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dairy free cupcakes

Coconut Sugar Cupcakes

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Deliciously fluffy Coconut Sugar Cupcakes made without refined sugar! These cupcakes have a sweet caramel flavor thanks to the coconut sugar used in both the cake and the Swiss meringue buttercream. Make them mini for the perfect small snack.

Coconut Sugar Cupcakes

I’ve had these cupcakes on my blog to-do list for quite awhile now, and being that it’s the start of a new year and many people are challenging themselves to follow certain diets, it feels like the perfect time to introduce these classic cupcakes made without any refined sugar. Now, are these cupcakes “healthy.” Well, no. They’re still made with all of the classic ingredients, like all-purpose flour and butter (or plant-based butter). But there’s significantly less sugar in these cupcakes as they’re topped with a Swiss meringue buttercream which is far less sugar-laden than a traditional American buttercream (my usual go-to). And they’re made without cane sugar (which more quickly spikes our blood sugar levels).

What is Coconut Sugar?

Coconut sugar is made from the sap of the coconut palm tree. I love baking with coconut sugar as it can replace regular, white granulated sugar 1:1 in most baking recipes. It’s unrefined, low glycemic index (much lower than cane sugar, honey, and maple syrup), and has absolutely no coconut flavor. If you aren’t familiar with coconut sugar, then you may think it will taste like coconut, but it doesn’t. At all! Since it’s made from the sap of the coconut palm tree, the sugar actually lends a very cozy caramel taste to these cupcakes.

Why Swiss Meringue Buttercream?

If you’re anything like me when it comes to baking, you like to keeps things quick and simple. This is why I use a standard American buttercream for 99.9% of my cake recipes. I love American buttercream, and, for me, the taste and texture is exactly what I think of when I picture the perfect cake. The downside of my favorite frosting is that it is so sweet. Too sweet for a lot of people. This is where other frostings, like a Swiss meringue buttercream, shine. SMB is smooth, creamy, and pretty fool-proof. Plus, you can get the same volume of frosting without all the sugar!

Since SMB is made using a melted sugar, it can be made with a variety of sugars, including coconut sugar! Hello, low glycemic index frosting! If you like to keep your bakes on the healthier side then this is pretty exciting. The SMB made with coconut sugar has a caramel-like flavor to it. It’s silky smooth and so delightful atop the coconut sugar cupcakes. I found a SMB recipe from Liv For Cake and love how it turned out with coconut sugar.

To make the Swiss meringue buttercream, you’ll need:

  • Stand mixer with whisk attachment
  • Medium pot
  • Stover or burner
  • Candy thermometer
  • Whisk
Yield: 36 Mini Cupcakes or 12 Regular Cupcakes

Coconut Sugar Cupcakes

Coconut Sugar Cupcakes

Deliciously fluffy cupcakes with a sweet caramel flavor from the coconut sugar used in both the cake and Swiss meringue buttercream! These sweet cakes are made without any refined or cane sugar.

Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • 1 3/4 cup (228g) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup (112g) plant-based butter (or regular butter), softened
  • 2/3 cup (112g) coconut sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (240g) oat milk (or almond milk)

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

  • 3 large egg whites, room temp
  • 1 cup (168g) coconut sugar
  • 1 cup (224g) plant-based butter (or regular butter), slightly softened and cubed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Cupcakes

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and fill a mini cupcake (or regular cupcake) pan with liners. (Now is also a good time to set out the eggs for your frosting).
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and coconut sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.
  4. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and beat until combined. Then add 1/2 of the milk and beat until combined. Repeat. Finally, add the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients and beat until combined.
  5. Scoop batter into the cupcake liners, filling 3/4 full. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out with a few crumbs.
  6. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before gently removing to a cooling rack.
  7. Once the cupcake pan is cool, repeat Steps 5 and 6 to finish baking the cupcakes. TIP: you can quickly cool your pan by running cool water over the back. Dry it thoroughly and keep baking.
  8. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before making the frosting.

