Description
How to make THE BEST Vegan Speckled Egg Cupcakes, with a vanilla speckled cake, Swiss Meringue Buttercream & vegan mini eggs.
Ingredients
Ingredients for the cupcakes
- 240ml of dairy-free milk*
- 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
- 210g of self raising flour
- 50g of caster sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract / vanilla bean paste
- 60ml of sunflower oil
- 15g of dairy-free dark chocolate (grated)
Ingredients for the buttercream
- 150g of dairy-free block butter*
- 300g of icing sugar
- 50ml of aquafaba (chickpea brine)*
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste / vanilla extract
Decorations
- Vegan Mini Eggs (Doisy and Dam Good Eggs)
- Dairy-free dark chocolate
- Cocoa powder
- Chocolate fudge sauce (for the core, optional)
Instructions
Method (cupcakes)
- Preheat your oven to 180ºC fan and line a cupcake tin with cupcake cases.
- In a small bowl, combine the dairy-free milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well to combine.
- Add the vanilla and oil to the ‘buttermilk’ and whisk to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until a smooth batter.
- Fold in the grated chocolate.
- Fill the cases 3/4 full with the batter. Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.
- Pop the cakes into the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. You will know they are done when you put a knife or skewer down the centre of the cakes and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.
- Place the cupcakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool fully before frosting and decorating.
Method (buttercream)
- In a large mixing bowl, add in the dairy-free butter and whip until creamy. I use a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment, a hand mixer will work great too.
- Sift in the icing sugar and vanilla. Whip to combine. The buttercream will be very thick.
- Pour in the aquafaba and whip for 5 – 10 minutes until it turns light and creamy. Your Swiss meringue buttercream should be thick, very creamy and silky smooth. If it feels too heavy, add chunks more butter / splashes of aquafaba until its very light. If it looks like its split, add some more chunks of butter and keep it whipping on high, it’ll come back to normal consistency.
- Transfer the buttercream in to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip nozzle.
- Core the middle of the cupcakes with a apple corer or spoon and fill with chocolate sauce (optional)
- Pipe a swirl of buttercream on top of the cupcake.
- Grate some dark chocolate over the top of the buttercream, and place three vegan mini eggs in the middle to resemble a nest.
- For even more speckle, add a few tablespoons of cocoa powder in a bowl with some water until runny, using a food grade brush, spatter the top of the cupcakes.
Notes
To store: Store these cupcakes in a sealed container in the fridge, and allow to come to room temperature before enjoying. Best eaten within 2-3 days of making.
My favourite vegan / dairy-free block butters are ‘Naturli Vegan Block’ or Flora Plant Based Block Butter Alternative (salted or unsalted).
Aquafaba is the water from a can/tin of chickpeas. The chickpea water or brine as it’s called, acts as an amazing egg substitute for cakes, cupcakes and delicious meringue buttercream. You can also get aquafaba in a carton for easy use.
Where to find vegan mini eggs? I use the ‘Doisy and Dam Good eggs’ which are a great mini egg substitute!
What milk to use for buttermilk? The best milk to use when making cakes is soya, although any dairy-free milk works great!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 18-20 minutes
- Category: cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American