Vegan Vanilla Funfetti Cupcakes
In the Summer of ‘16, I attended Summer School at Oxford for credit and it was such an incredibly surreal experience. People, the best of people, from all over the world came to the program and shared their treasured talent. Staying in Exeter college was like living out a scene from Harry Potter movie with its breathtaking church (which incidentally was featured in the Dr. Strange movie) and long dining halls which served three course dinners every night. Everywhere around us were landmark buildings that you just want to keep staring at all day long. Adjoining the college was the Sheldonian theatre, behind it was the Radcliffe Camera, and across from the campus was the Bodleian library.
And the college itself! Jesus. I stayed there for three weeks and I had to keep pinching myself each time I walked through those heavy wooden doors. I had the fortune of being allotted a corner roof from which I watched some of the most beautiful sunrise. I was jet lagged the entire time and thankfully ended up being awake for them.
We had classes two days a week and the rest was writing time. Didn’t matter how you did it, where you did it, as long as you did it. And I wanted to go everywhere! I love writing outside and I wanted to out on some music, walk down the street and find a tree under which I could sit and write, but being the introvert that I am, just the thought made me anxious. I had to push myself to get out of the room and explore.
Oxford overwhelmed me with its beauty and intimidated me with its intelligence. Which is why it was really nice to have a friendly face there. The first time I saw Justine, she was closing the class door and scurrying back to her seat hoping the professor wouldn’t notice. Unfortunately for her, he did. Apart from our minimal interaction in that novella class, we barely knew each other until Oxford. There, we were strangers in a strange land and had so much fun, my fondest of them, watching Shakespeare in the rain.
Now, every week, I lure Justine home with the bribe of dinner (yes, I bribe with food for some girl time,) and since she is vegan, I take it as my weekly challenge to come up with new dishes each time. Being brought up in a vegetarian house, main course isn’t too much of a problem, but I always got stumped at desserts. Today, when I was looking at some old pictures, I came across these vegan funfetti cupcakes I had made for my first ever order after starting Passive Aggressive Kitchen.
The next time she comes home, I now know what to make. Plus, this is a one-bowl recipe! I love them, it just makes cleaning up so much easier. Basically, you cream the sugar and butter together until in becomes light and doubled in volume and then add the rest of the ingredients, alternating between wet and dry. Fill 3/4th of the cupcake liners and bake for twenty minutes or until it’s done (you can check this by inserting a toothpick, if it comes out clean, it’s done.) For the frosting I used vegan butter and almond milk. Make sure your butter is soft when you start out!
These cupcakes are soft as hell, surprisingly fluffy for no eggs, and whether vegan or not, you absolutely have to try these out!
AuthorPriyanka SivaramakrishnanDifficultyBeginnerVegan vanilla cupcakes that are airy, light and fluffy with the fun of sprinkles!
Preheat the oven to 350F and line the cupcake tin. This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.
In a small bowl, mix the non-diary milk and apple cider vinegar and set it aside, allowing it to curdle.
Cream the softened butter for a minute until it becomes light and soft. Add the sugar and vanilla extract. Beat it for another 2 minutes until fluffy.
Mix the dry ingredients in the following order: 1 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and the other half cup of flour.
Sift this over the butter-sugar mix, alternating with the non-diary milk mixture. Mix until well incorporated and there are no lumps.
Add the sprinkles and gently fold them in. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4th of the way and bake in the center rack for 20-25 minutes. Check if they are done by inserting a toothpick, if it comes out clean, it's done.
Let them cool completely while you make the frosting,
Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
Add the confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well with each round, until you've finished the 2 1/2 cups. Add a pinch of salt and check for taste.
If the frosting is too thick, add a splash of non-diary milk. Ideally, it should be thick enough to hold shape.
Put the frosting in a piping bag and once the cupcakes are completely cooled, pipe the frosting on.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F and line the cupcake tin. This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.
In a small bowl, mix the non-diary milk and apple cider vinegar and set it aside, allowing it to curdle.
Cream the softened butter for a minute until it becomes light and soft. Add the sugar and vanilla extract. Beat it for another 2 minutes until fluffy.
Mix the dry ingredients in the following order: 1 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and the other half cup of flour.
Sift this over the butter-sugar mix, alternating with the non-diary milk mixture. Mix until well incorporated and there are no lumps.
Add the sprinkles and gently fold them in. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4th of the way and bake in the center rack for 20-25 minutes. Check if they are done by inserting a toothpick, if it comes out clean, it's done.
Let them cool completely while you make the frosting,
Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
Add the confectioners' sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well with each round, until you've finished the 2 1/2 cups. Add a pinch of salt and check for taste.
If the frosting is too thick, add a splash of non-diary milk. Ideally, it should be thick enough to hold shape.
Put the frosting in a piping bag and once the cupcakes are completely cooled, pipe the frosting on.