Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Lavender Frosting
A sweet vanilla cupcake base with a terrific crunchy top, covered in velvety chocolate lavender cashew frosting. To make the frosting, note that the cashews require 2 hours of soaking time, so be sure to start the process the day before you plan to make the recipe. Use a food grade lavender flower and note that adding additional lavender "sprinkles" does increase the lavender flavour; a little goes a long way, so use somewhat sparingly. With any recipe that contains nuts or nut products, be sure to notify anyone who may have a nut allergy before sharing these.
Servings 8 people
Calories 761kcal
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcake base
- ¾ cup coconut oil softened
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon aluminum free baking powder
- 3 teaspoon arrowroot powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ cups + 2 TBSP unsweetened almond milk
Chocolate Lavender Cashew Frosting
- 1 ⅔ cup raw cashews soaked 2 hours
- ½ cup coconut oil melted
- ⅛ teaspoon dried lavender food grade
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 4 tablespoon filtered water
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
Optional (but recommended)
- Food grade lavender flowers for sprinkling
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl beat the coconut oil and cane sugar on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add in the vanilla and beat until combined.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, arrowroot powder and salt. Add half the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and stir just until combined. Add half of the almond milk and stir just until combined. Repeat until all the flour and milk is incorporated. Be sure not to over-mix the batter.
- Scoop the batter evenly into your prepared muffin pan and bake for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes in the pan. Carefully remove from the pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.
For the Frosting:
- While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. Drain and rinse the soaked cashews. Add the cashews and the remainder of the ingredients to a high powered blender and blend until smooth. You may need to stop the machine and scrape down the sides a few times.
- Transfer the frosting mixture to a shallow bowl and place in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. Remove from the freezer and stir vigorously. The mixture should have a frosting like consistency (spreadable while holding a peak). If it seems too soft, simply freeze for another 10 minutes and stir again.
- Place the prepared frosting in a piping bag fitted with a open star attachment. Pipe and add a sprinkle of lavender flowers, if desired.
Notes
if you prefer, you can use whole wheat flour in this recipe. Feel free to use any decorative piping you wish, or simply spread the frosting on with a knife. You can prepare the cupcakes in advance and store them in an airtight container until you're ready to frost them. I recommend blending the frosting the same day you plan to serve the cupcakes; this will help preserve the luster of the frosting. Store in the fridge until ready to serve, especially on warmer days as the coconut oil may melt resulting in a drippy frosting.
Nutrition
Calories: 761kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 32g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 378mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 0.2IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 4mg
