cardamom cupcakes with chocolate frosting

I’m turning 25 this week. I haven’t really decided what my quarter life crisis is going to be about yet, but I’ll be sure to let you know when it happens. Last week I baked three batches of chocolate chunk ginger cookies and they didn’t turn out but I’m not sure that’s dramatic enough.

Don’t worry you guys, I promise my life is actually harder than my cookies not turning out or scheming out my next cake flavor combination. I’m currently dreaming up something with blood oranges for next week. It’s gotta be good though, because those puppies are expensive.

I was going to replace the “s” in expensive with a “$” but I decided that was too immature. I’m 25 now guys.

I almost forgot to tell you guys that Dan got me this beautiful Le Creuset saucepan that I have been lusting over since Christmas time for my birthday. He gets ALL the boyfriend points. It is this subtle muted pink tone that goes perfect with my future kitchen pastels/white/black scheme where I have a Smeg fridge and a cute expresso machine. No, I don’t have any of those things yet but I have this saucepan so that’s a start.

I’m also super excited because my mom and little sister are coming to the cities this weekend for my birthday, yay! My mom is getting me a kombucha kit for my birthday so I’m super excited for all the free cheaper kombucha and alllll the flavors. YUM.

Onto these cupcakes.

These cupcakes are very similar to my vanilla bean cakes, minus the vanilla bean and plus a crap ton of cardamom. For this recipe, I am defining one TBSP as a crap ton. Speaking of crap, I’m kinda giggling to myself about how the frosting on these guys looks like the poop emoji. I know you were thinking it too, it’s okay.

Next I used this nifty little tool I got at Michael’s remove some of the cupcake and filled them with sprinkles. The tool basically removes a cylinder of the cake and then after you fill it you can put just the top back on. This is the one I have.

Next up, the real star of this show. Chocolate frosting that doesn’t have fake butter in it. For some reason I can’t get that stuff to whip like I want it to and I kinda think it taste weird so I tried something new this time and used a combination of coconut cream and non hydrogenated vegetable shortening. This combo is MONEY for taste and texture and definitely one of my better frosting recipes.

To frost the cupcakes, I just turned a plastic bag inside of a wide mouth cup, filled it, and then cut the corner off to use as a make shift piping bag. That’s probably why the frosting looks like the poop emoji. One of these days I’ll use an actual piping bag and surprise myself at how not lazy I am in that moment. For now, I’ll be rocking the plastic baggy make shift piping bags. Poop emoji frosting forever.

---

cardamom cupcakes with chocolate frosting

Author: Dana Zychowski

Active Time:           Total Time: 

1 hr, 15 minutes      4 hrs

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Recipe Type: Dessert

Ingredients:

for the cake:

• 1 cup non dairy milk
• 1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
• 6 TBSP coconut oil, melted
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 TBSP cardamom
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup organic cane sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

for the frosting:

• 1/4 cup coconut cream *
• 1/2 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup non dairy milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup cacao powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Line cup cake tin with liners and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk milk and apple cider vinegar together and let rest for 5 minutes. Combine flour, cardamom, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium sized bowl and set aside.

Add sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla extract to the apple cider and vinegar mixture and whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture in 1/2 cup increments and whisk to combine, being careful not to over mix.

Distribute batter evenly between liners, about 2/3 of the way full. Tap the pan on the counter to remove an air and bake for 16-19 minutes. Check if the cupcakes are done by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean with no residue then the cakes are done. Allow cupcake to cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, mix vegetable shortening and coconut cream using a stand mixer to handheld mixer on high for 1-2 minutes. Add milk and vanilla and mix to combine. Next, add the powder sugar in 1/2 cup increments and whip the crap out of it, on medium to high speed. Use a spatula to push down any powdered sugar that made it’s way up the bowl. Next, add the cacao powder and whip again on high speed for 1-2 minutes. Transfer frosting to a piping bag for decorating or simply spread with a knife.

Add more sprinkles (optional) and store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Side Notes:

* Trader Joe’s carries coconut cream, else you can refrigerate a can of full fat coconut milk and scoop the solids off as a substitute.