Vegan chocolate brownies from Petite Kitchen

Vegan chocolate brownie cakes. Picture / Eleanor Ozich.

Eleanor Ozich of Petite Kitchen whips up decadent afternoon treats.

Full of wholesome ingredients, these rich, fudgy brownie cakes are vegan, gluten-free and lightly sweetened with rapadura sugar. If you haven't tried rapadura before, I would strongly recommend you do.

It is a lovely caramel-tasting sugar that has been through minimal treatments. Because of this, it contains more vitamins and minerals than most other types of sugar, and has a wonderful deep flavour in baking.

VEGAN CHOCOLATE BROWNIE CAKES
Makes 12 mini muffin-sized cakes.

For the cakes:
• 1½ cups ground almonds
• 1½ cups coconut cream
• ½ cup flaxseeds
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil or neutral olive oil
• 1 cup good quality cocoa or cacao
• 2/3 cup rapadura, muscovado or coconut sugar
• ½ cup dark chocolate, melted
• 1 tsp baking soda

For the icing:
• 1 cup coconut cream
• ¼ cup coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa or cacao powder
• Small handful of dried rosebuds or edible flowers (optional)

1. Set oven to 160C, and line 12 muffin tins with muffin cases.

2. Put all cake ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth.

3. Divide batter among muffin cases, and smooth out evenly.

4. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from oven. The outside edges should be slightly crispy, and inside soft to touch. The cakes will continue to cook as they cool down. Leave to cool completely.

6. Combine icing ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well using a spoon until smooth and creamy. If it is a little thick, add a little more coconut cream to reach right consistency.

7. Ice each cake, then top with 1-2 dried or edible flowers if using.

*Gluten-free
*Dairy-free
*Vegan

- VIVA