The other day, Matthew was having his end-of-year program. The home room mom for his class texted me, asking where to buy dairy-free and peanut-free cupcakes for the class (there’s another little girl who is allergic to peanuts), and as sweet as she was, I told her that it’d be super expensive and they’re not easy to find. I volunteered to bake cupcakes for the class that would be safe for everyone so no little kiddo felt left out. Thankfully, I have a great dairy-free vanilla cupcakes recipe that’s sure to please any preschooler (or their parents)!
These dairy-free vanilla cupcakes use substitute oils instead of butter to make a rich cake, perfect for even the pickiest of eaters. If you don’t like the taste of coconut, you can absolutely substitute the coconut oil for your favorite substitute butter (our favorite is Smart Balance), but I personally liked the slightly tropical taste of the coconut with a great hit of vanilla. These make a dense, moist, flavorful cupcake that needs no frosting, but what’s a cupcake without frosting?! This dairy-free chocolate buttercream was delish on top and made for some very pretty cupcakes for the class.
Just wanting a couple of dairy-free vanilla cupcakes for a special dessert at home? My single-serving vanilla or chocolate cupcakes will hit the spot (without having 10 leftover)!
Ingredients
- 1/2 c substitute milk
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 T vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 c flour
- 1 c granulated sugar
- 2 t baking powder
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/2 c coconut oil, room temperature (or substitute butter)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350* and prepare a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners (or double the recipe and use this 24-cupcake pan to make the job that much easier).
- In a 1 cup measuring cup, whisk together the substitute milk, egg whites, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- In your stand mixer, mix the remaining ingredients, except the coconut oil/substitute butter.
- Add the coconut oil and mix until you have soft crumbs, without powdery streaks left.
- Slowly stream the milk mixture into the stand mixer bowl while beating the batter.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure it all gets mixed in and beat for a few more seconds.
- Divide the batter into the cupcake liners and bake for 15-17 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan before frosting.
[…] flavors to make it more likely that every kid will find something they like! I chose to make these dairy-free vanilla cupcakes and multiplied this chocolate cupcake recipe by 6 (since it makes 2). On top, I made some vanilla […]