Easy Indulgent Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

• Preheat oven to 350º F

  Prepare muffin tin with 12 paper cups.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, add the cocoa powder, water, and milk and stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Add the butter and stir until melted. 
• Egg Replacer: Aquafaba is the water (aqua) from beans (faba) in this case chickpeas. This is a good choice for an egg replacer for this particular recipe, but you can use your favourite egg replacer instead (I've used Bob's Red Mill egg replacer - 1 egg).
• Whisk in the sugar and vanilla. Froth the aquafaba (by shaking it in a jar) then stir to incorporate it into chocolate mixture.
• Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl: flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in the bowl. Stir to incorporate.
• Spoon the batter to fill the muffin cups ¾ full. Place in pre-heated oven for 17-19 minutes. They are ready when a toothpick comes out clean.
• Transfer to cooling rack.

Chocolate Frosting

• While the cupcakes are baking/cooling, make the frosting.
• Remove butter from fridge.
• Melt chocolate in the microwave in short increments, stirring each time. Or melt using stove stop method in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
• Using a hand mixer, cream together the room-temperature butter, melted (cooled) chocolate, and cocoa until soft and creamy.
• In a small dish, combine the vanilla and coffee granules and then mix it into the butter-chocolate mixture.
• Add the icing sugar ½ a cup at a time, beating on medium until combined.

  If necessary, add up to 2 tablespoons of plant-based milk to thin the icing.
• Once the cupcakes are cool, frost each with the chocolate icing.
• I used a Wilton 1M tip for these cupcakes using this technique. 

  But I've used lots of different tips over the years and have also just swirled the icing around with the back of a spoon with beautiful results.
• Sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips or some sprinkles over top to garnish.