Coming Up Roses: Vegan Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes

Tomorrow is my good friend Aimee's birthday celebration.  In past years, we've gone on wine tasting trips to celebrate the joyous occasion.  This year, we're going to a brunch buffet at the Ritz Carlton.  Très luxurieux.  As if I didn't stuff my face enough on Thanksgiving.

Since there will only be five of us at the restaurant, I didn't want to make a full cake and opted for cupcakes instead.  Also, the flavor had to be simple, so no spiking the cupcakes with booze.  I turned to my dependable chocolate recipe and gave it a twist by frosting it with the delicious salted caramel frosting.  Luckily, I still had some Vegan dulce de leche left over, even though I've been drizzling it on top of waffles and ice cream.  Yum.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
(Yields 12-14 cupcakes)

Dry Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour 1/4 cup + 2 tbs Cocoa Powder 1 tbs Corn Starch 1 tsp Baking Soda 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 tsp Salt

Wet Ingredients: 2 tbs Soy Milk + 1 1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar 1 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer + 2 tbs Water 2 tbs Earth Balance 3/4 cup + 2 tbs Sugar 1/3 cup Canola Oil 1 cup Water 2 tbs Apple Sauce 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 320ºF.  Add vinegar to soy milk and reserve.  Stir egg replacer and 2 tbs water, reserve.  Sift together dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl.

Using an electric hand mixer, cream margarine in a large bowl.  Mix in sugar and oil to margarine.  Add egg replacer mixture, water, apple sauce, and vanilla to combine until smooth.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Lastly, fold in soy milk and vinegar mixture.  Fill cupcake liners with batter 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean.  Cool cupcakes on a rack.

Vegan Dulce de Leche

(Based on recipe by Everyday Dish TV)  

1 jar Brown Rice Syrup

1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar

2 tbs Earth Balance Vegan Margarine, melted

1/3 cup Soy Milk Powder

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Pinch Salt

Take lid off of brown rice syrup jar and warm in a hot water bath or microwave. Mix melted margarine, vanilla, salt and soy milk powder to create a paste.  When the brown rice syrup is warm, pour into a deep bowl and add brown sugar.  Using a hand immersion blender, beat syrup and sugar until dissolved.  Add soy powder mixture and beat until well incorporated.  Allow to cool.

Salted Caramel Frosting

1/4 cup Earth Balance Vegan Margarine
3/4 cup Earth Balance Natural Shortening
1/2 cup Dulce de Leche
2 tbs Soy Milk
3 cups Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Sea Salt

Using an electric hand mixer, cream margarine and shortening until light and fluffy.  Mix in dulce de leche and soy milk until well incorporated.  Add powdered sugar in stages.  Lastly, mix in vanilla and sea salt.