Spicy Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcake:

• 1 cup soy or rice milk

• 1 teaspoon vinegar

• ¾ cup of sugar

• ⅓ cup vegetable oil

• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 cup flour

• ⅓ cup of cocoa powder

• ¾ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon salt

For the icing:

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

• ¼ cup cocoa powder sifted

• 3 tablespoons soy or rice milk

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• Chocolate sprinkles (optional)

Methods:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a dozen muffin cups — either outfit a muffin pan with paper or foil liners, or use a baking sheet and set out 12 paper liners nested inside foil liners, or else use silicone muffin cups.

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the soy or rice milk, vinegar, sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. In another bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, pausing two or three times to stir, and keep stirring until all the large lumps are gone.

3. Pour the batter into the cupcake liners until they are about two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

4. When cool, whisk the chocolate glaze ingredients until smooth and spread the glaze on the cupcakes. If you choose, top with sprinkles.

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Recipe by: the New York Times Cooking

Adapt by: Brin Xu