Sometimes my cakes or cupcakes don’t turn out… And by sometimes I mean way more often than it should… But when life gives you lemons, or in this case sunken cupcakes, you make lemonade! (Or in this case, cake bites!) And to be honest, I’m kind of in love with how they turned out.
They’re legit chocolate (not the watered down stuff you sometimes get) and yet, they’re not too sweet. The creamy ganache melts away as the sweet, rich, chocolate buttercream and cake unfold and fills a void in your life you never knew you had. You’re welcome.
So try them!
Ingredients:
Cake Batter:
1/2 c vegan butter, softened
1/2 c dutch processed cocoa powder, or whatever kind of cocoa powder you want
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
7 tbsp aquafaba*
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c plant based milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Notes:
* If you want, you can chill a can of full fat coconut milk in the fridge overnight, and use 3 tbsp of the coconut milk fat and reduce the amount of aquafaba to 5 tbsp
Chocolate Buttercream:
1/2 c vegan butter, softened, but still cold
1/4 c coca powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt, optional
2-3 c powdered sugar
Chocolate Ganche:
8 oz chocolate (use whatever kind of vegan chocolate/chips you want)
1 can full fat coconut milk (do not chill it)
1/4 c - 1 c powdered sugar, optional
Directions:
Cake Batter:
Line your cupcake pan with liners or spray two 9x9 inch or 3 8x8 inch pans with oil and line with granulated sugar or cocoa powder and set aside
Heat your oven to 350 degrees F
In a small bowl, whisk the plant based milk and apple cider vinegar together and set aside to curdle (about 10 minutes)
In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together
In a mixing bowl, cream the vegan butter until it’s light and fluffy
Add in the granulated sugar and cream it in with the butter until it’s light and creamy looking
Add in half of the dry ingredients to the sugar and butter mixture and mix on the lowest setting until halfway combined
Add in half of the buttermilk and mix until about halfway combined
Add in the rest of the dry ingredients and the buttermilk and mix until the batter is just combined
Pour the batter into your cupcakes liners or cake pans
Bake:
For cupcakes bake 15 - 20 minutes
For cake pans, bake 35 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few crumbs on it
Let the cakes/cupcakes cool completely
Make the buttercream frosting*
In a bowl, combine a small amount (~1/3 c) of the buttercream to the cake crumbs and mix (it’s easiest to use your hands btw)
Press the mixture together to see if it needs more frosting or is good to go (if there are crumbs falling off, or it’s super crumbly in general, add some more frosting, but don’t add too much otherwise it won’t set properly and will be too soft)
Press the batter into whatever molds you want (I used square molds that I got from Hobby Lobby)
Put the molds in the fridge for about 1 hour or until the cake bites are set
Make the ganache**
Place the cake bites on a cooling wrack over a pan (to catch the overflow) or put them on silicone or wax paper on a baking sheet
Pour the ganache over the cake bites until all sides are covered completely
Place the cake bites in the fridge for about 30 minutes
Keep them in an airtight container for up to two weeks and enjoy!
*Chocolate Buttercream:
In a bowl, cream the butter until it’s light and fluffy
Add in the salt and vanilla and cream together
Add in the cocoa powder and cream until fully combined
Slowly add in the powdered sugar adding in about 1/2 c at a time and cream together
You know you have enough powdered sugar when the buttercream is still smooth when mixing, but thick enough to stay in the shape you want
Add it to the cake crumbs a little at a time until you have the right consistency
**Chocolate Ganache:
Measure out your chocolate in a bowl and set aside
Pour your can of full fat coconut milk into a saucepan and place on the stove over medium heat
Stir occasionally, os the milk doesn’t burn, and let it warm up until you see steam coming off of the milk
Once you see the steam, take the coconut milk off of the stove and pour it over the chocolate
Stir the mixture until everything is melted and well combined
Add in the powdered sugar, optional, and mix until completely combined
Transfer the ganache into a pourable cup or container
Pour it over the cake bites and let it set in the fridge (it will be soft no matter how long you let it set, so keep that in mind)
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