Hi Hat cupcakes (Dairy free)

Happy New Year! I know, I know I am a little late but better late than never. Heres a sweet way to start your new year. I was scrolling through pinterest and these lovely cupcakes caught my eye! How couldn't they? They looked like chocolate covered goodness. click here to see

They seriously looked amazing and as soon as my husbands eye got a hold of the image it was a done deal we were making these TONIGHT! I got a KitchenAid mixer for Christmas and my honey is literally sweet talking me into making  bad for my body but good for my taste buds treats. I will never lose my baby weight at this rate.

Well heres my take on them dairy free of course. The link above seriously only served as inspiration as we did not use their cupcake recipe or the meringue recipe listed either. After reading the BAD reviews the recipe had I decided to stick to stuff that has worked for me in the past. So here is the break down.

The finished product! 

Lets begin!


These do require refrigeration of at least 2 hours before indulging! So plan ahead.


Vegan Chocolate Cupcake
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar (I use organic cane sugar)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil ( I used canola)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add the oil, vanilla, vinegar and water. Mix together until smooth.
3. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

I used the recipe above divided it into 12 cupcakes and baked for 20-25 minutes. 

Fluffy Meringue Frosting 

Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar ( We use organic cane sugar)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional, our own addition but I think it adds something to the icing)

Directions

1. In a saucepan, stir together the sugar, water and cream of tartar. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbly.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whip the egg whites and vanilla to soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar mixture while whipping constantly until stiff peaks form, about 7 to 10 minutes. 
3. Transfer frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain pastry tip. Leaving a 1/8-inch border on each cupcake, pipe a spiral of frosting into a 2-inch-high cone shape, using about 1/2 cup of frosting per cupcake. Transfer cupcakes to a baking sheet, and refrigerate while preparing the chocolate coating.

We tried the original recipe listed on the Martha Stewart page and it was a total fail. I think 1/4 teaspoon of almond was just right. Anything more would have been way too much almond flavor. I still dont have a pastry bag but it is on my to buy list so I used a handy dandy zip lock bag haha. :D

For The Chocolate Coating

• 2 cups chopped (about 12 ounces) semisweet chocolate ( We used Enjoy Life Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips Dairy/Gluten/Soy free)
• 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• 
  

1. Prepare the chocolate coating: Combine chocolate and oil in a medium heat-proof bowl set over a medium saucepan of barely simmering water; stir until melted and smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, and let cool about 15 minutes.
2. Holding each cupcake by its bottom, dip cupcake in the chocolate to coat frosting, allowing excess to drip off. Transfer to a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Spoon more coating around edge of cupcake and any exposed frosting; none of the frosting should show. Let cupcakes stand at room temperature 15 minutes.
3. Carefully remove paper liners from cupcakes, and discard. Place cupcakes on a serving platter, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to let coating set. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours more. Serve cold. Cupcakes can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

We ended up having to drizzle the coating

Yumm

Is your mouth watering yet?

Perfect!

A few tips:

• Make sure your egg whites are stiff before adding sugar mixture.
• Transfer chocolate coating too a wide deep cup to dip properly. I didn't do this but will next time. 
• I think next time I will leave the liners on so my cupcakes dont dry out. Ill just try to not make such a mess. 

Now how did they taste? Well as amazing as they look. When you bite into that hard chocolate coat and into the icing, it was like bitting into those chocolate covered marshmallow pops. The combo of that and the cupcake was just amazing!

Let me know if you tried them. I would love to know. I have been experimenting with a variety of cupcakes lately I still haven't decided if I am going to try and bake a cake for Isaacs first birthday or if I am going to do a variety of cupcakes. Any suggestions?

By the way my Izzy Bear is 8 whole months can you believe it? I can't, wow, time is flying!

Isaac and my niece Jasslyn she is 4 months