Dish

Dark Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes with

Aquafaba Meringue

Gorgeously moist and rich cupcakes are topped with a vegan
meringue. Aquafaba is the brine from tinned chickpeas. This
surprising ingredient whips up beautifully and makes an excellent
substitute to egg white meringues. Perfect for vegans or those
with egg allergies.

2 tablespoons chia seeds

6 tablespoons water

1½ cups wholemeal spelt flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup coconut sugar

½ cup good-quality

cocoa powder

1¼ cups almond or coconut milk

½ cup melted coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Aquafaba meringue

brine from 400-gram

tin chickpeas

½ cup icing sugar

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Whisk together the chia seeds and the water in a small bowl. Set
aside for 5 minutes until the seeds have gelled. This will serve as
your binder (egg replacement).

Place all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together.
Add the remaining ingredients (including the chia seeds). Whisk
until well combined and smooth.

Line 9 holes of a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cupcake cases.

Spoon in the mixture evenly. Bake for 20–25 minutes until a
skewer comes out clean when inserted. Set aside to cool for 1
hour before topping with meringue.

Aquafaba meringue: Use an electric beater to whip the aquafaba
and cream of tartar until frothy. Add the icing sugar slowly in
spoonfuls and whip until you have firm, glossy peaks. Add the
vanilla and whip for a further minute. Spoon into a piping bag
and pipe swirls on to the top of each cupcake.

Use a culinary blowtorch or a very hot grill to lightly brown
the meringue.

Cupcakes will last up to 3 days in the fridge. Makes 9 cupcakes

Gluten-free Vanilla Doughnuts with Natural

Strawberry Frosting

These lovely, light (and fun to make) baked doughnuts are best

eaten within a few hours of baking. Jump online to find doughnut

tins if not easy to source at your local kitchen store. You’ll find

freeze-dried fruit powder at all good gourmet food stores.

1 free-range egg

1 free-range egg yolk

½ cup brown rice flour

1 cup almond meal

¼ cup coconut sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ cup milk

¼ cup melted coconut oil

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Frosting

1 cup icing sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

1 teaspoon freeze-dried

strawberry powder

1 couple drops beetroot

juice (optional)

water as needed

freeze-dried raspberries,

to decorate

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Combine all the doughnut ingredients in a food processor or

large bowl. Mix until smooth.

Grease a doughnut tin with 6 holes. Spoon or pipe the batter in

and use the back of a spoon or clean fingers to flatten. Bake for

12–13 minutes until golden. The doughnuts should spring back

lightly when touched. Do not overcook. Allow to cool for

30 minutes before removing from the tin and icing.

Mix together the icing sugar, vanilla, strawberry powder and

enough water to make the frosting thick and smooth. You can

intensify the pink colour by adding a couple of drops of raw

beetroot juice. Obtain this by grating a small amount of raw

beetroot and squeezing tightly to extract juice. A little beet juice

goes a long way in the frosting.

Dip the smooth side of the doughnuts into the frosting. Sprinkle

with freeze-dried raspberries. Ideally, enjoy within a few hours of

making to ensure the texture is light. They will, however, last for

2–3 days in an airtight container. Makes 6 doughnuts

99 DISH