No party is complete without these light & fluffy vanilla cupcakes, made with aquafaba.
Vanilla Cupcakes
I am incredibly picky when it comes to vanilla cupcakes. They can’t be too yellow, or too dry or too dense (cuz that would make it a muffin, right?).Β Vanilla cupcakes are the most basic cupcake to get right, and yet so many people get it so wrong! It’s like the basis for every other cake, is it not? Switch out a few ingredients here and there, and you can have any variation of flavor you like, including chocolate.
It’s the first recipe I worked on after Xander’s allergy diagnosis, 9 years ago. In fact, he was 10 months old at the time and all I could think about what type of cake could he have for his upcoming birthday. I had 2 months to figure it out. Thankfully, he mostly used the cake the mash his hands in to, so whether it was good or not, really didn’t matter. However, last weekend my baby Xander just turned 10 and this time, I needed a vanilla cake that would make his party extra special. That’s when I came up with these Light & Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes.
Trying something new
I could have used my other tried and true Skinny Vanilla Cupcake recipe, but I was itching to create another type of cupcake, one using Aquafaba. Of course, I figured the best time to try out a new recipe was the day of the party. I mean, why give myself any margin for error, right? Thankfully, the Lord was looking out for me because these sweet delights turned out so much better than I could have ever imaged. It had to be the beans!
Aquafaba inside our Cupcakes
Yes, I said beans, however, there aren’t actually beans in these vanilla cupcakes, just their liquid. That’s actually what aquafaba is, the liquid brine from a can of chickpeas. You know, the stuff you usually drain and dispose of. Crazy right?
Rest assured, these adorable party delights will not tasty “beany” at all! I have 15 kids who can attest to that and a 13-year-old daughter who told me that these cupcakes take like “real cupcakes”. Cuz we all know that vegan, allergy-friendly cupcakes aren’t real :).
Allergy friendly Vanilla Cupcakes
Originally, Xander wanted a chocolate and vanilla marbled cupcake but then we remembered that his friend has an allergy to cocoa. Instead of completely ditching the idea, we decided to simply add a little color to half of the batch of batter and swirl that in. We didn’t mean for these to look like “Ogre” cakes, but his friend was also sensitive to red food coloring, so we decided on a green marbled cupcake. It worked, it was fun and everyone was able to eat them! That makes me happy, because everyone should be able to eat cake & cupcakes!
Frosting our Cupcakes
We like to top our light & fluffy cupcakes with some vanilla frosting, but if there is no allergy, check out this Low Carb Chocolate Buttercream from All I Do Is Dream About Food. You can also use a ganache or fudge glaze.
More Cupcake Recipes
I hope you love these light and fluffy vegan cupcakes as much we do!Β
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Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
Light & Fluffy Cupcakes
No party is complete without these light & fluffy vanilla cupcakes, made with aquafaba. Egg, dairy, soy & nut free.
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup dairy-free butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated cane sugar
- 2 Aquafaba *eggs (6 TB liquid from can of chickpeas, unsalted)
- 1 tsp.vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup coconut milk (regular, unsweetened)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° . Line a 12 count muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- For the Dry Mix: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- For the Egg Replacer: Place chickpea liquid in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on high-speed until stiff peaks form, about 6 minutes. Use a spatula and scrape out mixture into a small bowl. Set aside.
- For the Cupcakes: Using the bowl of a stand mixer (no need to clean it), beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly, add the vanilla and milk until combined then add in the dry mix and combine until incorporated (do not overmix). Fold in whipped chickpea liquid, being careful not to let it deflate too much.
- Scoop the batter into cupcake liners, filling them approximately 3/4 full.
- Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of cupcake comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes, before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Cool completely before icing with your favorite frosting.
Notes
Aquafaba- the liquid inside a can of cooked beans. Here are the basics: Take the liquid from inside a can of chickpeas and place it in a stand mixer. Now beat it and watch as it transforms into a creamy, fine, stable foam with the texture, density, and many of the cooking properties of an egg whiteβbased meringue.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 213Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 222mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 0gSugar: 17gProtein: 3g
Nutritional information is only an estimate based off of using an online calculator. Numbers will change depending on brands used.
