October 14, 2019

Black, Bleeding Vegan Halloween Cupcakes

The nights are getting longer and colder, and the snap of October brings the first of winter’s frosts. But before the dark and cold nights of winter take hold, we’ve got another stop to make- this one just as dark, but a whole lot more fun. It’s Halloween! There are lots of ways to celebrate Halloween, from parties to trick or treating and costumes, but I’m going to celebrate with vegan Halloween cupcakes! These jet-black cupcakes are filled with a bleeding heart and topped with a decorative spider. On the taste level, these are actually vegan vanilla cupcakes, sweet, soft, and airy, filled with raspberry jam and topped with a vanilla buttercream. Although the look of these cupcakes might scare some, everyone will love their vanilla and raspberry flavor.

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The Magic of Halloween

I LOVE Halloween- cobwebs, candlelight and ghosts are the greatest! I went trick or treating until I was in my late teenage years, and it never lost the magic. I mean, free candy, dressing up, and hanging out with friends wasn’t something I grew out of quickly. In fact, the holiday might have appealed to me more in my teenage years than it did when I was younger. It was wonderful to have a holiday that didn’t seem to have any religious or moral backdrop, and was instead celebrating the dark, evil, and creepy. And as a moody, brooding teenager, that was something I needed in my life- even if I participated in it dressed as Cinderella.

Activated Charcoal: The Secret of Vegan Black Cupcakes

First things first- activated charcoal is not the same as brick charcoal, so make sure that the charcoal you get is activated and food grade. The internet is a great place to find activated charcoal, but you also may find it at health food stores. A year or two ago, activated charcoal became all the rage- from being used as a tooth whitener, to face masks, to being added to ice cream, to medicinal capsules, to charcoal and kale juice, to medical use in poisoning cases, activated charcoal has really crept into all aspects of our lives. And there is something to some of it- activated charcoal is negatively charged, and will bind to different positively charged gasses and chemicals, preventing it from being absorbed by the body. Most other claims (tooth whitening, skin treatments) are only anecdotal, and not currently supported by science. Since reversing poisoning isn’t a normal part of my everyday life though, I tend to appreciate activated charcoal best for it’s visual appearance- there is something so striking about the pitch black color.

Caution: In the same way activated charcoal can be used to prevent poisoning, it also may interfere with some medications. If you are taking medication, check with your doctor before consuming products that contain activated charcoal.

Trick or Treat? Vegan Trick or Treat Options

I always have trouble trying what to do for Halloween and trick or treating- I don’t have kids, so there’s less pressure to participate. I have some years just turned off my porch light (don’t judge me!) but there are increasingly more vegan options for trick or treater. Here are a few ideas for you this Halloween

Microwave popcorn or chips
Snack-sized Oreos or Nutter Butters
Unreal Candies
No Whey Candies
Accidentally Vegan candies, such as Swedish Fish, Airheads, and Twizzlers
Non-Food options, like Spider Rings or Glow Sticks

Perfect Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

Looking at it, you wouldn’t guess, but these are actually pretty perfect vegan vanilla cupcakes. They’re sweet, but not too sweet, soft and fluffy, and filled with vanilla flavor. I developed this recipe after trying a few recipes that were just far to sweet- especially if you’re going to pile vegan buttercream on top, and who eats cupcakes without icing? I was originally going to make chocolate cupcakes (makes a lot more sense, with the black color), but my boyfriend isn’t a chocolate type of guy, so I switched it up. Plus, I sort of liked the idea that these pitch black cupcakes were flavored more or less the last flavor you’d expect- a nice Halloween trick!

Making Vegan Halloween Cupcakes

These vegan vanilla cupcakes aren’t too difficult, if you’re someone who enjoys baking. We use a vegan buttermilk for this recipe- it’s a simple trick, actually, where soymilk is mixed with a little bit of an acid substance (in this case, distilled vinegar), which curdles the soymilk, giving it the somewhat sour, chunkiness of buttermilk. You can use other types of plant-based milk too, but some will work better than others. I was recently really surprised to see how well flax milk curdles, so that’s a great alternative if you’re trying to avoid soy. Aside from that, it’s just the usual mix and bake to get these cupcakes done.

Once the vegan black cupcakes are cooled, we added some raspberry jam in the middle to create our “bleeding” effect. To do that, just use a knife to cut a 1-inch diameter circle in the middle of the cupcake, angling the knife in so the piece you cut looks like a cone. Pinch the bottom off the cone (so you’re just left with the disk that was on the surface of the cupcake). Fill the hole you created with jam, and then gently press the disk back on top of the jam. Don’t press too hard, or you’ll have a jam-volcano! Then frost over the top so the hole you made is totally covered over.

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Making Vegan Buttercream

This vegan buttercream is a variation on the version I made for my chocolate vegan wedding cake recipe. One obvious difference is that buttercream was white (because wedding cake) and this one is totally black- thanks activated charcoal! The other big change I made was I used part vegan butter, part vegetable shortening (instead of the entirely vegetable shortening version I did in the original version). Because this buttercream on these Halloween vegan cupcakes doesn’t need to withstand heat and hold up giant cake tiers like the wedding cake version, it can take the softer, more water-saturated vegan butter. Adding the butter gives the frosting a better flavor, and tones down the sweetness of the buttercream a little. The secret to good frosting (in my opinion) is letting it mix for a while, and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl often. Other than that, it’s a piece of cake!

Black, Bleeding Vegan Halloween Cupcakes

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Black, Bleeding Vegan Halloween Cupcakes

Ingredients

2/3 cup soymilk (or other plant-based milk)
1 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cane sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tbsp. activated charcoal
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 tbsp. aquafaba (liquid from chickpea can)
1/3 cup water
2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 tbsp. raspberry jam

For the Frosting

¼ cup vegan butter at room temperature
¼ cup vegetable shortening
3 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp. activated charcoal
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tbsp. soymilk (or other plant-based milk)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 12 cupcake wells with paper cupcake cups and set aside. Add the soymilk and vinegar in a cup, and stir. Set aside.
Sift the flour, and add to a large mixing bowl along with the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, activated charcoal and salt. Whisk well, then add the soymilk, vegetable oil, aquafaba, water, and vanilla, and combine. Fill the cupcake cups most of the way to the top, and bake for around 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Once they’re baked, take out of the oven and allow to cool fully.
Once the cupcakes are cooled, use a sharp knife to cut a circle in the middle of each cupcake, about one inch in diameter. Inside the hollow, spoon about ½ tablespoon of raspberry jelly, and the gently press the top of the cupcake back over the jelly. Complete with every cupcake, and store into the fridge until ready to frost.
Make the frosting by adding the vegan butter and vegetable shortening to a stand mixer. Slowly add the activated charcoal and powdered sugar, until well combined. Next add the vanilla and soymilk, one tablespoon at a time, until it’s reached the right texture.
Use a piping bag to pipe the frosting over the tops of the cupcakes, making sure to cover the cut part housing the jelly. For an extra Halloween touch, top with a decorative plastic spider ring! Store in the refrigerator until serving.

https://veryveganval.com/2019/10/14/black-bleeding-vegan-halloween-cupcakes/

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