I made these cupcakes for Baby Jude’s 1st birthday!
Due to some dietary restrictions, his treat needed to be dairy free. I bake with milk and butter and all that good stuff usually, so I had to do some research to find a recipe that was able to be made dairy free.
What I found was the BEST THING EVER. A cupcake recipe that makes 2 cupcakes. I know what you’re thinking. Whaaaaaaaat!? And it was easy too. I have a feeling I will be coming back to thing recipe again very soon. Small batches = opportunity for experimentation. Like I did here.
Anyways, back to these cupcakes.
Dairy Free Cupcakes for Two – adapted from How Sweet It Is
Ingredients:
1 egg white
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp melted vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup flour
heaping 1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tbsp coconut water
Directions:
1. In a bowl, whisk together egg white and sugar until combined.
2. Stir in melted butter and vanilla.
3. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until completely combined.
4. Stir in the coconut water.
5. Divide equally between 2 cupcake liners in the center of the cupcake pan.
6. Preheat the oven to 350*. (Do not do this first, do this last. While the oven is preheating, the cupcake batter gets to rest in the liners which makes them rise more rounded and beautifully.)
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
**Note** This cake recipe can be flavored with anything you want. Substitute the vanilla for almond or lemon extract, or substitute some of the coconut water for pureed strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
Now for the frosting. I had never made vegan frosting before, but I was confident it wouldn’t be a problem. My regular buttercream recipe is very adaptable so I started there and ended up with something wonderful. We even had a taste test comparison and everyone said tasted the same. Awesome.
Easy Vegan Buttercream Frosting
(Enough to frost about 12 cupcakes.)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
12 oz powdered sugar (if you don’t have a scale, that’s almost 3 cups. Start at 2 and add at the end until it’s the right consistency.)
3 tbsp coconut water or non-dairy creamer
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
With a hand mixer or a stand mixer, mix together all ingredients until fully incorporated. If the mixture is too thin, add powdered sugar a little at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
**Note** This frosting can be flavored with anything you want. Substitute the vanilla for almond or lemon extract, or substitute some of the coconut water/non-dairy creamer for pureed strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries. If it gets to thin, add powdered sugar. If it gets too thick add more coconut water/non-dairy creamer. Easy!
Cookie Carrie 
These look awesome! And, I’m totally going to make a small batch of cupcakes in the near future – what a fabulous idea 🙂
fabulous and DANGEROUS
oh no…it’s deadly knowing a recipe that makes 2 cupcakes! I can see myself whipping up a “batch” for an afternoon snack since the hubby would never know! haha Your photos are gorgeous by the way! Very nice 🙂
Aww thank you! I wish I could take more photos in the day time, that’s when I can get them to look so great!
Aww, how cute is this recipe for two and how lovely are your cupcakes!
Not only are your cupcakes beautiful and sound delicious but, you have a recipe that only made 2?? I LOVE it! It does all you to experiment and get creative without wasting a ton of batter if it doesn’t turn out quite right! You are awesome and SO inspiring!! 🙂
aww thanks lisa you are so sweet!!
Did you use the baking sticks or the spread?
I used the spread, but the baking sticks would work too!
This is not vegan! Vegans don’t eat any animal products (no eggs) Please change your label.
Hi Rebekah- I didn’t claim that the cupcake was vegan. They are dairy free cupcakes and the frosting is vegan.
Hi! I found your recipe through Pinterest and I love it! The ingredients are so simple, and dairy free- exactly what I’m looking for. You mentioned that the recipe is adaptable and you can add different flavorings. If I wanted to use your recipe to make chocolate cupcakes too, how should I go about that? How much cocoa powder do you recommend for both the cake and the frosting? I realize this blog post is a couple of years old but I’m hoping you’ll still reply 🙂 Thanks!
Hi Lisa-
Here is the chocolate cake recipe I use. It it already dairy-free! https://cookiecarrie.com/2011/10/02/chocolate-cupcakes-with-marshmallow-frosting/
For the frosting I have used this recipe before: https://cookiecarrie.com/2011/12/06/chocolate-cupcakes/ You can substitute the milk for almond milk, soy milk, and i bet even coconut water would work. Vegan butter would likely work in place of the butter as well. You just may need to add more powdered sugar to get the consistency right.
Please let me know how it goes! I would love to know if I should try these options as well!
Hi! I found your recipe through pinterest, and I decided to try it on a larger scale for my son’s first birthday. But I pulled them out of the oven and they all deflated! What did I do wrong?
Hmmm I’m not sure! Was the baking powder fresh? Rising would have to do with either baking powder or the egg.