Make the Swiss Meringue Buttercream (see Note 1)

  1. Prepare your butter by slicing it into small cubes. It's important that the butter you use is softened but not goopy or melty (even a little chilled is okay). I don't recommend using tub "butter" for this frosting.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the room temperature egg whites (see Note 2) and coconut sugar; whisk until combined.
  3. Prepare a double boiler by adding 1" of water to a medium pot and bringing the water to a simmer. Place the bowl of egg whites and sugar over the simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Whisk the mixture constantly until it reaches 160°F on a candy thermometer (this should only take a couple of minutes).
  4. Remove the bowl from the pot of water and dry off the bottom. Place it back on the stand mixer and whisk on medium-high until the meringue reaches stiff peaks and the bowl is no longer warm to the touch. This should take approximately 5-10 minutes.
  5. With the stand mixer on, slowly add the cubed butter to the meringue mixture. Keep whisking until all the butter has been added. Add the vanilla extract and whisk.
  6. If your buttercream looks chunky, or split, continue whisking on a lower speed setting (4 on a Kitchenaid mixer) for a few minutes or until the frosting reaches a smooth, glossy consistency.
  7. Add the frosting to a pipping bag fitted with your favorite tip and frost the cupcakes. Top with sprinkles until all cupcakes are decorated.
  8. Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

  1. Swiss Meringue Buttercream: this recipe is adapted from Liv For Cake and her detailed blog post has a ton of helpful tips if you're new to making this kind of frosting.
  2. Eggs: if your eggs are still cold, you can warm them up by placing them in a glass of hot water for around 10 minutes.
  3. For regular cupcakes, increase bake time to 15-20 minutes.

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cake

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Corn Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream

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This recipe is sponsored by In The Raw®, and all thoughts and opinions here are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Sugared & Stirred possible!

Sweet and fluffy Corn Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream and Honey In The Raw® drizzle! These flavorful cornbread-turned-cupcakes will be the perfect addition to your next cozy get-together!

Corn Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream

I’ve been dreaming about creating these cupcakes for months now. I love cornbread muffins, and I just knew that using cornmeal in my classic cupcake recipe would give me the fluffy, sweet, corn-y cupcakes that I’ve been craving! Add a honey buttercream on top, and these cupcakes are just a dream. Of course I also topped them with a drizzle of Honey In The Raw® for extra oomph (and honey flavor).

Don’t let the cornmeal confuse you, these cupcakes come together like a classic cake batter. You’ll beat together the Sugar In The Raw® and butter – since this is a raw, turbinado sugar, you want to spend some extra time beating these ingredients together. Then you’ll begin adding the dry ingredients and milk, alternating between the two, until you have a smooth cake batter. That batter will resemble a cake batter, not a cornbread batter. Once the cupcakes are baked and cooled, you beat together the frosting ingredients. The added honey creates a smooth frosting texture perfect for piping.

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • All-purpose flour is the standard baking flour. I like to use an unbleached version, but any all-purpose flour will work in this recipe. If your flour looks clumpy at all, I recommend sifting it.
  • Yellow cornmeal is made from yellow corn, and it’s different than corn flour. Make sure what you buy/use for this recipe is yellow cornmeal. This cornmeal will give the cupcakes that familiar cornbread flavor!
  • Baking powder + baking soda perfectly leaven these cupcakes.
  • Salt enhances flavor and cuts sweetness.
  • Plant-based butter is used in both the cake batter and frosting. Feel free to use your favorite plant-based butter or regular butter. The important thing is that it’s softened prior to beating. If you plan to use a tub “butter” then you can use it straight from the refrigerator as it’s already soft.
  • Sugar In The Raw® Turbinado Sugar is a heartier sugar with big, golden crystals. Since it’s unbleached, the crystals keep their rich flavor and color of the natural molasses. This sugar can be used 1:1 in baking!
  • Eggs help bind the ingredients and keep these cupcakes fluffy.
  • Vanilla extract adds flavor to both the cupcakes and frosting.
  • Oat milk moistens the batter and thins out the frosting. Feel free to use your favorite plant-based milk or regular cow’s milk.
  • Vegetable shortening acts a thickener in the frosting. It stiffens the buttercream, which can sometimes end up too thin thanks to the plant-based butters. If you’d like, you can replace the shortening with more butter, but you may need less milk in the frosting.
  • Powdered sugar bulks up the frosting – there are no substitutes for powdered sugar.
  • Honey In The Raw® is a delicious, raw, and unfiltered honey used to flavor the buttercream frosting. It’s also drizzled on top of each cupcake as a sweet finish!

