Vegan Valentine’s Cupcakes (Chocolate Strawberry)

These vegan Valentine’s cupcakes are the perfect dessert for sharing! Chocolate strawberry cupcakes- a fluffy, chocolate sponge cake topped with tasty strawberry buttercream and a fresh chocolate covered strawberry.

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching so I thought I’d make some ‘romantic’ desserts to add to the list.

I recently made a round-up post of Valentine’s candy recipes and realised I don’t have many Valentine’s recipes of my own on this blog so far. Of course, I wanted to change that!

Because I’ve already done a recipe for chocolate covered strawberries, it made sense to incorporate them into another dessert. Which led me to making these cute chocolate strawberry cupcakes, or vegan Valentine’s Day cupcakes!

They are basic chocolate sponge cupcakes topped with dairy-free strawberry buttercream and of course, a chocolate covered strawberry. I also have a recipe for chocolate buttercream so feel free to do it the other way around with a strawberry cupcake if you prefer! And if you like this post, make sure to check out my vegan chocolate cakes round-up.

More vegan Valentine’s Day desserts:

• Valentine’s Day sheet cake
• Hidden heart cupcakes
• Red velvet cupcakes
• Pizza Hut cookie skillet copycat
• Chocolate truffles

How to make vegan Valentine’s Day cupcakes

First, make the chocolate covered strawberries

I’d recommend making your chocolate strawberries before starting on the cupcakes because they will need a bit of time to chill.

All you need is 300g of your favourite vegan chocolate and 12 fresh strawberries. Make sure to wash and gently pat them dry before you start. For vegan chocolate strawberry cupcakes, I recommend choosing smaller strawberries so they don’t crush the buttercream topping.

Melt the chocolate, dip the strawberries in, then place them on a tray lined with baking paper. Once you’ve covered them all in chocolate, place them in the fridge for around an hour to chill. You can check out my chocolate strawberries post for decorating ideas!

Next, the chocolate cupcakes

To make vegan chocolate strawberry cupcakes, we have to start with the chocolate cupcakes! These are super easy to make and you’ll only need a few simple ingredients to do so.

Step 1:

Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C for fan ovens) and line a 12-hole cupcake tin with cupcake liners.

Step 2:

In a small mug or bowl, mix together 280ml of unsweetened soy milk and 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Set it aside for 5 minutes to thicken slightly. This will act as vegan buttermilk and will help to keep the cupcakes moist.

Step 3:

In a large bowl, mix together 200g of self-raising flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 200g of caster sugar.

Add in the buttermilk from earlier along with 90ml of oil and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Mix well until you have a smooth batter.

Step 4:

Divide the cupcake batter equally between your 12 liners and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick through the middle comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool in the tin for around 10 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Finally, the vegan strawberry buttercream

This buttercream is very simple to make but you do need freeze-dried strawberry powder to make it. This isn’t widely available in UK supermarkets so I recommend buying it online- I used Honeyberry powder. Please see my strawberry buttercream post for other brand suggestions.

• Add 180g of vegan margarine to a large bowl.
• Measure out 400g of icing sugar and mix it into the margarine, a little bit at a time.
• Add 45g of freeze-dried strawberry powder and 3 tablespoons of soy milk. Mix well.
• Give the buttercream a quick mix with an electric whisk or stand mixer until fluffy. If it’s too thick, add more soy milk and if it’s too runny, add more icing sugar.

Assembly

Use a large star nozzle to pipe a swirl of strawberry buttercream onto each cooled cupcake. Top each one with a chocolate strawberry and enjoy your homemade vegan chocolate strawberry cupcakes!

Top tips

• Make the chocolate covered strawberries first so that they have time to chill while you’re making the cupcakes.
• Try to pick out small strawberries so that they don’t crush the buttercream when you place them on top.
• Fill the cupcakes with a small amount of strawberry jam for an extra strawberry hit.
• Swap the cupcakes and buttercream around, using strawberry cupcakes and chocolate buttercream instead.

FAQ

That’s all for now. I hope you enjoy these easy vegan Valentine’s cupcakes! If you make them yourself, please let me know how you get on by leaving a comment and rating below. Happy baking! xo

5 from 1 vote

Print

Vegan Valentine’s Cupcakes (Chocolate Strawberry)

Fluffy chocolate sponge cakes topped with strawberry buttercream and chocolate covered strawberries.

Course Dessert

Cuisine vegan

Keyword vegan valentines cupcakes

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 12 cupcakes

Calories 449 kcal

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

• 280 ml Soy milk
• 1 Teaspoon Apple cider vinegar (sub for lemon juice or white vinegar)
• 200 g Self-raising flour
• ½ Teaspoon Baking soda
• 4 Tablespoons Cocoa powder
• 200 g Caster sugar
• 90 ml Oil
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla extract

For the strawberry buttercream:

• 180 g Vegan margarine
• 400 g Icing sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Soy milk
• 45 g Freeze-dried strawberry powder

To top:

• 12 Chocolate covered strawberries (use small strawberries so they don't crush the cupcakes)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (or 160°C if using a fan oven). Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with cupcake liners.

2. Mix the soy milk and vinegar and set aside for 5 minutes. This will act as your 'buttermilk'.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and caster sugar. Add the buttermilk from earlier, along with the melted vegan margarine and vanilla extract. Mix well until you have a smooth batter.

4. Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake cases and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick through the centre comes out clean.

5. While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the strawberry buttercream.

For the strawberry buttercream:

1. Add the margarine to a large bowl. Stir in the icing sugar a little bit at a time until it's all used up.

2. Add the soy milk and strawberry powder and mix well.

3. Give the buttercream a quick mix with an electric whisk until fluffy.

Assembly:

1. Pipe a swirl of strawberry buttercream onto each cupcake. Top with a chocolate covered strawberry.

Recipe Notes

• Store your Valentine’s Day cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Valentine's Cupcakes (Chocolate Strawberry)

Amount Per Serving (1 cupcake with buttercream)

Calories 449 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Fat 18g28%

Sodium 136mg6%

Carbohydrates 66g22%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 54g60%

Protein 5g10%

* All values are an estimate only and will vary depending on the food brands used.