Name: Coffee & Walnut Cupcakes
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Ingredients: 50 g of crushed walnuts; 250 g of plain flour; 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum (see notes below); 1/2 tsp of baking powder; 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda; 1/4 tsp of salt; 100 g of soft brown sugar; 100 g of caster sugar; 2 tsp of vanilla extract; 2 tbsp of instant coffee; 220 ml of dairy-free milk; 100 ml of a light oil such as vegetable oil; 1 vegan egg (see notes below); 1 tbsp of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar; 500 g of sieved icing sugar; 250 g of softened dairy-free butter; 2 tbsp of instant ground coffee; 1 1/2 tbsp of boiling water; 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

Who does not love a cupcake? I prefer these gorgeous individual delights much better than a slice of cake, especially when they are piled high with delicious frosting. The cake-to-frosting ratio is a much better deal.

Back in the day they were just buns or fairy cakes but I quite like the American name for them which is unusual for me. These one-size portions are just the right size of indulgence for me. These are

Soft
Delicious
Nutty
Coffee loaded
Fluffy
Moreish
Sweet

We all need a bit of sweetness in our lives

Storing your cupcakes

These can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months either unfrosted or frosted. Storing unfrosted is a much easier option though.

Ingredients Needed

Flour

For this recipe you need a gluten-free plain flour blend, this can be either homemade or a branded make. Make sure you check the ingredients if it is one you have bought. If xanthan gum is mentioned in the list of ingredients you do not have to add this separately also.

Sugar

I like to use a combination of both soft brown sugar and caster sugar as I find this gives the best results. Don’t be tempted to use dark brown sugar.

Coffee

To get the optimin Coffee flavour Either use a good quality instant granules with hot water or either Camp liquid coffee with no added water.

Vegan Egg

You have many choices here from. In this recipe the “egg” is not for the rise but for the moisture so it is easier to replace with a vegan alternative.

Flax Egg
Vegan powdered egg
Chia seeds
Crackd liquid vegan egg
Unsweetened apple sauce

Coffee & Walnut Cupcakes

Author: Karran Minchinton Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:British Courses:Cake, Dessert Recipe Keys:coffee cupcakes, vegan cupcakes, gluten-free cupcakes, coffee and walnut cupcakes

Difficulty:IntermediatePrep time: 15 minutesCook time: minutesRest time: 40 minutesTotal time:1 hour 20 minutesServings:12 servingsCalories: kcal Best Season:Available

Description

A gorgeous gluten-free and vegan cupcake. Delicious coffee sponge dotted with crushed roasted walnuts.

Instructions

You need a 12 hole muffin tin and cases for this recipe

Place the cupcake cases into the muffin tin.
In a cup add the instant granules in the sponge recipe and add the boiling water. Stir and leave to one side
To the milk add the lemon juice or ACV and stir. Leave to one side to curdle (turn to buttermilk).
In a large bowl sieve in the flour, salt, bicarb, baking powder and xanthan gum. Add both the sugars and stir through.
Next, add the oil, curdled milk and coffee to the dry ingredients, stir through thoroughly until combined. Add the crushed walnuts and stir through. Cover the cake batter and leave for 30 minutes before adding it to the cupcake cases. Leaving it to rest will eliminate any gritty texture of a gluten-free cake.
Preheat the oven to 180C/ Gas Mark 4
Once the batter has rested place equal amounts into each case and place the tin into the oven on the middle shelf. Bake for 25 minutes until well risen or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake.
Once baked leave in the tin for 20 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. While they are cooling it is time to make the coffee frosting.
If you are using an electric stand-alone mixer add all the ingredients to the bowl, if you have a cover put that on, also a good TIP is to cover your mixer with a clean tea towel. This stops your kitchen from being covered in icing sugar, always start on a slow speed. If beating by hand, start by creaming with a wooden spoon and once it is well combined use a whisk.
Once made I like to store it in the fridge for 30 minutes and then bring it to room temperature, especially in the warmer months.
Pipe or spread on your cupcakes and enjoy.

Notes

1. Check your flours ingredients, if it has xanthan gum already in its list of ingredients do not add extra.
2. Egg replacements that work well with this recipe are as follows. Flax egg, combine 1 tbsp of ground flaxseeds with 3 tbsp of warm water and combine, leave to one side to thicken for 5 minutes. Crackd Egg replacement add 3 tbsp of this to your batter. Powdered egg replacement, there are a few brands that make this such as Bob’s Red Mill, Orgran and many more. Just follow the manufacturer’s instructions. It comes down to preference as we all have a favourite.

Keywords:vegan coffee and walnut cupcakes, gluten free cupcakes, coffee & walnut cupcakes, vegan cakes

If you make this, don’t forget to tag me on Twitter as @veganalchemist1 or on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thegfveganalchemist I love seeing your versions of the recipes. I would love to hear your comments too.

Could you use a loaf tin instead of cupcake pans? If so, what’s your guesstimate on cooking time?

Coffee & Walnut Cupcakes