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–+ servings
Frosted vanilla cupcakes with sprinkles.

Light and Fluffy Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

These vegan vanilla cupcakes could not be easier to make with no creaming of butters or sifting. Simply mix together and bake. 
4.88 from 25 votes
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Course: Dessert | Vegan Baking
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 380kcal
Author: Amanda Logan

Ingredients 

For the Cupcakes

  • 1 and ¾ cups (235g) all-purpose flour use cake flour for an extra light cake
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cups dairy-free milk almond or soy work best
  • 1 cup (195g) granulated sugar fine , I use raw caster sugar
  • ⅓ cup (80ml) sunflower oil
  • ¼ cup (60ml) apple sauce
  • 2 tsp (10ml) vanilla extract

For the Buttercream Frosting

  • ½ cup (125g) vegan butter room temperature
  • 3 cups (480g) confectioner's sugar up to 3½ cups (sifted)
  • 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
  • pinch sea salt
  • 2 tbsp (40ml) soy milk

Instructions

For the Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 177° C (350° F) and line a 12 pan cupcake tray with cupcake liners (paper or silicon).
  • In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. 
  • In a separate bowl whisk together the apple cider vinegar, dairy-free milk, sugar, oil, apple sauce, and vanilla extract. 
  • Add the wet mixture to the dry and gently whisk until smooth. Don't over-mix or you'lll end up with rubbery cupcakes. Better a few lumps than to over-mix the batter. 
  • Spoon the batter in to each about ⅔ of the way up. I transfer my batter to a jug and pour them from there for less mess. I am a messy-Bessy so this is helpful.
  • Pop the cakes in to the oven and bake for 19-23 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean from the centre of a cake. Remove from the oven and after 10 minutes remove the cakes from the pan and allow them to cool completely. 

For the Frosting

  • Add the butter to a stand mixer (with the paddle attachment) or a large bowl using a hand-mixer and cream it for 2 minutes on medium to high speed.
  • Turn the mixer to low and one cup at a time, add the sifted icing sugar (confectioners sugar) to the butter, beating for around 3 to 5 minutes in between each cup. Add the vanilla, salt and dairy-free milk and continue to beat until thick and creamy. Add more sifted sugar if needed.
  • Transfer the frosting to a piping bag (or a large zip lock bag with a corner snipped and a frosting nozzle fitted) and pipe on to the cakes once they are completely cooled. 
  • Serve immediately or store, covered, in the fridge for 3 days. 

Notes

Recipe Tips
  1. Measure your ingredients properly either by weight or spoon your ingredients in to a measuring cup and level them off with the back of a knife.
  2. Don't over-mix your batter. Whisk until the ingredients are combined and just smooth - over-mixing will give your rubbery cakes.
  3. Use an oven thermometer to get an accurate temperature.
  4. Only fill your cake liner two-thirds of the way up. Cupcakes don't have a muffin top - they should sit in a dome just at the lip of the cupcake liner.
  5. Use room temperature butter in the buttercream to avoid lumps.
  6. Sift the icing sugar (confectioners sugar) before adding it to your frosting a cup at a time.

Nutrition

Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 97mg | Potassium: 178mg | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 310IU | Vitamin C: 2.4mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 1.3mg
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