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    Home » Baking » Cakes/Traybakes/Refrigerator bakes

    Wartime Eggless Chocolate Buns

    Published: Feb 9, 2022 · Modified: Mar 14, 2022 by Jacq · This post may contain affiliate links ·Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These tasty little wartime eggless chocolate buns are so easy to prepare and straight from the British World War 2 kitchen front!

    Not as sweet as some chocolate cupcakes and more of a moist muffin texture they are the perfect base for adding your favourite frosting/icing.

    Or keep it simple and add a wee dollop of vegan chocolate spread and top with a delicious vegan chocolate button or sweetie/candy.

    Perfect for parties, picnics, lunchboxes or for an afternoon tea or after school treat.

    For an Easter treat pop on a little vegan chocolate egg. So cute!

    eggless chocolate wartime buns featured image, plate of chocolate buns decorated with choc spread and choc buttons and chocolate eggs, brown flour background.

    Wartime Eggless Chocolate Buns Recipe

    This recipe for wartime eggless chocolate buns is featured with the Victory Cookbook (2006) by Marguerite Patten OBE.

    Marguerite Patten (1915-2015) was a British World War Two (1939-1945)celebrity chef and she frequented the Radio with kitchen front shows helping family's deal with food rationing and shortages.

    These little eggless chocolate buns would have been a very popular sweet treat welcomed by budgeting and frugal families who were trying to cope with a lack or limited supply of eggs, fat and sugar.

    The chocolate bun recipe is less sweet than say more modern chocolate cupcakes or fairy cakes and is more like a little muffin. However, my family found them to be sweet enough especially with the addition of a frosting and sweet/candy.

    I have upped the vanilla required for the original recipe, as it just called for a few drops of vanilla, but I have added 2 teaspoons and that was the ideal amount.

    The sponge is moist and springy with hints of vanilla and they are very satisfying and delicious with a nice cup of tea or coffee. Or a chilled glass of oat milk.

    This chocolate bun recipe is perfect for baking on a budget and saving more expensive ingredients, but honestly you won't feel like your missing out!

    If you give these cute little eggless chocolate buns a go do pop back and let us know how you got on.

    We love receiving feedback and comments.

    Thanks so much.

    Jacq x

    close up of eggless chocolate bun with icing and chocolate egg decoration with three buns in distance, white plate background.
    For an Easter time treat pop a little vegan chocolate egg on top! The egg above is filled with peanut butter! Yum!

    How To Prepare Wartime Eggless Chocolate Buns

    • dry ingredients for chocolate buns in a turquoise mixing bowl.
    • margarine added to dry ingredients for chocolate buns in mixing bowl.
    Sieve the flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl. Stir through the sugar.

    Pop in the room temperature vegan margarine.
    • wet ingredients in glass jug before adding to dry chocolate bun ingredients.
    • all ingredients in mixing bowl for choc buns.
    Tip the bicarbonate of soda into the hot water and stir.

    It may froth up. Mix through the vanilla.

    Pour the liquid into the flour mixture.
    • vegan chocolate buns batter mixed and ready to pour into cupcake cases, with wooden spoon.
    • eggless choc bun batter poured into a red muffin tray with 12 spaces for buns.
    Stir until all the ingredients are combined. The margarine will continue to melt as the water is hot.

    Divide the chocolate batter between 12 muffin or cupcake cases.
    • chocolate buns baked and out the oven, brown spotted oven mitt to side.
    • chocolate buns on white plate ready to be decorated with small white dish of chocolate spread and small dish of chocolate buttons to side, rest of choc buns on wire rack, brown flour background.
    Bake for 13-20 minutes until risen, firm and a skewer popped in comes out clean.

    Exact times depend on your oven. My electric oven took 15 minutes.

    Pop the buns out of the muffin tray and leave to cool on a wire rack. Once cool decorate.

    Recipe Notes And FAQS

    How do I store eggless chocolate buns?


    Chocolate buns can be stored within a cake tin or food safe covered container for up to 4 days.

    Wrapping in a layer of kitchen foil can help preserve the freshness for longer.

    Can I freeze these eggless chocolate cakes?


    Absolutely.

    Freeze well wrapped in food and freezer safe covering for up to 4 months.

    Unwrap and defrost to room temperature.

    Iced chocolate buns can also be frozen but take care not to squash the icing too much while wrapping!

