Dairy, Egg and Nut Free Chocolate Cupcakes

This post is for my sister Kelly, who does not have food allergies, but loves this recipe.  This was the first cake that I made for my daughter after she had an allergic reaction from the bakery cake for her first birthday.  

Ingredients

2 ½ c flour

2 c sugar

½ c cocoa

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 c water

1c soymilk

2/3 c canola oil

2 tbs white vinegar

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease muffin cups of 2 muffin tins with shortening or line with paper baking cups.  Add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir to mix.  Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients.  Mix with a mixer until blended.  Spoon the batter into the muffin cups to 3/4 full and bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes.  Cool on racks for 10 minutes and remove from pans.  Cool completely and frost.  Makes 2 dozen cupcakes.

* Variations:
        - This recipe can also be made into a cake.  Grease two 9 inch cake pans with shortening and dust      with flour.  After mixing batter, pour it into the two cake pans and bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Vanilla Soy Buttercream Frosting

3 c powdered sugar

1/3 c soybutter or shortening

1 ½ tsp vanilla

1 to 2 tbs soymilk

Cream together all ingredients with an electric mixer until well blended.  Frosts and fills a two layer round cake or 24 cupcakes.  Double the recipe for lots of frosting when piping cupcakes or when coloring frosting for extra decorating.