Gorgeously light and fluffy vegan vanilla cupcakes topped with creamy strawberry vanilla frosting. Perfect little packages of yum!
Ever since making our vegan chocolate cupcakes I’ve had cupcakes on my mind!
Big time!
I couldn’t wait to make more. So I decided to make these gorgeous vegan vanilla cupcakes with strawberry vanilla frosting.
And they came out so well.
I was especially thrilled with the frosting. I wasn’t sure how it would work out to use strawberry flavoring, but it did the job incredibly well and provided the most beautiful pale pink color, and the flavor was awesome. It reminded Jaye of a strawberry milkshake.
You’ll love these cupcakes for their beautiful color, light and fluffy texture and lovely blend of flavors.
Cupcakes are so easy they’re my new favorite thing. So much easier than full cakes (though I love making cakes!), because they bake in less time and you don’t have to cut out parchment paper for the cake pans.
The only tricky part for me was in transferring the batter to the cupcake liners, my first batch of cupcakes was very messy, until I figured out that the best method was to transfer the batter to a jug with a pouring nozzle and pour it neatly into each cupcake liner.
Messiness problem solved.
The great thing about these cupcakes is that the flavors are so mild and blend so beautifully together. You’ve got the light flavors of vanilla blending with the sweet scented flavors of strawberries.
The texture of these vanilla cupcakes is also perfectly light and spongey.
Decorating
Decorate them with some fresh chopped strawberries if you’re serving them right away. If you want to keep them (they keep very well in a covered cake container in the fridge for up to a week), then don’t use fresh fruit for decoration as the strawberries will run and the cakes will become soggy.
Alternatively decorate with vegan sprinkles or dried coconut.
Make Them Gluten-Free
For a gluten-free version of these cupcakes, check out our vegan gluten-free vanilla cupcakes.
Make A Layer Cake
This recipe can adapt to a three layer 6-inch cake. Bake time is 20 minutes.
Storing and Freezing
These cupcakes keep very well in a covered container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
They can also be frozen (frosted or unfrosted, but don’t add any fresh strawberry decoration if you’re freezing them) for up to 3 months.
More Delicious Vegan Cupcakes
- Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
- Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes
- Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes
- Vegan Funfetti Cupcakes
- Vegan Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes:
- 1 ¾ cups All Purpose Flour (220g)
- 1 cup White Granulated Sugar (200g)
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 cup Soy Milk (240ml) or other non-dairy milk
- ⅓ cup Canola Oil (80ml) or Vegetable Oil*
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tbsp Distilled White Vinegar
Strawberry Vanilla Frosting
- ½ cup Vegan Butter (112g)
- 3 cups Powdered Sugar (360g)
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 tsp Strawberry Extract
Decoration:
- Fresh Sliced Strawberries optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners.
- Sift the flour into a bowl and add the sugar, baking soda and salt.
- Then add the soy milk, vanilla extract, oil and white vinegar.
- Mix until just mixed, using a hand whisk to get rid of any big lumps. Don’t overmix, tiny lumps are fine.
- Pour the batter into a jug that allows for easy pouring and pour evenly into the 12 cupcake liners, ensuring that all the batter is used up.
- Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Check the cupcakes at 20 minutes and if a toothpick inserted into the center doesn’t come out clean, then put them back in for a further 5 minutes.
- Move to a cooling rack and allow to cool thoroughly before frosting.
- Prepare the frosting by adding the vegan butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and strawberry flavoring to an electric mixer bowl. Begin mixing on low speed, gradually increasing speed until you have perfectly smooth frosting.
- Decorate with fresh strawberry slices before serving (optional).
Video
Notes
- We have also made these with a light olive oil (as in the video) and they worked great! But for more consistent results across brands canola oil or vegetable oil is a better option.
- These cupcakes keep very well in a covered container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
- They can also be frozen (frosted or unfrosted, but don’t add any fresh strawberry decoration if you’re freezing them) for up to 3 months.
Anya says
Hello, I have a question. I can’t find strawberry flavoring anywhere near me and I am planning on baking soon. Do you think substituting strawberry purée (the kind you mentioned in your vegan strawberry cupcake recipe) will be a plausible substitute? Will the frosting come out tasting like strawberry? Thank you.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Anya, you can use strawberry purée in the same quantity (2 tsp) or you can just leave out the strawberry flavoring altogether and just use 2 tsp of soy milk or other non-dairy milk to replace the strawberry flavoring.
