vegan chocolate cupcakes & buttercream frosting

this is a recipe i've adapted from joy the baker. it's a great vegan recipe to keep on hand, and makes a ton of cupcakes :)

cupcakes:

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons unsweeted cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup sugar 

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 olive oil

1 very ripe large avocado, well mashed

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tsps vanilla extract

1 cup very strongly brewed coffee + 1 cup regular unsweetened soy milk*

preheat oven to 350 F.  line and grease (make sure to grease liners if using them, the batter has a tendency to stick) a cupcake pan, set aside.

in a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, set aside.

in a large bowl combine sugar, oil, mashed avocado, vinegar, and vanilla, then add the coffee/soy milk. add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth. pour batter into the perpared tins and bake apx 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. allow cakes to cool completely before frosting.
 

buttercream:

1 very ripe large avocado, well mashed

5 tsps unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp instant coffee granules

1 cup confectioners sugar (add more for a sweeter and stiffer frosting)

combine the vanilla and coffee granules with a little bit of avocado (apx 1 tablespoon) and mix until the granules have dissolved. add to the rest of the avocado and mix in the salt and cocoa. incorporate the sugar at 1/3 cup intervals.

*this recipe is really flexible, and you can use 2 cups of any liquid. i've been thinking about substituting the coffee and soy milk for orange juice and spices. feel free to modify the recipe to suit your cravings.