It’s that time of year again. The days are getting longer, the temperatures are heating up, and schools are wrapping up. As hard as is it for me to believe, this year my son is finishing high school and moving on to his next adventures.
I couldn’t be more proud!
Of course, this calls for a celebration.
I’m planning a big family get-together with outdoor games, delicious picnic food, and to top it off, these adorable vegan graduation cap cupcakes.
I’m a total sucker for themed party foods.
What makes these cupcakes so awesome?
- They are cute as heck!
- Super easy to make!
- Lots of rich vegan chocolate!
- Tasty and moist vegan cake!
How To Make Vegan Gradution Cupcakes
Vegan cupcakes don’t need to be boring or difficult to make. They also don’t need to be packed with hard to find specialty ingredients.
Since these cupcakes are going to be topped with peanut butter cups and chocolate squares I didn’t want to make the flavor of the cake itself too overwhelming. Obviously, I also wanted something that would compliment those flavors. Which is why I decided to go with a basic vanilla recipe.
To start, combine the vinegar and almond milk (any dairy-free milk will work) and set it aside to let it curdle.
While you’re waiting on the almond milk, work on mixing together your dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix all of your wet ingredients. Once you combine the wet and the dry mixtures you want to stir them as little as possible since over mixing can lead to a tough cake. That’s why it’s important to make sure all of the components are thoroughly combined before getting to this step.
Once the cupcakes are in the oven start making your frosting and graduation caps.
How To Make Chocolate Graduation Caps
To make these vegan graduation caps you’ll need:
- a bag of mini dairy-free peanut butter cups for the base.
- 2 Theo chocolate bars for the top of the cap. I recommend Theo because the pieces are square.
- 1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips to work as a glue.
- A bag of Unreal Dark Chocolate Crispy Quinoa Gems for the center button.
- 1/4 cup of frosting for the tassels.
Start by cutting the chocolate into squares. Theo bars are already scored into squares, but if you
Begin assembling the the caps by unwrapping the peanut butter cups and placing them wide-side down on a place. Try not to handle them much since they will begin to melt pretty quickly. In a small microwave safe bowl heat the chocolate chips in your microwave in 10 to 15 second intervals until the chocolate begins to melt. You want the chocolate to be thick but easily spreadable.
Place about 1/4 teaspoon of the melted chocolate on the narrow end of the peanut butter cup and then top with a chocolate square logo side down.
In the center of the square add a small lentil sized dot of melted chocolate and then firmly press one of the Unreal Gems into it. Then pipe of the frosting to form
Set the caps aside for a few minutes to let the chocolate harden.
How To Make Vegan Frosting
Simple beat the vegan butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract together with an electric mixer until it’s light and fluffy.
Make sure your cupcakes
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Print
Vegan Graduation Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 22 mins
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 12 Cupcakes 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: vegan
Description
Vegan cupcakes topped with a chocolate graduation cap. Perfect for any graduation party.
Ingredients
1 tsp white vinegar
1 1/2 Cup almond milk
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 Cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 Cup vegan butter melted (I used Earth Balance)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 Cups powdered sugar
1 Cup room temperature vegan butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
5–7 drops of food coloring (optional)
12 Justin’s Mini Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
2 Bars of Theo 70% Dark Chocolate
Instructions
In a small bowl mix the vinegar and almond milk together and set aside for 5 mins.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin pan with baking cups.
In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl combine the almond mix, melted vegan butter, and vanilla. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry mixture an stir until everything is incorporated but don’t over stir.
Spoon the batter into the muffin pan and bake for 20-22 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cupcake to cool completely before decorating.
For the frosting: In a large bowl beat the room temperature vegan butter together with the powdered sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until it’s light and fluffy. Reserve 1/4 cup of the frosting to make the tassels.
Spoon or pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes.
Carefully cut the chocolate bars into square pieces.
In a small microwave-safe bowl heat the chocolate chip in 10-15 second intervals until melted.
For the graduation caps: unwrap the peanut butter cups and place them upside down on a plate. Place a small amount of melted chocolate on top proceeded by a chocolate square. In the middle of the square add another dot of melted chocolate. Press one of the Unreal Gems into the chocolate. Pipe some of the reserved frosting to create the tassels. Set the caps aside to give the chocolate time to harden.
Carefully press a graduation cap into the frosting of each cupcake.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 608
- Fat: 32.8
- Carbohydrates: 78
- Protein: 5
Keywords: graduation party ideas, vegan, cupcakes, chocolate, peanut butter
Amazing! This is extremely cute and creative!
★★★★★
Thank you!