Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- Frosting, recipe follows
- 1 1/2 cups hulled and sliced fresh strawberries
- Confectioners sugar, for garnish, optional
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 40 cups from 2 (24-cup) mini cupcake pans or 16 cups from 2 regular-size (12-cup) muffin pans with paper cupcake liners.
Sift or whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the coconut milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and espresso powder until smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix with a fork or small whisk. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners. The cups should be filled about 2/3-full, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 22 minutes for the mini cupcakes and about 25 minutes for the regular-size cupcakes. Cool the cupcakes in the pans for 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Slice off the top 1/3 of each cupcake and slather with frosting and sliced strawberries. Place the top of the cupcake back on top and add an additional bit of frosting and sliced strawberries. Dust with confectioners sugar, if using.
Frosting:
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar, preferably organic
- 1/2 cup margarine (recommended: Earth Balance Organic Soy-Free Non-Hydrogenated Buttery Spread) OR 1/2 cup refined coconut oil, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup water
Combine the confectioners' sugar, margarine, and vanilla extract in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. With the mixer running, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until the desired buttercream consistency.
Photo: Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

















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By Staceyoutthatno...
on February 15, 2013
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It was horrible! Bland. Taste like play dough. Dry like brick.And don't add the 1/4 cup of water to the frosting mix; it turns to watery substance. The chocolate was watered down. It was not the recipe for a rich chocolate dessert. It was a formula for disaster. Poorly constructed!! I hated them!! Wasted time and money!!! This was supposed to be my valentines day dessert and we whound up with nothing but a dirty kitchen and some dry, bland cupcakes with no icing.
By dmrn720
Smithtown, NY
on June 05, 2012
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Great recipe. Very easy to make and tasted great. I didn't have any problems with the frosting..I might prefer whipped cream over this frosting for this particular cupcake, but I think I will be using this frosting recipe for other cupcakes. :
By mcmareese_441961
Reche Canyon, CA
on March 11, 2012
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Well I was totally surprised how easy it was and great tasting. I belong to a Club and we had our Cupcake Wars and I won.
Thank You So Much For Not Only Recipe but the Picture as well. I won both in Presentation and Taste.
Yeah Me and Yeah To Food Network.
Read all 29 reviews