Chocolate peanut butter praline cupcakes

Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, crushed praline, ganache and a strawberry (just for decoration) :D

[recipes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World]

Chocolate cupcakes

1 cup soy milk

1 tsp apple cider/ white vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup canola oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven o 350F (175C).

Whisk together soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl and set aside to curdle for a few minutes. 

Add the sugar, oil and vanilla and whisk until foamy.

In a separate bowl sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add in 2 batches to the wet ingredients and mix until no large lumps remain.

Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full, and bake for 18 - 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool completely on cooling rack.

Peanut butter frosting 

(double this recipe if you want a thicker layer of frosting or are going to pipe swirls onto cupcakes)

1/4 cup margarine

2 tablespoons shortening (or more margarine is fine)

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

1 tablespoon molasses 

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups icing sugar, sifted

1 - 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk

Beat together margarine and peanut butter, then add molasses and vanilla and beat till very smooth (2-3 minutes).

Beat in sugar and add 1 tablespoon of milk, and then the other if needed, and beat until frosting is very fluffy.

Peanut Praline

1 cup lightly toasted peanuts

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons maple syrup

dash of salt

Line a tray with baking paper and set aside.

Pour sugar, maple syrup and salt into a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Stir over a medium heat with a wooden spoon till sugar starts to melt and bubble (about 5 minutes). Keep stirring and cook another 3 - 4 minutes until mixture is thick, amber brown and smells like caramel.

Remove from heat and quickly stir in peanuts, making sure to coat each nut.

Immediately spread it out the baking paper.

Allow to cool and harden completely.

Once cooled, break up into smaller pieces and pulse in a food processor until the praline looks like coarse crumbs. 

Chocolate ganache

1/4 cup soy milk

4 ounces (115g) semisweet dark chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

In a small saucepan, bring milk to a gentle boil. Remove from heat and stir through the chocolate and maple syrup with a rubber spatula, until the chocolate is fully melted and the ganache is smooth and shiny. Set aside at room temperature till ready to use.