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dairy free cupcakes

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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Chocolate Orange Cupcakes (DF + vegan option)

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I’m back at it again with the chocolate and orange, because it’s one of my favorite combos and I just can’t get enough. These cupcakes are moist and fluffy and topped with an amazing chocolate orange buttercream frosting made with vegan butter! Swap the eggs out for flax eggs in the cupcakes, and you’ll have delicious, can’t-tell-they’re-vegan vegan cupcakes!

The cupcakes are made with oil instead of butter, and you’ll hand mix the batter. No stand mixer or beaters required for the batter. And no alternating ingredients. Just simple mixing. The buttercream comes together easily (with a hand mixer!) and is one of my favorite non-dairy treats – that’s because it tastes just like regular, indulgent, and totally delicious buttercream!

Some of the ingredients I like for these cupcakes, along with possible substitutes:

Coconut sugar is a low GI, unrefined sugar. It tastes nothing like coconut, and it’s better for us than regular cane sugar – it’s my favorite, go-to sweetener for baked goods! If you don’t have this on hand, feel free to replace it with any kind of cane sugar (raw, white, or brown).

Raw cane sugar is just an unrefined version of the white sugar we all know and love. It’s less processed and usually organic. Again, this can be replaced with more coconut sugar or another kind of cane sugar.

Coconut oil adds much needed moisture to these cupcakes. You can replace it with your favorite oil – I recommend avocado or olive oil.

Eggs can be replaced with flax eggs. For three flax eggs, mix 3 Tbsp flaxseed meal with 9 Tbsp of warm water; allow to thicken for 5 minutes.

Oat milk has become my absolute favorite plant-based milk. It’s creamy and sweet, and I’ve been loving it in everything. Of course, you can use whatever plant milk you’d like.

Orange zest, extract, and juice all add to the wonderful orange flavor we love in these chocolate cupcakes. Don’t skimp!

Dutch process cocoa powder is richer in flavor and darker in color than regular (natural) cocoa. I like it for the frosting here because it helps balance the sweetness of all that powdered sugar and creates a beautiful color. Feel free to use natural cocoa powder in its place OR, for a richer frosting, replace some of the powdered sugar with more cocoa powder.

Vegetable shortening helps thicken the vegan buttercream, stiffening it a bit to allow for melt-free piping. You can use more vegan butter in its place, but your frosting may be a little melty after piping.

Yield: 18 Cupcakes

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

Super moist, naturally flavored chocolate orange cupcakes topped with a decadent, can't-tell-it's-vegan chocolate orange buttercream!

Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 15 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

  • 1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup natural (regular) cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/2 cup unrefined (raw) cane sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temp (or 3 flax eggs if vegan - see note)
  • 2/3 cup coconut oil, liquid
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp orange extract
  • 1 cup oat milk, hot
  • Zest from 3 medium oranges

Chocolate Orange Buttercream

  • 1 cup vegan butter (2 sticks), softened
  • 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
  • Zest from 3 medium oranges
  • 3/4 tsp orange extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 7 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 6-8 Tbsp orange juice

Instructions

For the Cupcakes

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a regular cupcake pan with paper liners. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, sift the flour and cocoa powder. Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt, whisking until ingredients are uniform in color; set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars and eggs. Whisk in the liquid coconut oil, orange juice, and vanilla and orange extracts. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and gently mix together.
  4. Finally, add the hot oat milk and fresh orange zest and stir until totally combined - the batter will be very thin.
  5. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 full (you should have about 18 cupcakes). Bake at 350°F for 13-15 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back when lightly tapped. Alternatively, you can insert a toothpick into the middle of a cupcake - you'll know they're down when there are a few crumbs on the toothpick.
  6. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for five minutes, and then gently transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Prepare the Frosting

  1. In a large bowl, beat together the vegan butter and vegetable shortening until smooth. Beat in the orange zest, and the orange and vanilla extracts.
  2. Sift in 1 cup of the powdered sugar and the cocoa powder and beat until well combined.
  3. Beat in the remaining powdered sugar and the orange juice, alternating between the two. For example, beat in another 3 cups of powdered sugar, then beat in 3 Tbsp of orange juice, add the rest of the powdered sugar, and then add orange juice until the frosting reaches a thick and stiff consistency that's still easily spreadable.
  4. Add frosting to a piping bag (or gallon plastic bag) fitted with your choice of piping tip - I used a Wilton 1M tip. I like to place the piping bag, with the tip, into an empty glass, folding the excess bag over the edge of the glass. Then you can easily fill the bag with frosting.
  5. Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, starting from the outside edge and going toward the middle as you work your way up. Keep the pressure steady and the bag upright as you pipe.
  6. Top cupcakes with your choice of toppings. I chose a spoonful of melted chocolate (thinned with olive oil*), orange zest, and a chocolate ball.
  7. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for maximum freshness.

Notes

  • This frosting recipe makes enough to pipe 18 regular cupcakes with some frosting leftover.
  • For a chocolate drizzle, melt ~1/4 cup of chocolate chips and then stir in olive oil, a small splash at a time, until the chocolate is thin enough to drizzle - you want it to stream continuously off of a spoon.
  • For vegan cupcakes, use 3 flax eggs: (mix 3 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 9 Tbsp warm water, allow to thicken for five minutes)

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

Did you make this recipe?

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More orange + chocolate recipes:

Orange Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies (dairy-free + vegan option)
Grain-Free Orange Brownies (dairy-free)
Orange Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Cookies (dairy-free)