These Vegan Carrot Cupcakes have a delightfully fine, super-tender crumb, a gently spiced flavor, and a super-fluffy, orange-infused frosting. Your guests won't believe they're vegan!
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
In a second mixing bowl, whisk together the orange juice, plant milk, egg replacer, and vanilla extract. Whisk in the sugar, olive oil, and orange zest. Add the grated carrots and stir to incorporate, making sure the carrot distributes evenly throughout the mixture.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and fold, using a spatula, right up until no streaks of flour remain. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup about 3/4 full.
Bake for about 22 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
For the vegan frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer, beat the vegan butter or vegan cream cheese until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl with a spatula as needed.
Sift in a third of the powdered sugar, then mix at low speed to incorporate. Repeat twice to incorporate all the sugar. Add the orange zest and salt. Beat on medium speed, until the vegan frosting is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Pipe or spread the frosting over the cooled vegan carrot cupcakes.
SERVING: Always serve the vegan carrot cupcakes at room temperature. If the cupcakes are refrigerated, bring them back to room temperature 25 minutes before serving.
STORAGE: Store the frosted vegan carrot cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the frosted cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Bring frozen cupcakes back to room temperature40 minutes before serving.
NOTE: Not vegan? Here’s how to make these cupcakes using eggs and dairy products:
In the cupcakes, replace the egg replacer and orange juice with 2 large eggs
In the frosting, replace the vegan butter and cream cheese with dairy butter and cream cheese. Use only butter, or only cream cheese, or half butter/half cream cheese
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