    What can I use to decorate these little vegan chocolate cakes?


    - vegan chocolate spread

    - Biscoff lotus spread

    - vegan chocolate ganache: melt equal amounts of dark vegan chocolate and vegan cream (such as Alpro single soya cream or Oatly oat cream) over a gentle heat, stirring until all melted, glossy and a smooth pourable consistency. Cover each chocolate bun with a layer, the ganache will set firm but will still be soft to bite.

    - any vegan chocolate frosting/icing

    - after covering with frosting/ganache/icing/spread pop on a little vegan sweet or chocolate button

    close up of lots of chocolate buns stacked up on top of each other.

    More Wartime Recipes:

    Wartime Christmas Pudding (can enjoy this frugal tasty steamed pudding all year round as it is so tasty! can also be quickly prepared in the microwave)

    Wartime Champ (mashed potatoes with cabbage and turnip delicious easy side dish to your favourite meals)

    eggless chocolate wartime buns featured image, plate of chocolate buns decorated with choc spread and choc buttons and chocolate eggs, brown flour background.

    Wartime Eggless Chocolate Buns

    Print Recipe
    These wartime eggless chocolate buns are so darn cute and tasty.
    Top with vegan chocolate spread and a vegan chocolate button or egg...Simple but utterly yum!
    Course Afternoon tea, Dessert, Party
    Cuisine British
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Servings 12 buns
    Calories 141
    Author Jacq

    Equipment

    • Muffin baking tray or cupcake tray
    • Cupcake/fairy cake paper cases optional, if the cupcake tray is non-stick the paper cases may not be necessary as each hole can be greased with a little margarine
    • Mixing bowls
    • wire rack optional
    • sieve

    Ingredients

    • 225 grams self-raising flour sieved, or plain/all purpose flour plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 25 grams cocoa powder sieved
    • 75 grams caster sugar or granulated
    • 75 grams vegan margarine or vegan butter, at room temperature
    • 1 tablespoon golden syrup or corn syrup or similar
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla essence extract
    • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda baking soda
    • 225 millilitres hot water

    Optional:

    • vegan chocolate spread link is to Vego Fairtrade organic chocolate spread just to show what is available. Likely cheaper in the supermarket compared to Amazon!
    • vegan chocolate little eggs
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven 160 Fan/180 Celsius/350 Fahrenheit /Gas 4.
    • Prepare the cupcake baking tray by adding a paper case to each hole or grease with a little vegan margarine.
    • Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl. Tip in the sugar and mix.
    • Pop in the vegan margarine to the flour mixture.
    • Pour the hot water into a measuring jug or small bowl and mix the bicarbonate of soda through the water. It may froth up but this is fine. Pour in the vanilla.
    • Pour the hot water mix into the dry ingredients and margarine.
    • Stir everything well to combine. The vegan margarine will melt due to the hot water.
    • Divide the chocolate batter out between the 12 cupcake cases.
    • Bake on the middle shelf for 13-20 minutes.
      My cakes were ready after 15 minutes baked in an electric oven.
      A fan oven may take a few minutes quicker to bake.
    • Buns are ready when risen, firm and a skewer popped in comes out clean.
    • Leave in the baking tray for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack or similar.

    Notes

    • Nutritional information is for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
    • Store the chocolate buns within a cake tin or food container for up to 4-5 days. Wrapping in a layer of kitchen foil can help preserve the freshness.
    • Or freeze for up to 4 months.
    • Decorate the chocolate buns with a blob of vegan chocolate spread and top with a vegan chocolate bun or chocolate egg. Or an individual little sweet/candy such as a jelly tot or similar.
    • Or top with your favourite vegan frosting.
    • For a vegan chocolate ganache topping simply melt the same amount of chocolate and vegan cream gently in a pan, stirring until melted, glossy and a pouring consistency. Top each bun and the ganache will set in a few hours. Try 50g chocolate and 50g vegan cream or to cover an entire cake use 100g chocolate and 100g cream. Alpro single plant cream works well.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 141kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 239IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg

    More Vegan Cake, Traybake And Fridge Bake Recipes

    • Old-Fashioned Spice Applesauce Cake [vegan]
    • Vintage Chocolate Vinegar Cake
    • Old-Fashioned Coconut Buns
    • Old-Fashioned Granny Cakes

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