More Recipes You Might Like

Sweet Corn Muffins

Cranberry Chai Spice Cupcakes

Lemon Ginger Cupcakes

Mulled Apple Cider Cake with Penuche Frosting

Yield: 12 Regular Cupcakes

Corn Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream

Corn Cupcakes with Honey Buttercream

Sweet and fluffy cornmeal cupcakes topped with a delicious honey buttercream frosting! These sweet, little cakes are perfect for your next get-together!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Additional Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 48 minutes

Ingredients

Corn Cupcakes

  • 1 1/4 cups (163g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (80g) yellow cornmeal
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup (113g) plant-based butter, softened (or regular butter)
  • 2/3 cup (142g) Sugar In The Raw®
  • 2 large eggs, room temp
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup oat milk, room temp (or other milk)

Honey Buttercream

  • 1/2 cup (113g) plant-based butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup (48g) vegetable shortening (or more butter)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup Honey In The Raw® (+ more to drizzle)
  • 6 cups (720g) powdered sugar
  • ~3 Tbsp oat milk (or other milk)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your cupcake pan by adding paper liners to the wells.
  2. Bring your eggs and milk to room temperature - place the eggs in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes. Heat the milk until just slightly warm/room temp.
  3. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to evenly combine; set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, add the softened butter and sugar. Beat the ingredients for 1 minute. Add the room temperature eggs and vanilla and beat for an additional minute.
  5. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and beat until combined. Add 1/2 of the milk and beat until combined. Repeat, alternating dry ingredients and milk until you add the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Beat until smooth.
  6. Scoop or spoon the batter into the lined cupcake pan, filling 3/4 full - you may have a small bit of batter leftover.
  7. Bake at 350°F for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  8. Once the cupcakes are totally cool, you can make the frosting. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and shortening. Beat in the vanilla extract and honey. Begin beating in the powdered sugar, 1-2 cups at a time. Once you've added all the powered sugar, you can begin adding the oat milk, 1 Tbsp at a time, until your buttercream reaches a thick but spreadable consistency.
  9. Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with your favorite tip and frost all of the cupcakes. Just before serving, drizzle each cupcake with extra Honey In The Raw®.
  10. Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

  1. Butter: feel free to use plant-based butter or regular butter - just make sure your butter is softened. If you plan to use a tub "butter" then you can use it straight from the refrigerator as it's already soft.
  2. Vegetable shortening: this helps stiffen the buttercream, but you can also use butter in its place. You may need to use less milk if you choose to do this.
  3. Milk: I like to bake with oat milk or almond milk, but any kind of milk will work in this recipe. The important thing is to use room temperature milk.

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cake

Did you make this recipe? I would love to see!

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Lemon Ginger Cupcakes

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Bright and summery Lemon Ginger Cupcakes flavored with lots of fresh lemon and fresh ginger! With a light ginger flavor and tons of sweetness, these simple lemon cupcakes are easy to love! And easy to bake, too!

