chocolate chip cupcakes with vanilla buttercream

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

• 1 ⅔ cups flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• scant ½ tsp salt
• 1 ¼ cup plant-based milk
• 2 tsp vinegar (apple cider vinegar or white vinegar)
• 3 tsp. vanilla
• ¼ cup canola oil
• ½ cup Endangered Species chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350° f. and line cupcake pan with liners.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together milk and vinegar. Set aside. (It will curdle and thicken)
3. In a large bowl, whisk or sift together dry ingredients. Set aside.
4. Add remaining wet ingredients into the milk mixture. Whisk well.
5. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir. Mix until combined. Be sure to not over mix the batter, some lumps are fine.
6. Stir in the chocolate chips.
7. Fill cupcake liners ¾ full of batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. Edges should be golden, and toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake should come out clean.
8. Let cool for 5 minutes in pan then transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Once completely cool you can frost the cupcakes.

Vanilla Buttercream

• 1 cup room-temperature plant-based butter (or ½ cup of vegetable shortening and ½ cup butter)
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 ½ T. vanilla extract
• 0-2 T. plant-based milk (as needed to achieve desired consistency)

1. In a large bowl, place room temperature butter, followed by ~1 cup of sifted powdered sugar.
2. Using a hand mixer, whip together the butter and sugar, adding sugar in batches to ensure it gets incorporated well and reduces the chance of a mess.
3. Add in vanilla extract and whip well.
4. If you want a lighter/fluffier frosting, add in 1 tsp. of milk and whip well. If you still desire a lighter frosting keep adding in milk, 1 tsp. at a time, until desired consistency is achieved (using up to 2 T.)
5. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use

• If your buttercream has been in the refrigerator for over a day, it will be stiff. Simply place in bowl and whip it for a couple of minutes with a hand mixer or stand mixture to get the creamy texture back.
• In a well-sealed container, buttercream will last 1 month in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
• Sifting your powdered sugar ensures the creamiest buttercream without any lumps.
• You can use a stand a mixer for the buttercream.
• Using a mixture of butter and vegetable shortening will make your frosting taste a bit less rich/buttery. It will also make it so your frosting will hold up (not melt) in warmer weather. If you are indoors, the all-butter version will hold up fine at room temperature for a few hours.