Molly says
Has anyone tried this recipe as a full cake? I actually want to make it in a pyrex bowl for a half-sphere shape? Will it work?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Molly, the cake version of these cupcakes is our vegan vanilla cake, and I think that could work! 🙂
Angela says
I made mini cupcakes from your recipe with a few substitutions/modifications (I’ve been known to take such liberties ????). I used Trader Joe’s non dairy oat beverage (instead of soy milk), apple cider vinegar (instead of white), almond extract (instead of vanilla), and dairy butter (instead of vegan) for the cupcakes; for the frosting, I used almond extract, and instead of strawberry flavor, I colored some pink and some blue with vegetable food coloring and topped them with shredded coconut, and to some, I added cocoa powder, melted Belgian dark chocolate, and pure maple syrup to the frosting and topped those with homemade caramel sauce, chopped peanuts, and grated Belgian dark chocolate. OMG, they were freaking phenomenal!!! ???????? I brought 17 to a party, and they all disappeared! Your awesome recipe provided an excellent basis. ???? And the vinegar and baking soda chemical reaction made them rise so perfectly. I’ll be making these again, probably different variations. ????
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Angela! 🙂
Gabrielle Thomas says
The first time I made this recipe, they turned out amazing – nice and fluffy! But I made them again, and for some reason they didn’t cook properly on the inside. I cooked them for a little longer, but this didn’t help.
Why could this be? I substituted white wine vinegar for apple cider vinegar, and used less sugar than stated, but apart from that everything was the same.
These taste amazing would love to nail the recipe again! XO
Alison Andrews says
Hi Gabriella, the vinegars to use are either apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar. I think that might fix the issue. 🙂
Jovana says
Great recipe! I really like that it works well with substitutions, saving me an unnecessary trip to the store. I only had spelt flour at home, and as a result I reduced the liquids by 1/4. I used apple cider vinegar instead of white, canola oil instead of olive, and mixed equal parts water and oat milk to have enough liquids. The result: fluffy, buttery, slightly nutty tasting cupcakes! I just put strawberry jam on them and served them warm, they were a hit!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome Jovana! So glad they were a hit. Thanks for the great review. 🙂
Nicole says
What brand of vegan butter do you use for the frosting? I was thinking of using Country Crock vegan butter sticks. Should I be using sticks or the spreadable form of vegan butter? Thanks!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Nicole, sticks will work great! You will get a nice thick frosting. You may need to add a little non-dairy milk IF it’s ‘too’ thick, most people only have access to the spreadable versions, but the vegan butter sticks will really work great. 🙂
Amy says
I love your recipes. Do you recommend unsweetened soy milk or original? Thank you!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Amy, you can really use either/or for this recipe, so whatever is easier or whatever you have on hand. 🙂
Cilla says
Hi Alison….I was looking for an eggless recipe and found yours….am going to try it out tomorrow…. Just want to check with you if I can use dairy milk instead of soya based milk?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Cilla, yes any milk will work here. Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
BP says
Tried this recipe and…wow! So scrumptious, soft and fluffy! I personally would slightly reduce the sugar amount.
A small query though…the next day the tops started to get sticky. Do you know why that may be?
Alison Andrews says
Glad you enjoyed the recipe! Were they frosted? If they’re not in an airtight container there may have been too much moisture in the air that caused the stickiness.
Jen says
So I’m looking at a number of your recipes to try for my Vegan Cousins Thanksgiving This is on the top of my list to try. I’m going to BOOKMARK your blog though for not just my cousins but my baking nature. Why because reading your reply’s to comments you are more willing to hear out substitutions and suggestions than a few bakers I’ve come across recently. One blogger going as far as to say if you don’t follow her recipe exactly don’t bother for one of her recipes.
Alison Andrews says
Thanks Jen! I appreciate that! We definitely have to be open to substitutions as people have various allergies/sensitivities. Hope these work out great if you make them. 🙂
Ava says
Can I use Apple Cider Vinegar in place of the white vinegar? It usually works better in baking recipes for me.
Alison Andrews says
Yes you can. 🙂
Gaby says
Hi, I was wondering why you put vinegar in the batter? I was also wondering if I could swap out the olive oil for non-dairy margarine. Thanks – Gaby
Alison Andrews says
Hi Gaby, the vinegar reacts with the baking soda and makes them rise. You could try using dairy free margarine, though I haven’t tested it that way. All the best! 🙂
Vani says
Hi Alison,
Will the frosting hold in room temperature(70-75f) for 2-3 hrs?
Alison Andrews says
Should be fine! Just make sure it is as thick as possible. 🙂
Leah Anderson says
I made these with your chocolate buttercream frosting for my son’s daycare class (he’s allergic to eggs and milk) and they were amazing!!! I love how delicious and uncomplicated your recipes are! I was wondering if you have any ideas on how to incorporate some sparkling wine into this or any of your other cake recipes? I’m looking for a good one to make for a shower and your page was my first stop. Thank you for what you do! ❤️
Alison Andrews says
Hi Leah! So happy to hear they worked out great! Thanks for the awesome review. To add sparkling wine to these, I would probably just replace the non-dairy milk with an equal amount of sparkling wine. I haven’t tested it but I think that would be the way to do it! 🙂 All the best!
Chev says
Hi! Should I cut the recipe by half if I only plan to bake 6 cupcakes?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Chev, yes you would halve the recipe for only 6 cupcakes. All the best! 🙂