Vegan Red Velvet Cakes

I have always found the hype surrounding Red Velvet Cakes a little funny. I thought it might be something to do with being Australian. Now that, I have decided  to seriously blog about food, I found the March Monthly Mingle  (notice the alliteration, so poetic!) which is being hosted by Maison Cupcake at http://blog.maisoncupcake.com/

This being the brain child of Meeta’s from What’s for Lunch Honey, whom I have always immensely admired. Her savoury steamed chickpea flour cake (Dhokla) cooked in the Microwave is one of my absolute favourites.

My submission to this event are.... Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes. My main worry being that vegan cupcakes tend to dry out fairly fast, I used a home made strawberry jam glaze (still in the pink mode, see?)  to cover my cupcakes before slathering them with "Cream Cheese" frosting.

This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart's cupcakes.

What we need

2 cups unbleached self raising flour
1 cup raw sugar
3 Tablespoons heaped unsweetened cocoa powder
1.5 cups of non Dairy Milk  + 2 teaspoons vinegar 

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/3 cup vegetable oil
150 ml luke warm water

4 Tablespoons red powder colour mixed into the luke warm water

Method

Heat the oven to 175 degrees C and line a muffin / cupcake pan with paper liners.

Sift the flour and cocoa powder together and mix in, the sugar.  Set aside.

Combine the curdled milk, vanilla bean paste, oil and red coloured water in a big bowl. Mix well.

Add the dry flour mixture to the liquid mixture and stir till smooth.

Measure out scoops of the batter into the prepared paper liners.

Bake at 175 degrees C for 18 - 20 minutes.

Brush with a glaze made up with equal parts of strawberry jam and water, while warm.

Cool completely before slathering on a Tofutti Cream Cheese Frosting.

I haven't added too much red colour. I have heard about some red velvet cake recipes that use beets for colour and moisture. So what do you think my dear readers?