Back in my kitchen this weekend, and I'd offered to bake to contribute to a Free Cakes For Kids table top bake sale. Having a child with multiple food allergies, and a mother-in-love (we're not married, so there's no law involved) who avoids gluten, I'm very aware that potential buyers with special dietary requirements are all too often overlooked at these kind of events, so I decided to fix that, atleast for this bake sale.
I've found that with my son being allergic to both cow's milk protein and eggs, that it is easier to search for vegan recipes when I'm looking to bake for him. This bake therefore, as well as being vegan, is free from dairy, eggs, soya and nuts. It's my own recipe adapted from ones that I've used over the years.
These yummy cupcakes are a chocolate & Oreo sponge bases, with vanilla & Oreo frosting, topped with 1/2 an Oreo cookie.
I find that vegan cupcakes are more prone to coming away from the case than regular sponges, so I prefer to bake in a more rigid cardboard case. These ones are square, and slightly larger than a regular muffin case.
Ingredients (Makes 12)
200ml (3/4cup + 1tbsp) chocolate coconut milk (can use oat, rice or soya)
20ml (4tsp) cider vinegar
200g (1+3/4cups) self raising flour
200g (1 cup) caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1/4 tsp baking powder
85ml (1/3cup) light rapeseed or sunflower oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 packet Oreo cookies, crushed
Method
1) In a small bowl or jug, mix together the chocolate milk and the cider vinegar, and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile follow steps 2 & 3.
2) Preheat the oven to 180c/350f/GM4, and line a 12 hole muffin tray with cases. If using cardboard baking cups stand them on a baking tray.
3) In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, soda and baking powder.
4) Add the milk mixture, oil and vanilla and quickly mix together until the ingredients are just combined.
5) Fold in the crushed Oreo cookies.
6) Spoon the mixture into the cases, filling each one half way full.
7) Tap the tray on the work surface a few times to pop any bubbles in the mixture.
8) Bake in the centre of the oven for 15-20 minutes, until a skewer/cocktail stick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Depending on your oven this could take longer, so start with 15 minutes, give the tray a gentle shake and if there's any wobble in the cake check again 5 minutes later, once the wobble has gone start checking with a skewer.
9) Remove from the oven, put the tray on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, and then transfer the cakes to the rack to cool completely.
Oreo Frosting Ingredients
250g (9oz) Trex (vegetable shortening)
500g (1lb2oz) Icing sugar (confectioners sugar)
1tsp vanilla extract
1 pack Oreo cookies, crushed
Coconut Milk (quantity as needed) can use soya, oat or rice milk if preferred
Method
In a mixing bowl, use and electric mixer to combine the Trex, sugar and vanilla, gradually adding milk 1tbsp at a time until a piping consistency is reached.
Personally, I find that the mix stops gathering up inside and around the mixer arms once it's at the right consistency.
Fold in the Oreo crumbs with a spatula ensuring an even distribution.
To pipe, choose your nozzle and fit it in your bag. I used a 1M large open star nozzle for the cakes pictured. I piped by starting with a small peak in the centre, then spiralling from one corner round the outside and upwards over the initial peak. I piped in a wave pattern to add texture, but you could use any piping technique, or just use a spatula to spread frosting on top.
Once the frosting is done, take another pack of Oreo cookies and gently cut them in half. Press one half into the frosting on top of each cake, and you're done!
Variations
You can swap the Oreos for any other biscuit you'd like to use.
Swap the chocolate milk for regular milk for a plain vanilla base.
Add 2-3tsp in stand coffee granules to the milk for a mocha or coffee flavour base.
Just experiment! My favourite way is to make a recipe the way it's written the first time, then fiddle with it the second.
Enjoy!
How many oreos is in 1 packet? I assume in the U.S. there are more to a package than in the UK.
ReplyDeleteHi Antonia, the ones I used had 10 cookies per pack.
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