These are my go-to, never-fail vegan cupcakes! They are the perfect cupcake for all of your celebration needs. You won’t believe it when you see how much they rise while baking. I top them with a layer of salted buttercream and sprinkles for a festive twist. They never last long! For the fluffiest cupcakes use all-purpose flour, however the recipe is pretty forgiving so feel free to use white spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour in a pinch (bake times may change slightly). Recipe updated from my 2011 version.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (250 mL) unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup (220 g) natural cane sugar
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) grapeseed oil*
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (210 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (27 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (100 g) vegan butter**
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) powdered icing sugar, sifted if necessary
- 1 1/2 to 3 teaspoons unsweetened almond milk, as needed
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
- sprinkles
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake liners.
- For the cupcakes: Add the milk, sugar, oil, vinegar, and vanilla into a large mixing bowl. With electric mixers, beat the wet ingredients on low speed until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until no clumps remain.
- Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat just until smooth and no patches of flour remain.
- Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, about two-thirds full for each.
- Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, or until the cupcakes slowly spring back when pressed gently with a finger. A toothpick inserted into the centre should also come out clean. Cool the cupcakes on a cooling rack.
- For the buttercream: In a large bowl, beat the butter and vanilla with electric beaters until light and fluffy.
- Add the icing sugar, gradually, while beating on low speed. Now, add in the milk to thin it to your desired consistency, while gradually increasing the speed. I add a teaspoon at a time. If at any point you add too much milk and the buttercream becomes runny, simply add more icing sugar to thicken it back up. You want a nice spreadable consistency that is not runny.
- Add the salt to taste and beat again to combine.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cool, spread a thick layer of frosting on top of each, followed by a generous amount of sprinkles. Enjoy!
- Leftover cupcakes will keep for a couple days in a sealed container, or you can freeze them for up to 1 month. I freeze them uncovered at first and then once they are frozen solid, I wrap each cupcake individually in foil. Then I place all of them into a large freezer zip bag, pressing out all the air.
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