These vegan coconut cupcakes are the perfect little afternoon snack. Not only are they easy to make but they are also customisable and ready within a short period of time (perfect for those days when you are craving a sweet treat). I based these on the original recipe from BBC Good Food which you can find here.
Vegan baking and cooking does not have to be difficult. Recipes, like these Vegan Coconut Cupcakes, are a great way of dipping your toes into the world of vegan baking and cooking.
So let us get into it.
Vegan Coconut Cupcakes Recipe:
- 150ml soya or oat milk
- ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- 110g vegan butter
- 110g white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 110g self-raising flour
- 30g grated coconut
- ½ tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 180c and line your cupcake tins (make sure you have enough for 12 cupcakes). In a glass, mix together the dairy free milk and the vinegar and let to thicken for a few minutes.
Beat the butter and sugar until creamy and well combined. Mix in the vanilla. Add the dairy free milk/vinegar mix a splash at a time, alternating with spoonfuls of the flour. Fold in the remaining flour, the baking powder, grated coconut and a pinch of salt until you get a creamy batter. It may look a bit curdled but that is fine.
Divide the cupcake batter evenly between the 12 forms. Allow to bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the tops have risen and are a light golden brown. When done remove the vegan coconut cupcakes from the oven and allow to cool on wire cooling racks.
Of course you can always eat them as they are but even vegan coconut cupcakes deserve a bit of frosting. And really, what are cupcakes without frosting?
Vegan Buttercream Icing Recipe:
- 160g vegan butter, at room temperature
- 530g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (you can also use coconut extract or white rum)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp coconut milk (you can use soya or oat instead)
- dried coconut chips for decorating
Mix all the ingredients together. Start at a medium speed and increase to high until you achieve a smooth buttercream. If you find that your buttercream is too thick then remove about a fourth of it and microwave to sightly soften then mix everything again.
I used a 9mm piping tip but you can also slather the vegan buttercream on à la Magnolia Bakery. When piping remember to start from the middle and work your way out. I did a double height swirl but if you want less buttercream then just do the first layer. I would then also recommend cutting the vegan buttercream recipe in half to avoid having a lot of leftover. It goes without saying that you should only pipe the buttercream on the cupcakes when they are fully cooled.
Once piped decorate your cupcakes with the dried coconut flakes. You can also use sprinkles or add a couple drops of food colouring to your buttercream.
Have some fun with this recipe!
NOTE: not all vegan butters are created the same and this is especially noticeable when making buttercream. For the buttercream make sure to use a stick version of the vegan butter or margarine and not the spreadable one. Spreadable vegan butter/margarine has a higher water count whereas the stick version has a higher oil/fat count. The stick version will be able to hold its shape better whereas the spreadable one, on account of the high water content, will not.
