Chocolate cupcakes with vanilla bean frosting are the perfect treat for any birthday party! These are vegan and gluten free and so decadent!
Oh my word.
It happened. Something I thought would happen eventually with two boys. We had our first broken bone this weekend. :(
Poor Baby Bee ran down the hallway, his brother started after him, and boom, down Baby Bee went and from the way he screamed, I knew something was really wrong. Once we got him to calm down a bit, he tried to stand, and he said, “I can’t! I can’t stand!” and crumpled to the ground. Ugh! It was awful. Off to the ER we went, and the doctor suspects a break in the growth plate in his lower leg. So he has a HUGE hard cast on his little leg – all the way up to the hip. My poor baby!
So now we have to follow up next week with the orthopedic doctor and then we’ll find out how long the cast will be on. There is a possibility that it’s not as bad is it seems, and the cast won’t have to be on for as long, so we are praying for that!
I hope that your weekend was better than mine! And if not, maybe some chocolate cupcakes will cheer you up?
These classic chocolate cupcakes are so easy to whip up. I’ve made them with regular flour and with gluten free flour, and they work very well both ways. I’ve made these with King Arthur Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour, as well as Namaste Perfect Flour blend and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Blends.
This buttercream frosting is made a little bit more special with the addition of vanilla bean. If you don’t have a vanilla bean on hand, you could substitute a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. But I do like seeing the tiny little flecks of vanilla bean in the frosting. It makes me happy.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Frosting.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend all purpose flour works well if you are not Gluten Free
- 1 cup turbinado sugar or regular sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- â…“ cup organic canola oil
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup water
For the vanilla bean frosting:
- 3 Tablespoons vegan buttery spread
- 2-3 Tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 4 cups powdered sugar I prefer the corn free kind from Whole Foods
- ½ vanilla bean pod inside scraped out to get the seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the oil, water, vinegar, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.
- Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about â…” full.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
- Cool in pan, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl, beat the vegan buttery spread and the vanilla bean on medium speed. Add one cup of the powdered sugar and continue to beat. Add a little of the non-dairy milk, then more powdered sugar, and keep alternating until all the powdered sugar is in the mixing bowl. If the frosting is too thick, add a bit more non-dairy milk.
- Frost cooled cupcakes. Store the frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Batter adapted from here.
These vegan chocolate cupcakes are:
- perfect for a birthday party
- a delicious treat to bake with your kids
- a decadent dessert that’s free of the top allergens
So how was your weekend? Did you do any baking? Any ER trips? (I hope not!)
Follow along:
Rochelle
I can’t vouch for the gluten free, as I subbed regular flour. I can, however tell you these cupcakes turned out delicious! I also subbed coconut oil, because I’m not a fan of canola. These cupcakes are vegan heaven! Their cakey, yet fudgy and quite amazing without icing! Thank you for sharing! This will be my go-to cupcake recipe for all special occasions!
Alisha
I have made this recipe twice now. They rise beautifully, are rich, but we find them grainy. I used Bob’s 1 to 1 flour and high quality cocoa. They are a bit dense and admittedly better the second day so I highly recommend making them a day in advance. We have not made the frosting yet but hope to try soon. Thanks for the recipe.
Kate
Did you mean baking powder instead of baking soda? I made these for a Christmas dinner and they were very dense and almost inedible. I’m wondering if that was an error?
Kristin
What is a good brand of GF flour to use? I am making these for my son’s birthday and don’t wait to choose a bad brand. I’m new to GF baking.
Kelly Roenicke
King Arthur GF Multi Purpose Flour, Namaste Perfect Flour Blend, Enjoy Life All Purpose Flour, Now Foods GF Flour, all of those work well for cupcakes. :)
Madison
I found this recipe while desperately searching for a gf vegan cupcake recipe (had woken up this morning craving cupcakes & I had no choice but to satisfy that craving. You know how it goes!) and I have got to tell you: this recipe may have actually changed my life. Literally the BEST dessert I’ve had in a year, and I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out! I recently developed IBS, gluten & lactose intolerances, which gradually progressed into a meat intolerance as well. And girl, lemme tell ya: desserts on that sort of diet can be royally disappointing. But hot damn, these cupcakes were PHENOMENAL. I’m so impressed that I had to retrace my steps back to your blog and leave a very excited comment. Thanks for posting this recipe! I’ll likely invite you to all of my major life events now; it’s only fair. Seriously, thank you!
