I think Almond Joy is a bit of a reject candy. They are the ones usually left in the bottom of your halloween bag. However, all of my friends that hate Almond Joy loved these cupcakes. A little girl I used to live next door to asked me if I could make Almond Joy cupcakes a few years ago, and I just remembered the idea this week. I imitated Almond Joy by making an almond cake with a coconut filling and a chocolate frosting. Make your filling first so that it has time to set in the fridge until the rest of the cupcake is finished.
Almond Filling
Ingredients
-6 oz soft tofu
-3/4 cup sugar
-5 tbs cornstarch
-14 oz coconut milk
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-3 tsp coconut extract
-1/2 cup shredded coconut
Instructions
1. Chop up your 6 oz tofu and put it in the food processor on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until it is smooth. If you don’t have a food processor you can put the tofu in a bowl and use a hand mixer. This may take a little longer.
2. Whisk together the 3/4 cup sugar and 5 tbs cornstarch for a minute.
3. Slowly add in the 14 oz of coconut milk. Stir until the mixture starts to get thick. After 5-7 minutes it should have a pudding like consistency.
4. Once the mixture is thick, add in the blended tofu, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 3 tsp coconut extract, and 1/2 cup of shredded coconut.
5. Pour the mixture into a bowl and set it in the fridge until it is time to fill the cupcakes.
Almond Cupcake
Ingredients
-1 cup almond milk
-1 tsp apple cider vinegar
-1/2 cup safflower oil (or any light oil)
-3/4 cup sugar
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-4 tsp almond extract
-1 1/4 cups flour
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-3/4 tsp baking powder
-1/4 tsp salt
-2 tbs cornstarch
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 350°
2. Combine the 1 cup almond milk and 1 tsp apple cider vinegar and set aside for a few minutes until it starts to curdle.
3. Mix the almond milk and vinegar mixture, 1/2 cup oil, 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tsp vanilla extract.
4. Once blended, add in the 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 3/4 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 2 tbs cornstarch.
5. After the ingredients are all blended, add in the 4 tsp of almond extract. I accidentally spilt all of my almond extract on the counter after adding in 3 tsp. I added in a very small amount of rum to make up for the lost almond extract, it ended up working out but it would be better with 4 tsp of almond extract.
6. Fill your cupcake lines 3/4 of the way full and bake for 20 minutes.
Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
-1/2 cup margarine (I use soy free Earth Balance)
-1/2 cup Crisco
-5 cups powdered sugar
-1 1/2 tbs almond milk
-1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-2 cups cocoa powder
Instructions
1. Start by beating together the 1/2 cup Crisco and 1/2 cup margarine.
2. Once the mixture starts to get fluffy, add in the sugar one cup at a time, usually around 5 cups but feel free to improvise if it seems too thick or thin.
3. Add in 2 cups of cocoa powder.
4. Finally add in 1 1/2 tbs milk, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 2 tsp almond.
Assembly
1. Cut a nickel sized hole into each of the cupcakes.
2. Take the coconut filling out of the fridge and place a small amount in each cupcake.
3. Pipe your cupcakes with the chocolate frosting, or spread it on top with a knife. I then decided to garnished my cupcakes with some coconut shavings and salted almonds.