Lemon Ginger Cupcakes

The sunny spring here has me craving LEMON, and these Lemon Ginger Cupcakes have been baked no less than three times in the last month at my house! The lightly flavored cake is perfectly…well, cakey. Its fluffy, moist, and holds together so well (not crumby)! I truly love this cake recipe, and the lemon ginger is just delightful. I used fresh lemon (zest in the cupcakes; juice in the frosting), lemon extract, fresh ginger, and ground ginger. There are lots of ways to get the flavors into these bakes, but I found these to be my favorite in terms of flavor and cake texture!

What You’ll Need

  • All-purpose flour makes up the bulk of the cupcakes. I haven’t tried this recipe with any other flours.
  • Ground ginger + fresh ginger give these cupcakes a noticeable ginger flavor. You’ll need a roughly 3 inch piece of fresh ginger that you’ll peel and finely grate for the cake. Plus, ground ginger is added to both the cake and frosting!
  • Leavening agents help these cupcakes rise. I like to use a mix of baking powder and baking soda. These two are not interchangeable. 
  • Salt enhances flavor.
  • Plant-based butter is used in both the cake and frosting. It brings moisture and flavor to the cake and helps make up the buttercream frosting. You can use regular butter in its place if you’re not dairy-free.
  • Granulated sugar adds sweetness to the cupcakes. I like to use an unrefined cane sugar, but you can use a white or raw cane sugar as well. I don’t recommend coconut sugar for these cupcakes as it will turn the cupcakes brown.
  • Eggs bind the batter together and help create fluffy, leavened cupcakes. I haven’t tried any egg replacements for this recipe
  • Lemon extract and vanilla extract both add flavor. Feel free to swap one for the other!
  • Lemon zest and lemon juice are added to bring even more lemon flavor to these cupcakes. You’ll need 2 large lemons (or 3-4 small) to zest and juice for all that good lemon flavor.
  • Plant-based milk is added to the cupcake batter to help with moisture and cake texture. I use an unsweetened almond milk for this recipe, but you can use whichever milk you like best (including cow’s if you’re not DF).
  • Powdered sugar makes up the bulk of the frosting, and there are no replacements.

More Lemon Recipes:

Lemon Cake Donuts with Lemon Icing

Soft Iced Lemon Cookies

Yield: 24 Mini Cupcakes or 12 Regular Cupcakes

Lemon Ginger Cupcakes

Lemon Ginger Cupcakes

Soft and summery Lemon Ginger Cupcakes flavored with lots of fresh lemon and fresh ginger! With a light ginger flavor and tons of sweetness, these lemon cupcakes are easy to love!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup plant-based butter (or regular butter), softened
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temp
  • 1 tsp lemon extract
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon zest (about 2 large lemons)
  • 1-2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger (about 3" of ginger root)
  • 1 cup plant-based milk

Frosting

  • 3/4 cup plant-based butter, softened
  • 1 tsp ground ginger (add more to taste)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 5-6 cups powdered sugar
  • 4-5 Tbsp lemon juice (from the 2 lemons used to zest)

Instructions

Bake the Cupcakes

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a 24-count mini cupcake pan (or 12-count regular cupcake pan - see Note 1) with paper liners. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and lemon extract. And then the lemon zest and freshly grated ginger.
  4. Next beat ~1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add half of the milk and beat. Repeat once more and then, finally, beat in the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients.
  5. Fill the lined cupcake wells a little more than 3/4 full. Bake at 350°F for 10-11 minutes for mini cupcakes or 15-20 minutes for regular cupcakes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into a cupcake; when it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done.
  6. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before gently removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Frost the Cupcakes

  1. Once your cupcakes are totally cool, you'll make the frosting. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and vanilla extract. Add 3 cups of the powdered sugar and beat. Add another 2-3 cups of sugar + 2 Tbsp of lemon juice. Begin beating and add more lemon juice and powdered sugar as you need. You want the consistency to be thick and stable enough to hold shape yet spreadable and smooth.
  2. Add the frosting to a piping bag, or gallon ziploc bag, fitted with your favorite frosting tip (I used a Wilton 1M tip). Frost each cupcake and immediately top with lemon zest or sprinkles.
  3. Store any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Notes

  1. You can make either mini cupcakes or regular cupcakes with this recipe. It makes 24 mini cupcakes or 12 regular cupcakes. The bake time will increase for regular cupcakes to between 15 and 20 minutes.

