Chocolate Cupcakes w/Coconut Frosting - Vegan!

After I had an amazing vegan coconut cupcake at Bartertown in Grand Rapids last weekend, I set my mind to duplicate them. The vanilla cupcake was moist and dense similiar to a pound cake and topped with a frosting that had an intense coconut flavor.  I decided to use a chocolate cupcake recipe from Chef Chloe, the young woman who won an episode of Cupcake Wars with her all vegan cupcakes.

Her secret to replacing the butter and eggs is to use baking soda and vinegar to give the cupcakes moistness & texture.  I used almond milk for the liquid but you could use coffee or water with good results.  I used her frosting recipe replacing the liquid with cream of coconut.   I didn't get  the strong coconut flavor as the Bartertown cupcake and I did miss the taste of my traditional buttercream frosting. 

These are incredibly good cupcakes!  Who knew without butter and eggs?  There's an endless number of variations on these on her website - take a look and let your imagination lead you.