Gee golly do I love Valentine’s Day.

Is it just me or was it the best as a kid?
Everyone in your class would exchange cartoon valentine cards.
Boxes of conversation hearts were abundant.
Sugar highs started around breakfast and lasted ’til dinner.
And if you were lucky you got ‘asked out’ at recess and then nervously held hands with a little boy while running around the playground playing kickball.

Yeah, those were the days.

One of my favorite treats I remember getting for Valentine’s Day were the bakery-fresh chocolate cupcakes with mounds of fluffy, hot pink icing and sprinkles. Remember those? These cupcakes are my homage to that. Only they’re healthier. And vegan.

Look at how fluffy and gorgeous they turned out! And without eggs, people. Or butter!

I realize not everyone is going to attempt piping a buttercream rose on their cupcakes.
But hey, it was a special occasion so I went all out.
I do have a pretty special guy to celebrate V-day with these days.

I’m not a pastry chef or cake decorator by any stretch, so piping roses is totally doable for other amateur bakers out there. All it takes is some research [via youtube], a slanted frosting tip, frosting bags and a little practice.
These three were my first attempts and they turned out surprisingly well.

These cupcakes are perfect for your vegan or non-vegan sweetheart.
My taste testers couldn’t tell the difference between this and a traditional cupcake.
One even said they tasted like lucky charms! How fabulous is that?

Vegan Chocolate Valentine’s Day Cupcakes
makes 10 cupcakes

Ingredients
1 cup soy milk {I used vanilla}
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar {I subbed white}
scant 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt

Method | Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners. Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are OK).
Pour into liners, filling almost all the way full. Bake 20 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Vegan Buttercream Frosting
more than enough to frost 10 cupcakes

Ingredients
1/2 cup vegan butter {like earth balance}
scant 2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
20-40 drops red food coloring

Method | Beat the butter until fluffy in a large bowl so it doesn’t fly out. Add the sugar in batches and beat for about 3 more minutes. Add the vanilla and food coloring, and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.

Not only did the cupcakes turn out wonderfully, they tasted phenomenal! I don’t know why I’d ever bake a non-vegan cupcake again! The soy milk + vinegar mixture makes a creamy base for the batter, the cocoa powder gives them a rich chocolate flavor, and the oil keeps them unbelievably moist.

And the frosting? A taste of heaven.
It turns out looking beautiful and tasting amazing.
I could’ve licked the whole bowl by myself! Eek.

For a realistic ‘rose’ effect, I pinned some strips of green felt to the bottom of the cupcakes.
Clever, huh? I thought they turned out cute.  : )

Happy early Valentine’s Day, friends! I hope it’s lovely.
Enjoy these as much as me and my taste testers did!