Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

These are just like a pint of the dark stuff. Bittersweet, rich and fudgy chocolate cupcakes with a sweet, creamy frosting. If you are a fan of dark chocolate, you’ll love these. The Guinness in the recipe reacts with the baking soda to make the cake rise, as well as adding dark, delicious, malty flavours. So good! The perfect treat for St Patrick’s Day.

Liz x

Ingredients (makes 12)

Cake:

  • 150g flour
  • 50g cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 100g sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 50ml oil
  • 250ml Guinness

Icing:

  • 50g butter (room temperature)
  • 100g cream cheese
  • 100g icing sugar (sieved)

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 175C and line a muffin tin with 12 cases.
  2. Mix the dry cake ingredients together in a bowl to evenly disperse the baking soda, then stir in the oil and the Guinness. Stir into a smooth batter, but do not over-mix.
  3. Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake cases and bake for 12-15 minutes until risen. An inserted skewer should come out clean. After a few minutes, carefully move the cupcakes to a cooling rack.
  4. To make the icing, whisk the softened butter with the cream cheese until smooth. Then add the sieved icing sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Whisk the first tablespoon in until creamy and smooth before adding another tablespoon and whisking in again. Repeat until all the sugar is incorporated and the icing is fluffy and creamy.
  5. Allow the cupcakes to completely cool before icing. Enjoy!

Chocolate Celebration Cake

It’s our 15 year business-birthday and this classic chocolate cake recipe is the one I roll out for all our human-birthdays, so I thought I’d share it with you this week. It makes the best cupcakes too! I love having this recipe up my sleeve, it’s very simple to put together and completely indistinguishable from cakes containing eggs and dairy. The recipe is easy to switch to a vanilla cake too if you’re not in the mood for chocolate. Simply replace the cacao powder in the sponge with more flour and in the buttercream icing with more icing sugar and add some vanilla essence. Easy!

Liz x

Ingredients

  • 1 & 1/2 mugs plain flour
  • 1/2 mug cacao powder (replace with plain flour & 2 tsp vanilla if making vanilla sponge)
  • 1 mug caster sugar (or our whole cane sugar works well in a chocolate cake here too)
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 mug oat milk (of any milk you like)
  • 1/2 mug oil (neutral sunflower or rapeseed oil work well)
  • 1 tsp cider vinegar
  • 150g butter
  • 450g icing sugar
  • 50g cacao powder (replace with 50g icing sugar if making vanilla icing)
  • 2 tbsp oat milk (replace with 1 tbsp vanilla if making vanilla icing)

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 175C fan and line two sandwich tins with baking parchment (or pop 12 large cup cake cases into a muffin tin).
  2. Measure the flour, cacao powder, caster sugar, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
  3. Add the oat milk, oil and vinegar and whisk until you have a smooth, shiny batter. Do not over-mix though as this can make the cake come out a little tough!
  4. Divide the batter into the two tins (or into the 12 muffin cases) and bake until risen and cooked through. In 2 cake tins this takes 20 minutes or so, 1 deeper cake takes about 30-40 minutes, in muffin cases this takes about 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on the cakes – they are cooked when an inserted skewer comes out clean.
  5. Let the cakes cool slightly in the tins before carefully removing them onto a cooling rack.      Allow the cakes to cool completely before icing. 
  6. Measure the butter into a large mixing bowl, let it come to room temperature and soften slightly.
  7. Sieve the icing sugar and cacao powder in the bowl then mash into the butter with a fork. This step just stops icing sugar from flying around your kitchen when you whisk it.
  8. Add the oat milk and whisk with an electric whisk until light, fluffy and creamy. You may need to add a touch more oat milk but be careful! Add just a tiny amount at a time, too much milk will make the icing too runny to spread.
  9. Spread the icing on the cake however you like. Use a palette knife or a piping bag and decorate to your liking. I like the combination of chocolate and raspberries so always add lots of fresh, juicy berries to my chocolate cakes. 
  10. Enjoy a big slice with a hot drink. The cake stays fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for 4-5 days. It freezes well for up to 3 months.

Easter Feasting

Celebrate spring with some bright fresh flavours, have an Easter feast and bake some treats with the kids. There are loads of ideas up on the blog now. Let me point you in the direction of some delicious dishes which will work perfectly this Easter. Liz x

Hot Cross Buns

Homemade hot cross buns are always better! Try my plant based recipe.

Courgette Risotto

My courgette risotto is a celebration of this delicate green vegetable – there are silky soft, slowly simmered pieces and fresh raw ribbons to tantalise your tastebuds. Swirl through some of my low waste salad bag pesto and scatter over some crunchy toasted hazelnuts…heaven!

Devilled ‘Eggs’

After something Easter eggy with out the egg? Try these fun little devilled ‘eggs’ made with quick picked mushrooms and a vibrant yolky chickpea mixture.

Leek and Thyme Tarte Tatin

Leeks are in season now and this sophisticated dish is deceptively simple to make. Find the easy recipe here.

Shortbread Biscuits

Make an egg shaped batch of my easy as 1,2,3 shortbread and have fun decorating. I added the zest of a lemon to the dough and used the juice for icing. Just stir in enough icing sugar to make a thick paste, then split the icing into two bowls and add turmeric to one for a natural food colouring – make chicks, eggs, daffodils, daisies… Allow the icing to harden and set before storing in a biscuit tin.

Flourless Black Bean Chocolate Cake

Prefer your Easter chocolates in the shape of a cake? Why not melt down any unwanted eggs and make this flourless, fudgey cake?

Spring Sunday Roast

Lemon and herb roast veg, spring cabbage, a beetroot and butterbean loaf and gravy. A vibrant roast perfect for Easter Sunday!

Lentil Pie with Colcannon Mash

Forgo the sacrificial lamb and make this hearty lentil pie instead? It’s packed full of flavour and veggies and is a satisfying family friendly meal. Serve with seasonal greens. I always make a big batch and pop one in the freezer for a rainy day.

Raw Carrot Cake

The Easter Bunny’s favourite dessert? Try my raw recipe, it’s delicious!