Ingredients

• 1.5tbsp ground flax seed (plus 5 tbsp water)

• 1 tbsp coffee powder

• 200g plain flour

• 50g cocoa powder

• 200g light brown sugar

• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 300g grated courgette

• 100ml soya milk

• 120ml vegetable oil

• 2 tsp vanilla essence

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

  Icing

• 100g dairy free butter

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 400g icing sugar

• 15g cocoa powder

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C and prepare a muffin tray with 12 cake cases.

2. Combine flax seed with coffee powder in a small bowl and mix in with the water, leave to sit for it to thicken up.

3. In a large bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, bicarbonate, baking powder and salt.

4. Grate your courgette.

5. Make a well in the centre of the dry mixture and add all the wet ingredients; flax mixture, soya milk, vegetable oil, vanilla and apple cider vinegar. Combine in a folding motion (if you are unsure how to do this, draw figures of 8 into your mixture). Then stir in the grated courgette.

6. Put your mixture into your muffin cases

7. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 15-17 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.

8. Leave muffins to cool and make your buttercream. Ensure the dairy free butter is cold, combine with the vanilla then slowly stir in the icing sugar and cocoa. When the muffins are cool you can either pipe the buttercream on the top or spread onto the muffins with a butter knife.