Kelly
Oh, I’m so glad to hear that these were a big hit! Thank you for your comment, you made my day! :)
susan
just made the frosting…used flax milk (my son has nut allergies) instead of almond milk. it was delicious!!! so thank you. i have a question about storage…have you ever frozen the frosting for future use? or does that change the consistency? also, how long does it usually last in the fridge? my son has multiple food allergies, so i usually have a stash of cupcake in the freezer i can pull out and frost whenever there’s a birthday party he is going to. thanks in advance for your reply.
susan :)
Kelly
So glad you liked the frosting! I have actually frozen frosted cupcakes before for a couple months and they were just fine! I don’t usually keep it in the fridge longer than 5 days. Hope that helps!
Kaitlin @ TheGardenGrazer
Hi Kelly! I just made these for my mom’s birthday and they were a hit :) Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Kelly
Awesome! Thank you for letting me know!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
Kelly these cupcakes look incredible! I try to eat vegan and create vegan recipes as much as possible.. but I have never made a vegan cupcake before. You definitely have inspired me to recreate the recipe. Thanks for sharing it – I love the vanilla bean and almond milk frosting especially.
Kelly
Thanks, Thalia! I hope you love them if you give them a try!
Megan | Allergy Free Alaska
Awe! So sorry to hear about your little guy! :( Praying he has a speedy recovery and that it heals perfectly.
Hugs!
Megan
genevieve y
I hope your son feels better soon! I’m sure these cupcakes managed to cheer him up a bit :)
Kelly
Thanks, Genevieve!
Sarah@wholeandheavenlyoven
Oh, NO!! So sorry to hear that about your little guy! Praying for a smooth and easy recovery for him!
And these cupcakes are totally gorgeous! Love how soft and moist they look and I kinda want to eat that bee-yotiful frosting with a spoon. :)
Kelly
Thank you, Sarah! It was rough! His attitude is so good, though, I’m so proud of him!
Arman @ thebigmansworld
Argh- that’s rough, Kelly! Hope he’s on the mend!
….I kind of want to dance with that frosting.
Kelly
Thanks, Arman! :)
Valya @ Valya's Taste of Home says
Ran into your blog…. I’m sorry to hear that. Poor baby. How old is he? I have kids of my own. I really feel for you. I hope recovery goes good and fast!!! Cupcakes look lovely!
Kelly
He’s two and a half, so I wasn’t expecting any broken bones so soon! Too young. He’s been scooting around on his bottom, which is really cute. Glad you found my blog! Thanks for commenting!
PumpkinnSpice
These cupcakes look incredible, Kelly! Such a classic flavor that is so delicious. I’m loving that vanilla bean frosting too, only the best, in my opinion! :)
Kelly
Thank you! :)
Lisa @ Healthy Nibbles & Bits
I hope your son gets well soon!
These cupcakes look great!
Kelly
Thank you, Lisa!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely
Oh no! Your poor little boy! And the cast goes all the way up to his hip? Yikes! That’s going to make walking around very tricky. Hope he heals quickly.
I bet these cupcakes helped to cheer him up. They look delicious!
Kelly
Thanks, Natalie! He’s been scooting around on his bottom. He is actually surprisingly fast!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
Oh no! Sorry to hear about your son.
This frosting sounds amazing. I want to put it on everything.
Kelly
Thanks, Dannii! :)
Kristine @ Kristine's Kitchen
Oh no! I hope your little one is better soon and doesn’t have to wear that cast for long! That must be so, so hard. I bet one of these cupcakes would cheer him up. :) And those little flecks of vanilla bean make me happy too!
Kelly
Thanks, Kristine! I hope the cast isn’t on long, it’s definitely awkward. Poor guy.
Julia
Oh nooooo! I’m so sorry to hear about the accident! Sounds like a painful one for all parties involved. Broken bones are definitely no fun, but it sounds like your son has so much care, love, and support to get him back to normal soon. In the meantime, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind being doted on with your tasty chocolate cupcakes!
Kelly
Thanks, Julia! It wasn’t a fun day, that’s for sure! Ugh.
Shannon Y-I-V
Sorry to hear about your son’s broken bone… hope he has a speedy recovery! I do not have kids of my own so I can only imagine how hard it is to see your little one in pain. On the plus side, these cupcakes look amazing! And I’m with you – I love seeing little flecks of vanilla bean in things. :)