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cake

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Cranberry Chai Spice Cupcakes (dairy-free)

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Sweet and fluffy, spiced cupcakes dotted with tart cranberries! These simple Cranberry Chai Spice Cupcakes are topped with an EASY spiced frosting and glistening sugared cranberries. They’re perfect for your next holiday get-together, or, you know, Tuesday night.

Cranberry Chai Spice Cupcakes

Yield: 12 Cupcakes

Cranberry Chai Spice Cupcakes

Cranberry Chai Spice Cupcakes

Sweet and fluffy spiced cupcakes dotted with fresh, tart cranberries! All topped off with an easy spiced buttercream frosting and glistening sugared cranberries!

Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • 1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • Big pinch of ground black pepper
  • 1 cup plant-based milk
  • 1/2 cup plant-based butter, softened
  • 2/3 cup raw cane sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temp
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries, washed and patted dry (see Note 1)

Frosting

  • 1/2 cup plant-based butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, or more butter (see Note 2)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 cups powdered sugar
  • 4-5 Tbsp plant-based milk
  • 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • Pinch of ground black pepper

Sugared Cranberries

  • 1/3 cup + 1 cup white granulated sugar (divided)
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries, washed and patted dry

Instructions


Sugar the Cranberries

  1. Add the water and 1/3 cup of sugar to a medium pot and mix. Bring just to a simmer and then remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
  2. Add the fresh cranberries to the sugar mixture, coating each cranberry and then removing them to a wire cooling rack. It's easiest to use a slotted spoon to remove the berries.
  3. Add 1 cup of sugar to a shallow bowl or dish. Begin adding the sticky cranberries, a spoonful at a time, to the sugar, swirling them about to coat them in the sugar. Carefully remove to a baking sheet or plate to cool/set.

Make the Cupcakes

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
  4. Prepare your cup of milk. Then beat ~1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add half of the milk and beat. Repeat once more and then, finally, beat in the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients.
  5. Fill the lined muffin wells a little more than 3/4 full. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes (mine took 19) or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.
  6. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before gently removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Make the Frosting

  1. Once your cupcakes are totally cool, make the frosting: in a large bowl, beat together the butter and shortening. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add 3 cups of the powdered sugar and beat. Add the remaining 3 cups of sugar + 2 Tbsp of milk. Begin beating and add milk as you need. You want the consistency to be thick and stable to hold shape yet spreadable enough that the texture is smooth.
  2. Add frosting to a piping bag fitted with your favorite frosting tip (I used a Wilton 1M tip). Frost each cupcake and immediately top with a sugared cranberry, sprinkles, or whatever you'd like.
  3. Store any leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Notes

  1. Cranberries: you can use whole cranberries or slice/chop the cranberries into smaller pieces. I chose to slice the bigger berries and left the smaller ones whole.
  2. Shortening: this helps stabilize the softer plant-based butters. If you choose to omit it (and use more butter in its place), you may need to add less milk to your frosting.

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cake

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Mini Banana Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting (dairy-free)

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Bite-sized Banana Cupcakes topped with a delicious dark chocolate frosting made with Dutched cocoa! These mini treats are perfect for snacking or taking to share!

Mini Banana Cupcakes

I love a good chocolate banana combo. And since we seem to consistently have that one (or two) old banana at the bottom of our fruit bowl, I’m frequently in need of ways to use up a very brown banana. I took my favorite Banana Cupcake recipe and made it mini! Bring on the bite-sized cupcakes! And the dark chocolate frosting!! Made with a lot of cocoa powder, the frosting is less sweet than traditional American buttercream, so it’s perfect for any cake or cupcake. I truly love this frosting. It’s easy to make and tastes even better than the sweet chocolate frosting you may be used to. Yep. It’s that good!

