Chocolate Cupcakes with Marshmallow Creme Frosting

I know, I've been gone for a while...again. I think I've given up on being diligent in regards to my food blog. I will share recipes on whims of fancy, and you, whoever you are, will deal with it. But I still love you. And I still want you to eat delicious food.

Part of the lapse in blogging has been due to a major shift in our household. The hubby is apparently lactose intolerant now. So...yeah, life as I know it is over in the kitchen. I'm very much looking forward to a wine night with my ladies so I can smother all sorts of food with cream cheese and butter while he is away. Sigh.

The hardest shift is trying to find things to bake that are dairy free. This cupcake recipe has long been a favorite of mine, because vegan chocolate cake is, in fact, delicious. But frosting? Yeah, I was at a total loss there. If I didn't want to make dark chocolate ganache with vegetable shortening (which I didn't), what option was there? Well, there are quite a few options that I was pleased to find. The winner was a fluffy marshmallow creme frosting which I adapted from a few recipes I found on the internet. It was divine.

So here is my (new) go to recipe for allergen-free cupcakes, unless you have a gluten allergy, then you're SOL, my friend. They were so good I made them for a dinner party with friends. Yes, they were entertaining good. Mmmm.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
makes 1 dozen cupcakes
adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs. white vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard muffin tin with liners. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, mix together oil, vinegar, vanilla and water until well combined. Add flour mixture and mix until smooth (batter will be very thin).

Divide batter evenly among lined cups. Bake, rotating halfway through, until a cake tester comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Top with your choice of frosting.

Marshmallow Creme Frosting
makes enough to generously frost 1 dozen cupcakes

1/2 cup (1 stick) of margarine
1 jar (70z.) marshmallow creme
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat margarine and marshmallow creme until smooth. Mix in vanilla extract. Mix in confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until fully incorporated. Use immediately. (This frosting is great for piping).