It’s strawberry season! My most favorite berry. Ripe, juicy and oh so delicious. We have a local strawberry stand down the street from our house and we are always stocking up. They just don’t get any better. Picked that day and oh so juicy!
I realized that I hadn’t made a strawberry vanilla cupcake recipe to share with all of you and I thought, “that is just not ok!” All berry desserts are a favorite in my book and in cupcake form, even better. I took my gluten free vegan vanilla cupcakes and folded in fresh diced strawberries. There are little, juicy strawberry bits throughout the tender cupcake. It’s just delightful. The strawberry buttercream is dairy free (of course) and pretty much tastes like strawberry ice cream. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t stop eating it?
Many people think of strawberries as a summer fruit, but in California, we enjoy them in the springtime too! That’s why I’ll be entering these strawberry vanilla cupcakes into the Spring Fling Dairy Free Recipe Contest, put on by Go Dairy Free and So Delicious. You just can’t go wrong with these cupcakes. The strawberry flavor is so fresh. Make them into mini cupcakes for an adorable bite-size treat. Sweet as sweet can be!
Gluten Free Vegan Strawberry Vanilla Cupcakes
You just can’t go wrong with these strawberry vanilla cupcakes. The strawberry flavor is so fresh. Make them into mini cupcakes for a bite-size treat!
Servings 14 cupcakes
Ingredients
strawberry vanilla cupcakes
- 1 3/4 cups Sarah’s gluten free flour blend*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- 1/3 cup sunflower seed or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup diced fresh strawberries
vegan strawberry vanilla buttercream
- 1/2 cup Earth Balance vegan butter cold
- 3 tablespoons organic non-hydrogenated shortening
- 3 cups organic powdered sugar sifted
- 5-6 fresh strawberries pureed (2-3 tablespoons strawberry puree)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- additional sliced strawberries for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper cupcake liners. Sift together flour blend, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, stir together coconut milk, water and vinegar. Stir until milk is curdled. Add the sugar, oil, and vanilla. Slowly whisk in flour mixture. Beat for 1 minute. Gently fold in diced strawberries. Pour batter into prepared cupcake pan. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Place cupcakes on cooling rack and cool completely.
- To make buttercream, start by placing strawberries in blender or food processor and puree until smooth. In mixing bowl of large standing mixer, beat together vegan butter and shortening for 1 minute. Add sifted powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons strawberry puree and vanilla. Beat for an additional 2 minutes. Add an additional 1-2 teaspoons of puree if needed. Beat until buttercream is light and fluffy. Place in piping bag with large star tip and frost cooled cupcakes. Top with sliced strawberries. If frosting starts to soften, place cupcakes in refrigerator. Best served within 1-2 days. If not serving same day, store cupcakes in refrigerator.
- *For best results on texture and taste, be sure to make the lighter flour blend by replacing the 2 cups sweet white sorghum flour with white rice flour.
