Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

This is an interesting twist on a regular chocolate cupcake.  The spices give a nice flavour without being too overpowering, and the coconut milk makes the whole things taste somehow richer and smoother.  Yum!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbs ground flaxseeds (linseeds)
• 3/4 cup plain flour (all-purpose flour)
• 2 tbs corn flour
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarb soda (baking soda)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil (I use almond oil)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (or essence)
• 1 tsp almond extract (or essence)

For topping:

• 1/2 cup icing sugar (confectioners/powdered sugar)
• 2 tbs cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 175c and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. Whisk together coconut milk and flaxseeds and allow to sit for 10mins.
3. In another bowl, sift together flour, almond meal, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb soda, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne.
4. Whisk together sugar, oil, vanilla, and almond extract into coconut milk mixture.  Gently add wet ingredients to dry.  Fill cupcake liners 3/4 of the way.  Bake for 22-25 mins until a knife or toothpick inserted through the centre of one comes out clean.  Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Topping:

Sift a layer of icing sugar onto the tops of the cooled cakes.  Then sift on cocoa, then lastly sift on a layer of cinnamon.

Source: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World – Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero