Castle Black Forest Cupcakes

These cupcakes are inspired by Jon Snow and the men of the Night's Watch, who

live at Castle Black on Game of Thrones. If you don't have any special beers on hand for this recipe, a hearty vegan stout or porter will work well. If you're truly out of booze, a cup of coffee will do just fine too. Traditional Black Forest Cake has multiple layers of chocolate cake, then dollops of whipped cream and cherries. This cupcake recipe simplifies and veganizes this process!

Castle Black Forest Cupcakes [Vegan]

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. organic flour
• 1 c. organic sugar
• 1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder, aluminum-free
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/3 c. coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp. vinegar
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 c. dark beer
• vegan whipped cream (you can make some with this recipe)
• tart cherries, for the filling and decorations

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a cupcake tin with 12 parchment cups.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Combine the materials and make a well in the middle of the bowl.
3. Have the liquid ingredients measured and ready to go before you start to pour. Pour both the beer/water and vinegar/oil into the well. Stir well.
4. Pour the batter into the parchment cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Insert a toothpick and make sure that it comes out clean. If so, they're ready to come out.
5. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely.
6. When you're ready, core each cupcake; be sure to save the cores and crumble them! They will serve as the outer decorations. Fill each hole with two or three cherries.
7. Once you make the whipped cream, you can pipe it on (for prettier cupcakes) or just spread it around with a spatula, which is what I did. Sprinkle some of your cake crumbles on top and add a cherry. Aren't these cupcakes the cutest?!

Notes

Cake adapted from The Pretty Bee Gluten-free baking mix (with Xanthan Gum) can be substituted in for the flour

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/castle-black-forest-cupcakes/