Vegan Chocolate Sponge Cupcakes:

CHOCOLATE AND PEANUT BUTTER CUPCAKES:

I'm not a very big dessert person, but I love anything sweet and savory, especially chocolate and peanut butter together. These cupcakes are really good, just be careful when baking them. You want them to have a spongy texture. I baked them on 400 for 10 minutes, but they turned out a little dry. I think that cooking them on 350 for 13 to 15 minutes will keep them moist and spongy.

Also, use caramel if you want to achieve a sweeter taste. The cupcakes are delicious once they've cooled off a little, but the melted peanut butter is sticky when melted. If you still would like to use peanut butter and don't want it to stick to the roof of your mouth, refrigerate the cupcakes for at least 30 minutes.

Other ideas: use all brown sugar instead of white, or sub 1/2 cup of wheat flour for the 1/2 cup of all purpose flour for a healthier outcome (I've done this with chocolate spongecake before, and I think that it actually turned out a little better).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup olive or canola oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. agave syrup (optional)
1/2 cup peanut butter (or vegan caramel), melted
Dash of salt


Makes 12 cupcakes.
Total cook time: 25 minutes.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all of the ingredients (except the peanut butter) in a large mixing bowl.

2. Once the batter has reached a smooth consistency, add it to the cupcake pan. Make sure that you leave a little room for the peanut butter on top.

3. After you've added the batter to the cupcake pan, sprinkle the tops of the cupcakes with the melted peanut butter or caramel. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes. If using peanut butter, let the cupcakes cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.