Vanilla Mint Iced Vegan Chocolate Ho-Hos

Ok, so ya’ll know I go into Cardiogenic Shock when Buddhists are given the full court press by either rogue elements within Tibet or Red China Party Loyalists sent to kick puppies and show their strength. 

On one hand, with the Beijing Olympics debut in just a few months and China center stage one has to wonder why a Tienanmen  Event would be ordered so close to the kick off that China has been building up to for nearly a decade.

It is with these concerns rattling around in my grey matter that I have to clear my head with some cathartic vegan baking.  And this attempt was originated by a purely base emotion and one of the lowest at that: Jealousy.  Yea, the Urban Housewife and Bake and Destroy have been posting the greatest looking sweet treats this lonely revolutionary has seen since Barbra Billinglsy burned her bra.  The post punk vegan baking revolution is delicious deviant debauchery in the face of a packaged/processed heat and eat world.  So with that I again removed myself from my masculine element and turned towards the kitchen to prove that I can do anything a woman can do. 

Of course The Urban Housewife, who is currently jet-setting the world, passed on this recipe for Vanilla Mint Iced Vegan Chocolate Ho-Hos and for those of you interested I pass it on to you. 

• 1 and 2/3 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
• 1/3 cup natural cocoa
• 1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup hot brewed coffee
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons cider or white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup vegan butter substitute

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

Sift sugar, flours, baking soda and salt into a large bowl, then whisk to combine.

Combine cocoas and chocolate in a large bowl and cover with hot coffee; whisk until smooth.

Combine coconut milk, vinegar and vanilla in large measuring cup.

Place vegan butter substitute in a medium bowl. Add coconut milk mixture in two additions, whisking until smooth after each.

Add vegan butter-coconut milk mixture to the chocolate mixture and whisk to combine, then add this mixture to dry ingredients and fold gently with rubber spatula until just incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.

Divide batter evenly between cake pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, switching position of and rotating pans after 12 minutes. If making cupcakes, bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pan, start checking for a toothpick inserted in center to come out clean at 16 minutes.
Cool cakes in pans on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Mint icing:
1/4 cup (spectrum) shortening
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup soy creamer or soy milk
1 tsp mint extract
1 tsp vanilla extract