Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

Soft and Fluffy vegan strawberry cupcakes with strawberry buttercream frosting. So Delicious and beautiful, they make the perfect treat for any celebration.

Are you a strawberry fan?

If so, then you are going to love these vegan strawberry cupcakes. They're:

Tender
Moist
Perfectly Sweet
& Easy to Make

And when frosted with the strawberry buttercream.... one bite is pure bliss!

Not a strawberry fan? Try these anyway. You may just change your mind; I've seen it happen. 😉

Oh and here is one more reason for you to love these cupcakes: they are made with all plant-based ingredient that are easy to find.

So what do you need?

Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Ingredients:

For the cupcakes, you will need:

•  All Purpose Flour- You can use certainly use cake flour if you have it.
• Tapioca Flour- Tapioca flour is great to have in a vegan kitchen, as it's a great thickener and binder. But no worries if you can't get your hands on some. Just substitute half the amount of cornstarch.
• Granulated Sugar- To ensure that your sugar is vegan, buy organic.
• Strawberries- 6 oz of fresh strawberries makes about ½ cup of strawberry puree that we will incorporate into the batter.
• Canola Oil- You can substitute vegetable oil or melted coconut oil in place of canola oil. If you go with coconut oil, be sure that you have ½ cup after the oil is melted. 
• Baking Soda- I like to use a little baking soda in addition to baking powder since we are omitting eggs.
• Baking Powder- A good bit of baking baking powder helps to leaven the cupcakes.
• Salt- Just a touch of salt is necessary to enhance the flavor of the cupcakes.
• Red food Coloring- I use McCormick Red Food Coloring. I contacted the company and they assured me that it is indeed vegan and this Assorted Food Color is vegan as well.
• Water- Or you can use any non-dairy milk that you prefer.

For the strawberry buttercream, you will need:

• Vegan Butter- I used Earth Balance baking Sticks and they work well for this recipe. Be sure to leave it at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
• Vegetable Shortening- This ingredient often gets questions. "Why use it?" Because half butter, half shortening makes the best consistency for frosting that will pipe beautifully onto your cupcakes. Also, you can leave your cupcakes at room temperature for longer and it's not as susceptible to warmer climates as butter.
• Powdered Sugar- Most buttercream recipes all call for high amounts of sugar. The sugar is what gives the frosting it's consistency and makes it's pipe-able. Here I use just enough to give the right consistency, but if you want a firmer icing then add a bit more sugar.
• Lemon Juice- I find buttercream to be too sweet sometimes. A touch of lemon juice cuts the sweetness and adds some brightness.
• Strawberry Extract- I use this brand and it's adds a wonderful strawberry flavor.
• Vanilla Extract- Vanilla extract adds depth of flavor. Although you can use just strawberry extract if you don't have vanilla.
• Salt- Just a pinch of salt enhances the flavor of the icing.

How to make Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream

These cupcakes are easy to make, even for a beginner baker. Just follow these instructions:

Prepare Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12 count muffin pan with paper liners or spray the cups with non stick spray.
• Wash your strawberries and remove the hull. Puree them in a food processor or blender until smooth and no chunks remain. You should have ½ cup of puree. Set aside.
• Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
• Add the oil to the dry mixture and mix on low with a hand held or stand mixer for 30 seconds and then increase to medium for 30 seconds more. Add in the vanilla extract, strawberry extract, strawberry puree, and slowly incorporate the water, mix on low until you have added all of the water. Stop to scrape down the bowl with a spatula as needed. Increase to medium-low and mix until the batter is velvety smooth. Do not over mix.
• Spoon batter into the cupcake liners, filling ⅔ of the way full. Bake for 20-24 minutes (mine are perfect at 22), or until a toothpick comes out (mostly) clean.
• Allow the cupcakes to cool for 3-4 minutes in the muffin tins before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting

• With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the vegan butter and vegetable shortening until well combined. Add the lemon juice, strawberry extract, vanilla extract, salt, and half of the powdered sugar. Mix on low until everything is combined and then add the remaining powdered sugar and continue mixing. Once incorporated, increase the speed to high and beat for 2-3 minutes. If frosting is too thick, you can add 1 tablespoon of non-dairy milk or water to thin it out. If you want it a bit thicker, add ¼ cup more powdered sugar.
• Frost the cupcakes. You can simply frost your cupcakes with a butter knife. Or if you are feeling fancy, I like to pipe the frosting on using a Wilton 1M tip and a disposable piping bag. Here is a wonderful tutorial on piping techniques. It so much fun and looks beautiful!

Tips and Storage

1. Aluminum muffin pans work best for baking cupcakes. Aluminum heats up quickly and evenly, ensuring that your cupcakes come out perfectly every time. It's also durable and resistant to warping. I love mine!
2. Cupcakes and icing can be made a day in advance. Store the cupcakes in a sealed container at room temperature and the icing covered tightly in the refrigerator. 
3. Store prepared cupcakes at room temperature for 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Love Strawberry Dessert?

Check out these strawberry recipes:

Light Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits

Light Strawberry Compote

Your feedback means a lot to me and your star ratings encourage others to give the recipe a try. So please let me know what you think.

Happy Eating!

Crystal