Mocha Stout Cupcakes

• 3/4 cup soy milk
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp finely ground coffee
• 1/4 cup vegan stout/porter (I used Mill Street Coffee Porter)
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup oil

Preheat oven to 325F. Whisk soy milk and vinegar together; set aside. Sift dry ingredients. Combine rest of wet ingredients with soy milk mixture and whisk until frothy. Combine dry ingredients with wet and mix well. The recipe for these is based on a chocolate stout cupcake recipe from this book, which I really think all sweet-toothed vegans should have in their kitchens!

I baked these for about 25 mins in cupcake liners. Agave syrup instead of sugar makes for a seriously moist cupcake. I topped with a vegan cream cheese-based frosting which had about 1/4 cup stout, 1/2 cup cocoa, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp corn starch, 1/8 cup agave nectar, and half a container of vegan cream cheese. Finishing touch is a coffee bean on each one.

Avocado Mocha Creme Parfaits

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 ripe banana
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp soy or almond milk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp finely ground coffee
• 1/2 cup mixed berries (sliced strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries) to top parfaits

Mash banana and avocado together with maple syrup, vanilla, and non-dairy milk. Add cocoa and coffee; mix well. Process or blend until completely smooth - when no visible banana or avocado pieces remain. Spoon into champagne flutes and chill for 1-2 hours. To serve, top with berries. Optional: Drizzle with soy creamer or coconut milk. Makes 2 parfaits.

I like adding the topping right before serving, which is why I don’t layer the mocha creme with the fruit - the creme really does need to be chilled for a couple of hours. If you’d rather a layered parfait, spoon 1/4 of the mixture into each glass, layer with berries; repeat. Chill and serve.