These make a very special dessert for a celebration or party. They have all the taste you hope for in a fancy cake, and none of the animal products. Hooray!

Raspberry Tiramisu Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
Cupcakes
1 ½ cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut milk, non-dairy milk, or water
½ cup canola oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Soaking Liquid
1/3 cup amaretto
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

Raspberry Sauce
1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
½ cup agave or sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of salt

Frosting
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder ( I use Medaglia D’ Oro brand. If you can’t find espresso powder, you can use finely ground instant coffee.)
2 tablespoons amaretto liquor
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/4  cup non-hydrogenated shortening (I use Spectrum Organics brand, but feel free to use any brand that you find at your local market. Non-hydrogenated margarine and refined coconut oil will also work.)
4 cups organic confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons water

Garnish (optional)
12 fresh raspberries
12 small mint leaves
½ cup raw cacao nibs or ground bittersweet chocolate

Procedure:
Cupcakes
Preheat over to 350.
Sift or whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the coconut milk, oil, vanilla, and vinegar. Combine the wet and dry mixtures and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Distribute batter into lined cupcake baking pan, and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Soaking Liquid
Combine amaretto and espresso powder and set aside.

Raspberry Sauce
In small saucepan, cook raspberries and agave on medium heat on raspberries wilt down. Let simmer on low for 5 minutes until the mixture becomes a pourable consistency. Remove pot from heat and mix in vanilla, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt. Taste and adjust sweetness by adding more agave if necessary. Let cool in refrigerator.

Frosting
Combine espresso powder, amaretto, and vanilla in small bowl and mix or swirl bowl until espresso powder has dissolved (about 1 minute). Beat shortening in large bowl with an electric mixer for about 1 minute, then add confectioner’s sugar. Add the espresso mixture to the frosting a little at a time as you beat it. You might not want to add all the espresso mixture depending on the climate and how the frosting is looking. Once it becomes a desirable consistency, you can stop adding it. If you dump it all in at once, it may become too runny.  If it is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until desired buttercream consistency is achieved. I usually beat on high for about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides with a spatula often. Pipe or frost with a knife.

Assembly
Using a spoon, cut out a small hole from the top of each cupcake (scoop out about 1 tablespoon of cake) and discard. In the hole of the cupcake, layer approximately 1 teaspoon of soaking liquid, 1 tablespoon of raspberry sauce, 2 teaspoons of cacao, and piped frosting on top. Garnish with a raspberry and mint leaf. Enjoy!

The Chef: This recipe was reprinted with permission from Chef Chloe Coscarelli, a  graduate of The Natural Gourmet Institute of Health and Culinary Arts NYC, the University of California, Berkeley, as well as Cornell University’s Plant Based Nutrition Program by Dr. T. Colin Campbell. She is a rising star in the world of vegan cooking and look out—she may even change the way the world perceives vegan food, making it tasty, beautiful and elegant!

For more recipes and tasty vegan treats visit chefchloe.com