcakes good for:
- St. Patrick's Day because GREEN FROSTING!
- ANY given day of the week because - chocolate cupcakes!
- Something fun and colorful (and healthy) to do with your kiddos. Don't worry they won't know it's healthy.
Want to see more healthy vegan dessert recipes?
- Rose Pink Donuts With Pitaya Cashew Frosting
- Warm Cinnamon Pear Pudding With Cardamom Caramel
- Vegan Baked Strawberry Cheesecake Pie
with love + gratitude,
Jen ♥
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Kitchen Gadgets I used to make this recipe:
Chocolate Cupcakes With Matcha Latte Frosting
The mosttt delicious chocolate cupcakes with a tasty green matcha frosting on top – refined sugar free and refined oil free! Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 9 cupcakes 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: baking
Ingredients
- 1 cup spelt flour (135g)
- 1 cup almond milk (212g)
- 1/4 cup cacao powder (31g)
- 1/4 cup almond butter (60g)
- 1/4 cup agave or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring (6g)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (5g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (4g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (3g)
- pinch of salt
For frosting:
- 1 cup soaked cashews (130g)
- 1/3 cup melted coconut butter (66g)
- 1/4 cup almond milk (42g)
- 1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup (16g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring (6g)
- 1 teaspoon green matcha powder (3g) – I use this brand.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Combine all dry ingredients (spelt flour, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in a large mixing bowl and combine.
- Mix wet ingredients (almond milk, almond butter, agave, vanilla flavoring, and apple cider vinegar) in a small bowl and combine until smooth. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until you have a wet batter.
- Using a cupcake baking pan covered with cupcake liners (I use these non-bleached ones) pour about 1/4 cup of batter into each mold, leaving room up top for expansion.
- Bake at 350F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Make the frosting: Add all ingredients (except the coconut butter) to a blender and combine until smooth. Then add coconut butter last and blend until smooth. The reason I like adding the coconut butter last is because if the milk is cold, it will turn the coconut butter into a solid and it will make the blender work much harder. If you add it last once everything is already blended, then the blender doesn’t have to work as hard.
- Add the frosting mixture to an icing bag (like this one) and set in the freezer for 10 to 20 minutes or until solid enough to form a frosting. I actually prefer to leave it overnight in the fridge, and the next day the frosting holds up very well on the cupcakes – however this isn’t necessary. Read the notes for more information.
- Serve the frosting on the cupcakes once the cupcakes are cool to the touch (or else the frosting will melt). Enjoy!
Notes
- I like to let the frosting sit in the fridge overnight so that it can be very thick and hold up it’s shape better on the cupcakes, so I always make the frosting the night before I plan on making the cupcakes. Also remember to serve the frosting once cupcakes are cool to the touch (I even place the cupcakes in the fridge as an extra measure). Remember since we are not using oil, this frosting is very heat sensitive and will begin to melt in room temperature – BUT if you let the frosting sit in the fridge overnight this won’t happen. As you can see I was able to photograph these cupcakes without the frosting melting – it actually held up it’s shape very well. 🙂
Keywords: vegan, healthy, desserts, chocolate, cupcakes, oil free, spelt flour, matcha,
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