Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line a 12 cupcake pan with paper liners. Make sure the oven rack is set to the middle of the oven.
- Make the vegan buttermilk. In a large bowl, combine the plant based milk of choice with the apple cider vinegar. Give this a good whisk, then set aside for 5 minutes.
- Whisk the wet ingredients. Into the same bowl with the buttermilk, add the remaining wet ingredients of brown sugar, molasses, applesauce, oil, and the vanilla. Whisk again until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Now, sift in the dry ingredients right into the same bowl. Add the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, all the spices, and salt. Switch to a spatula or mixing spoon, making sure to scrape all the sides and bottom of the bowl. Be gentle and don’t overmix this cake batter.
- Bake. Fill each cupcake halfway full. Don’t over fill these cupcakes as they will sink and not properly bake if overfilled. You should have enough batter for 12 cupcakes. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until they look set, are not sinking in the middle, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake pulls out clean. Do not open the oven after you place the cupcakes inside for at least 20 minutes.
- Cool. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool in the hot pan for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, let them finish cooling on a wire rack until fully cooled. Don’t frost until the cakes are totally cool.
- To make the frosting. In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, place the vegan butter and half of the sugar. Mix on medium-high speed until the frosting begins to form, making a creamy and smooth frosting. Add the remaining sugar, vanilla, salt, and any plant based milk if needed. Whisk again on high speed for 2 minutes or so until you have a light and fluffy frosting!
- Frost and serve. Frost each cupcake and serve! You can use a piping bag and tip (I used a Wilton 1M tip for these photos) or even just the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with any sprinkles, top with tiny gingerbread people, and enjoy!
Notes
Frosting makes a generous amount of frosting. If you are not making frosting swirls on top, you can halve the frosting recipe.
- How to Store
- Countertop: Store these cupcakes (without frosting) on the countertop in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Fridge: When frosting with a buttercream frosting, these cupcakes keep best in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Wrapped carefully in plastic wrap and stored in a freezer safe container, these cupcakes will keep frozen for up to 2 months.
- Variations
- Make a cream cheese frosting by replacing the vegan butter with vegan cream cheese in an equal amount. Mix up as directed and frost the cake for a tangy topping.
- Make an eggnog frosting by replacing the plant based milk with your favorite vegan egg nog!