Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

These vegan vanilla cupcakes are light, fluffy and topped with creamy vanilla buttercream frosting. Basic cupcakes are a staple that everyone should know how to make, and I want to show you how to do it without eggs or dairy!

In honor of my dear ole’ mum getting married this week, I wanted to create a wedding-inspired dessert.

Nothing too fancy, but something plain, white and beautiful. Just like these vegan vanilla cupcakes!

I have a few other cupcake recipes on the blog but I wanted to bring it back to basics! No fancy flavorings or decorations.

I think every baker should know how to bake simple vanilla cupcakes. It’s one of the first things I learned to bake as a child.

Of course, making vanilla cupcakes vegan can be a bit of a challenge if you’ve never played around with dairy-free or egg-free baking.

First, you need to find a way to make them fluffy without using eggs. But not too fluffy- because you don’t want them to collapse in on themselves as they bake. And then there’s the other problem of how to keep the cupcakes moist.

But don’t worry, this recipe tastes just as good as any non-vegan cupcake I’ve made before!

How To Make Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

Step 1

The first step is to preheat your oven  to 180C / 350F and line a cupcake tray with 12 cases.

Step 2:

Mix together 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 150ml (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) of plant-based milk. Set it aside for now.

I almost always bake with soy milk because it is closest in consistency to dairy milk in my opinion. But feel free to use whichever kind of plant-based milk you like.

If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can use lemon juice or white vinegar instead.

Step 3

In a large bowl, mix together 160g (1 + 1/4 cup) of all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 100g (1/2 cup) of caster/superfine sugar.

It’s important that you use plain flour for this recipe, not self-raising. When I baked traditional cupcakes, I always used self-raising but in vegan baking, I find that without the eggs and dairy, using self-raising flour sometimes results in a “gummy” texture.

Using a combination of plain flour and baking powder seems to work better for me. The cupcakes will rise nicely but not too much that they’ll become chewy in the oven.

Want more vegan cake recipes?

• Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
• Vegan Chocolate Cake
• Carrot Cake
• Vegan Lemon Drizzle Cake

Step 4

Now add the milk mixture into the dry mixture along with 150ml (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) of oil and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Mix well until you have a smooth cake batter.

Your cake batter should be “dropping consistency”. This means that when you put some on a spoon and tip the spoon upside down, the batter should “drop” off. It shouldn’t be too runny nor too thick- just somewhere in between.

Step 5

Divide the cake mix between 12 cupcake cases and bake them for 15 minutes. A toothpick through the middle should come out clean.

When they’re done baking, transfer them onto a wire rack until they are completely cool.

These Cupcakes Taste Delicious With Buttercream frosting!

No vanilla cupcakes would be complete without buttercream frosting!

You can totally use a store-bought version if there’s one available where you live. Just be sure to check the ingredients for things like milk, eggs or gelatine.

But I always think that homemade frosting is the best kind of frosting. It only takes 5 minutes to make, pipes really well and will hold tall when the cupcake is left at room temperature. No more puddles of vegan frosting… yay!

All you need to do is put 240g (1 cup) of vegan butter into a bowl along with 600g (5 cups) of powdered sugar. Gently mix it together using a wooden spoon until well combined.

Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix it in well. The result should be a smooth and creamy vegan frosting!

If it’s too thick, you can add a splash of milk until you get your desired consistency. Or if it’s too thin, just add more powdered sugar.

You can spoon the frosting onto the cupcakes if you like but this recipe will give you enough to pipe beautiful swirls onto each cupcake. Of course, this step is totally optional but if you don’t currently own a piping bag and nozzle, I urge to you to check your local pound or dollar store. There’s something about piped frosting that adds an extra special touch to cupcakes.

Vegan Sprinkles For decorating

Once your cupcakes are all frosted, you can leave them just like that or you can add some decorations.

I used personally used white edible pearls from Baking Time Club, and I’d highly recommend their site for all of their vegan-friendly sprinkles. They have lots to choose from.

There are also lots of options available in supermarkets but again watch out for animal-derived ingredients. The most common non-vegan ingredients in sprinkles tend to be milk, whey powder, egg or egg powder, gelatine, shellac, carmine, and beeswax.

How to store the cupcakes

These cupcakes will keep well for around 3 days. After this, they’ll start to lose their fluffy texture and vanilla flavor.

They can be stored in the fridge but I think they taste best stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Make sure the room isn’t too hot or they’ll become soggy quite quickly.

These cupcakes also freeze really well, with or without frosting. Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before placing them in an airtight container for up to 2 months. To defrost, allow them to sit on a plate at room temperature for a few hours until they become soft again.

If you make these cupcakes yourself, I’d love to know what you think. Please leave a comment or rating below and share your thoughts!

Happy baking.

xo