Is this coconut milk from a can with the saturated fat included or coconut milk from a carton for drinking?
Hi Adam, great question and I clarified it on the printable recipe. But yes, use regular drinking coconut milk from a carton. I do have some recipes that use the canned type (mostly just the solidified part) but that is usually highlighted. If you have any other questions when you come across them, please let me know.
Step 3 – beat aquafaba and sugar
Step 4 – cream butter and sugar then fold through beaten aquafaba….
I’m confused as to when to add the sugar. Should step 3 just be “beat aquafaba” without the sugar or do you split the sugar and use some for step 3 and some for step 4?
So sorry Clare, but glad you caught that. Just beat the aquafaba by itself in step 3. THEN beat the sugar with the butter. The recipe should now reflect that change π
Hi! I don’t see the vanilla listed in the ingredients. Is it 1 tsp that you used?
Oh my goodness, it wouldn’t be vanilla without the vanilla! But yes, 1 teaspoon & I made the change on the recipe. So glad you caught that and let me know.
Can these be frozen without any change to texture?
I’ve frozen them once without any issues but it does also depend on how you seal them. I have a way to take all the air out of the container, so then it’s extra protected.
If left unfrosted, you can freeze for 30 days. BUT when I’ve done mine, I make sure its sealed freezer bag and I actually use a straw to get all the air out of mine before placing in the freezer.
I froze my whipped Aquafaba. Wonderingnif I would I be able to re use this? Or do I need to use fresh?
Sorry let me rephrase this.
Can i rewhip frozen whipped Aquafaba?
I haven’t frozen mine before, but I have several friends who freeze theirs, then simply bring back to room temperature before whipping. I’d love to know your results.
Hello! Could I put eggs into the recipe instead of aquafaba?
You sure can. Any of the recipes on the blog that have an egg substitute, can be subbed for regular eggs. So glad you asked.
How cute are these? My son just asked for a batch of cupcakes today but somehow we ran out of flour. Grabbing some tomorrow at the store and we’ll have to give this fluffy cupcakes a try π
I made my twix bars tonight and literally had the perfect amount of flour left, so I’ll be heading to the store too! I’m always running out of flour
These cupcakes look like so much fun! I love that you were able to make frosting with aquafaba!
Thanks Dianne, yes using aquafaba has been fun.
I totally know what you mean about getting the right balance in a vanilla cupcake. I’ve had so many muffins that were supposed to be cupcakes, or overly squishy cupcakes that were a world away from light & bouncy. That’s so thoughtful that you considered everyone coming to the party when you were making them. It’s nice not to leave people out or make them feel separate.
Those are stunning Nicole! Aquafaba is brilliant in this recipe and makes it so simple. I don’t think they look like ogre cakes, haha! I actually thought they were a sports team theme at first π
Aquafaba is the best ingredient for baking! I use it all of the time. These look exactly like cupcakes are supposed to look, and I actually think that the green is fun. Happy Birthday to Xander!!
How long are the good if left in fridge?
If covered and unfrosted, you could freeze them up to 2 weeks or refrigerate for 3 days.
I baked these for my daughter’s 1st birthday with cream cheeses frosting and they were a hit with everyone except my other daughter who found the frosting too sweet (but loved the cupcake). Can you recommend another vanilla frosting that isn’t cream cheese based and not so sweet? I was also thinking of trying it again with less powdered sugar. The aquafaba was easy to use, I loved it! Thanks.
Glad you loved the cupcakes. You can cut back on the amount of powered sugar or try the butter cream frosting from the Banana Blueberry Cake. There’s also chocolate frosting on the blog that would be an option.
Itβs great site, I was looking for something like this,thanks for sharing this great recipe.
Glad to have you here!
Can you substitute other non-dairy milks (I have oat and almond)?
You can. We only mostly use flax, but I have made this with coconut milk (refrigerated type) and oat milk is also great to bake with. I haven’t tried almond milk but it shouldn’t be a problem if you’re not allergic to it.