There are cupcakes, and then there are vegan cupcakes or non-dairy cupcakes. The switch from dairy to non-dairy might sound complicated but only to those who aren't avid cupcake makers. The recipe is more simple than one might think considering the substitutes required aren't radically different from their dairy counterparts.

Cupcakes, in general, are pretty simple to make. No matter the type of cake in mind, the smaller ones use the same formulas as the bigger ones. For vegan cupcakes, a baker could just swap the butter for vegan butter or vegetable oil and the dairy milk for oat milk or any other non-dairy milk.

Finally, the eggs can be omitted from the formula entirely. It's ok as long as other leavening agents are used for the vegan cupcakes. A good combination for this kind of recipe would be baking powder, cider vinegar, and self-raising flour as opposed to regular flour.

The recipe

Cake ingredients:

  • 1 cup self-raising flour
  • 1/2 stick vegan butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp flavoring of choice
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder

Frosting ingredients:

  • 2 sticks vegan butter, room temperature
  • 4 cups icing sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 or more tbsp non-dairy milk

The directions

Cupcake directions

  1. Line a 12-slot cupcake pan with liners and Preheat the oven to 160/180°C.
  2. Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a bowl and set aside. Whisk together the non-dairy milk and cider vinegar in a separate bowl and set aside as well.
  3. Beat the vegan butter and white sugar with an electric mixer up-fitted with a whisk attachment on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Do not overbeat.
  4. Drop the first egg into the mix while it continues beating and stop the electric mixer when it's fully combined. Scrape down the bowl, then restart the beating and add the next egg. Follow up with the milk and beat until fully blended.
  5. Turn the electric mixer's speed down to low and beat in the flour in batches until all are combined.
  6. Transfer the batter to the liners, filling all of them halfway. Clean the bowl for later use.
  7. Place the cupcake pan into the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the surfaces are springy when touched. Remove the pan from the oven to cool down.

Frosting directions for cupcakes

  1. Beat together the vegan butter and icing sugar in the cleaned bowl of the electric mixer, now up-fitted with a paddle attachment this time. Beat the mix at medium speed until smooth and fluffy.
  2. Beat in the chosen flavoring and a tablespoon of non-dairy milk. Keep adding more milk by the tablespoon until the desired consistency is reached.
  3. Transfer the finished frosting to a piping bag with the desired nozzle at the end but only fill the bag up by two-third. Pipe the frosting on the surface of the cupcakes in the form of swirls or whatever is desired.
  4. Serve the finished cupcakes or seal and refrigerate.

Serves: 12 cupcakes
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