What You’ll Need

  • Flour: I like to use unbleached all-purpose flour. For healthier cupcakes, you can replace half of the flour with a white whole wheat variety
  • Leavening (baking powder + baking soda)
  • Salt
  • Cinnamon
  • Sugar: for these cupcakes, you can use coconut sugar, raw cane sugar, or white granulated cane sugar
  • Egg: for a vegan option, you can use flax egg as well. Mix 1 Tbsp of flaxseed meal with 3 Tbsp warm water; allow to thicken for 5 minutes
  • Plant-based milk: any kind of milk will work in the cupcakes and the frosting – plant-based or regular
  • Oil: I always use olive oil in my baking, but you can use any liquid oil. If you choose to use liquid coconut oil, it’s important that all of your other ingredients are room temperature so the oil stays a liquid
  • Vanilla extract
  • Plant-based butter: for this frosting, you can use any kind of  butter in stick form or from a tub. If you plan to use stick butter, it needs to soften at room temperature, but tub butter should be taken straight from the refrigerator (it’s already soft)
  • Vegetable shortening: this adds structure to the frosting. If you’d like to omit it, you can use more butter in its place, but you may need less “milk” for the frosting
  • Dutch process cocoa powder: for the dark chocolate frosting, you’ll need to use a Dutched cocoa powder; natural (or regular) cocoa powder won’t give you that dark chocolate taste
  • Powdered sugar: for the best frosting, I don’t recommend anything but regular powdered sugar
Yield: ~20 Mini Cupcakes

Mini Banana Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting

Mini Banana Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Frosting

Bite-sized banana cupcakes topped with a decadent dark chocolate frosting. These small treats are perfect for enjoying at home or taking along to share.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

  • 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or raw cane sugar)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 Tbsp plant-based milk
  • 2 Tbsp oil (I used olive oil)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 heaping cup mashed banana (1-2 very ripe bananas)

Frosting

  • 1/4 cup plant-based butter (see note)
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable shortening (or more butter)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa (Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa is a great option)
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3-4 Tbsp plant-based milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare a mini muffin pan with mini liners (or spray with non-stick spray).
  2. In a large bowl, sift the flour. Then whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg, milk, oil, vanilla, and mashed banana until well combined. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and gently mix just until there are no more streaks of flour.
  4. Scoop batter into the prepared mini muffin pan, filling each well nearly to the top - you should get 20-22 muffins. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out with a few crumbs.
  5. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  6. Once the muffins are totally cool, you can make the frosting. In a large bowl, beat together the plant-based butter and shortening. Beat in the vanilla extract. Sift in the cocoa powder and beat until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar and add 2 Tbsp of plant-based milk. Beat, adding more milk until your frosting reaches a consistency that is stiff but easy to spread. It should hold it's shape, but you want it to be smooth enough to pipe.
  7. Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice (I used a Wilton 32 tip). Pipe frosting onto cupcakes, 3 at a time, and top with sprinkles - don't wait until you've frosted all the cupcakes to add the sprinkles or the sprinkles won't stick!
  8. Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

  • If you're using a stick "butter", make sure to let it soften at room temperature. If you're using plant-based butter from a tub, then you can use it straight from the refrigerator
  • If you plan to replace the shortening with more butter, you may not need to use as much milk in your frosting as the shortening is a little more stable than the plant-based butter
  • To get a dark chocolate frosting, the Dutch process cocoa powder is necessary. Without it, you won't have that lovely dark chocolate taste. I like to use the Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa - it's affordable and more easily available
  • The frosting recipe makes just enough to pipe the frosting on as I did in the photos

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

21

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 130Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 96mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 2g

calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate

© Rachael | Sugared & Stirred
Cuisine: American / Category: Cake

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