Super Moist Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes are topped with a delicious homemade whipped buttercream frosting and colorful sprinkles! These light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes are perfect for birthdays, bake sales, and more.
1cupsoy milkor other vegan milk (240mL), room temperature
1cupbrown sugaror cane sugar (200g)
1 ½cupsall-purpose flour(180g)
1teaspoonbaking soda(5g)
½teaspoonsea salt(1.4g)
⅓cupvegan buttermelted and cooled (75g)
½tablespoonvanilla extract
For the Whipped Buttercream Frosting
3 to 3 ½cupspowdered sugar
1cupvegan buttersoftened
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1tablespoonvegan milkadd more if needed
¼teaspoonsea saltbut only if using unsalted butter
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line muffin cups with cupcake liners or foil bake cups.
In a small bowl or jar, add the apple cider vinegar and the soy milk together and stir to combine. It will curdle. Set aside.
Whisk together sugar, flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Add milk mixture, melted butter and vanilla. Mix with a spatula or hand whisk for about 1 to 2 minutes until everything is just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir one more time to ensure everything is incorporated. Do not overmix.
Divide the batter evenly between 12 cupcake liners (about ½ full with batter). You can use an ice cream scoop to help! Tap the cupcake pan on the counter three times (lift and tap down slightly) to remove any excess air bubbles before baking.
Place the pan in the middle rack of your oven and in the center of that rack. Bake for 20-22 minutes until fully cooked. Remove from the oven and let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from the baking pan, and move the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
After cooled, frost with buttercream frosting and sprinkles (if you want). Enjoy!
For the Buttercream Frosting
Beat the butter and vanilla for about 2-3 minutes with a stand mixer or a handheld mixer, until fluffy.
Add 1 cup of powdered sugar. Fold it in with a spatula so it doesn’t fly everywhere, then beat for about 1 minute. Add the rest of the powdered sugar in small increments too, until fully incorporated.
Add in a 1/2 tablespoon of vegan milk at a time until it reaches your preferred volume and consistency. Add that last ½ cup powdered sugar if you desire.
Then beat for about 5 minutes, using the spatula to mix everything together every other minute, until the frosting is fluffy, white, smooth and creamy.
Frost cupcakes and decorate. The frosting will set at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
How to Get Ultra-Moist Cupcakes: For an even more moist cake, brush with simple syrup before putting on the frosting!
Don't Over-Mix the Batter: Just mix until all of the ingredients are combined. Over-mixing the batter can lead to a tough, dense texture in the cupcakes instead of a light and airy one.
Let the Cupcakes Cool Before Frosting Them: If they're still warm from the oven, odds are they will begin to fall apart the moment you start frosting them. Let them cool completely to avoid that - you can even pop them in the fridge for a bit if you want to speed up the process.
Use Room Temperature Vegan Butter: When it's too cold it doesn't combine well with the powdered sugar, which results in lumpy frosting.