Okay, guys, it’s confession time.
I am not a big fan of vegan baking.
(sorry!)
From trying to find vegan margarine sticks (a wild goose chase) to figuring out what is the best egg replacement (Pumpkin? Applesauce? Flax seeds?), vegan baking has basically been an epic fail in our house.
Until we stumbled upon the Holy Grail of vegan cake recipes.
It is called Wacky Cake. Or Lenten Chocolate Cake. Or Vegan Chocolate Cake.
Or the Easiest, Tastiest Chocolate Cake Ever!
Basically, this cake recipe has been our saving grace during Vegetarianism 4.0!
While I love the traditional recipe, you all know how I love twists on classic recipes. My mom found a recipe for Lenten Double Chocolate Banana Muffins, I knew that I needed to try it out. Seriously, who does not love chocolate banana bread?
I slightly adapted the recipe, adding in some chopped pecans to add some crunch and texture to these super moist cupcakes! Because who doesn’t love banana muffins without nuts?
The batter starts with the dry ingredients.
Flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients together and set aside.
Then assemble the wet ingredients.
Throw two bananas into a large bowl and mash them with a fork. How well you mash them is completely up to you – I left some texture because I like chunks of banana running through my banana muffins. But if you like banana muffins without hunks of banana, go ahead and completely mash them until smooth.
The add in some sugar – granulated and brown.
And unsweetened applesauce – this is the egg replacer! A quick note – the original recipe calls for unsweetened applesauce. My grocery store did not have any applesauce labeled as “unsweetened” but has several types of “natural” applesauce… after a quick flip over to check out the nutrition label, several of the “natural” applesauces did not contain any added sugar (AKA unsweetened). So if you can’t find unsweetened applesauce, just look for the applesauce without any added sugar!
Splash in some water and white vinegar and then stir thoroughly to combine.
And add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
Stir together until just combined.
Then comes the important part – the chocolate chips! These are Ghirdelli semi-sweet mini chips, which are vegan (according to PETA’s website…). Add in almost all the chocolate chips and some chopped pecans (for the crunch).
Then, using an ice cream scoop, dish out even portions of batter into twelve cupcake cups that have been lined with cupcake liners.
Sprinkle over the extra chocolate chips and then pop the muffins into a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the muffins are done – a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Yum!
Let them cool slightly in the tins then transfer the muffins to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Then dig in!
The perfect vegan treat to accompany your morning coffee, afternoon tea, or midnight nightcap!
So, what’s your favorite vegan dessert? Let me know!
Your chocolate banana bread obsessed friend,
Catherine
- 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ripe bananas, peeled
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce - note: some unsweetened applesauces are labeled as "natural"
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, reserve about 1 tablespoon for garnish
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together to combine and set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss in the bananas. Using a fork, mash the bananas to the consistency you desire - I like my bananas with a little texture! Add in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, applesauce, water, and vinegar. Stir thoroughly to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir gently to combine. Add in almost all the chocolate chips (save one tablespoon) and the pecans. Stir to combine. Using an ice cream scoop, evenly dish out the batter into twelve cupcake wells. Sprinkle the extra chocolate chips over the top of the muffins.
- Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool slightly in the tins and remove them and then let them cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
- Enjoy!
YUM! Looks like a tasty and healthy Vegetarian/ Lenten recipe! Bananas and apple sauce are the magical ingredients!
The photos are fantastic, cupcake liners are so pretty!.Well done!
I haven’t had much experience with the whole vegan baking thing but I’m trying to experiment more in the kitchen and these look like they’re at the top of the list! They look absolutely delish. Pinned for later 😉