Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Brittle

[schema type=”recipe” name=”Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes With Peanut Brittle” author=”Rachel Howard” pubdate=”2016-04-05″ image=”http://www.sundaybaking.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Vegan-Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-3-web.jpg” description=”A light and fluffy chocolate sponge topped with a creamy peanut butter frosting. All topped off with some home made peanut brittle. ” prepmins=”20″ cookmins=”30″ yield=”12″ ]

Just lately my baking bug has come back in full swing. Over the weekend I made a chocolate cake, vegan banana split cupcakes and a raw, sugar free, gluten free blueberry and cardamom cheesecake (all recipes to follow shortly!) and then last night I made these vegan chocolate and peanut butter cupcakes.

I have decided to share these first as they got the most attention and the most requests for the recipe.

I have made a variation of these before and they were really good. These were extra good and everyone that had one seemed to agree.

It was a last minute decision to make the peanut brittle. I wanted to top them with something and this seemed to work. And there was plenty left over to snack on.

Recipe taken from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World.

[callout title=Ingredients for the chocolate cake:]

• 245ml soya milk
• 1tsp cider vinegar
• 150g granulated sugar
• 75g rapeseed oil
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp chocolate extract (or more vanilla extract)
• 140g plain flour
• 35g cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

[/callout]

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180C and add cupcake cases to a muffin tin.
• Whisk the soya milk and cider vinegar together in a large bowl. Set aside to curdle.
• Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract and chocolate extract to the soya milk mixture and beat until foamy.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Add half the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix. Add the remainder of the wet ingredients and beat until there are no large lumps.
• Divide the mixture into the cupcake liners (I use an ice cream scoop to do this) filling three quarters of the way.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes.
• Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

[callout title=Ingredients for the peanut buttercream:]

• 60g soya margarine
• 2 tbsp vegetable shortening (trex)
• 80g creamy peanut butter
• 1 tbsp barley malt syrup (optional)
• 1.5tsp vanilla extract
• 200g icing sugar
• 1 tbsp soya milk

[/callout]

Method:

• Cream together the margarine and shortening at a medium speed of a freestanding mixer until smooth.
• Add the peanut butter, barley malt syrup and vanilla extract and beat until smooth (this can take up to 3 minutes).
• Beat in the icing sugar.
• Dribble in the soya milk, beating until the frosting is pale and fluffy.

[callout title=Ingredients for the peanut brittle:]

Recipe adapted from Waitrose.

• 250g caster sugar
• 100ml water
• 250g roasted peanuts – roughly chopped
• 100g dark chocolate

[/callout]

Method:

• Lightly oil a baking sheet and line with parchment paper.
• Place the sugar and water in a heavy based saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Stir occasionally and gently.
• Bring to the boil and then boil for roughly 10 minutes until the syrup has turned a deep amber coloured caramel.
• Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the peanuts.
• Tip the mixture out onto the parchment paper and spread thinly. Leave to harden.
• Melt the chocolate and spread over the peanut mixture. (If you want a neater look, turn the brittle over so you put the chocolate on the flat side)
• Leave to set before breaking into pieces.

If you’re a peanut butter lover you cannot miss out on these. I’m not vegan, but the cake is so light and fluffy I would make these over regular chocolate cupcakes every time.