Screwball Cupcakes (egg free!)

Unpopular opinion: I don’t like cake. Weird, I know! I didn’t even have cake at my wedding. We instead opted for a cookie bar, which was amazing by the way. Anyway! You may be thinking this is an odd way to start out a post that is indeed about cake. So let me rephrase this… I don’t like cake, unless it’s screwball cake.

What is screwball cake? If you’re wondering where the name came from, I honestly have no idea. Ha! This is my Meemaw’s recipe and we never questioned the name because we were too busy indulging on this heavenly dessert. The cake itself is a chocolate cupcake that is egg free and dairy free! Don’t worry, it still rises beautifully and is the most fluffy, moist cake you will ever eat.

As for the icing, the recipe is my simple buttercream recipe. Just butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and half and half to complete a smooth, rich topping. The combination of the cupcake with the icing is divine! You’ll be the talk of any party when you bring these cupcakes along. Oh, and one last thing! They are extremely easy to throw together. This particular batch was mixed up before my oven was even preheated (under 10 minutes!).

If you’re not in the mood to make individual cupcakes, feel free to spread the batter in a 9×13 inch pan for a cake instead!

Cake Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 2 cup sugar 
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2/3 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cup cold water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Scoop batter into greased or lined muffin tin, filling each tin 3/4 way full. Bake for 20 minutes*. Let cool completely before icing. Makes two dozen cupcakes.

*If baking a cake in 9×13 inch pan, bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Buttercream ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened, unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 to 4 tbsp half and half

Directions:

With an electric mixer, combine all ingredients until smooth, thick consistency is reached. Feel free to add more or less sugar and half and half as needed. Spread on cooled cupcakes and enjoy!