Vegan red velvet cupcakes with faux cream cheese frosting

It’s Ames‘s birthday today! Usually, we celebrate with cupcakes and wine. This year, we celebrated early (on Sunday) with Mexican food and sangritas.

Ames is lactose intolerant, so two years ago, I made a vegan version of one of her favorites — red velvet cupcakes with faux cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes are somehow both dense and fluffy. Be sure to refrigerate your frosting, though, so it won’t melt (as mine started to do).

Vegan red velvet cupcakes with faux cream cheese frosting
Adapted from this Novel Eats recipe
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Baking time: 18-20 minutes
Cooling time: 5-10 minutes
Makes one dozen cupcakes

Vegan red velvet cupcakes & faux cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients & supplies:

For cupcakes:

• paper cupcake liners
• 1 dozen cupcakes tin
• medium mixing bowl
• large mixing bowl
• whisk
• 1 cup plain soy milk (or Lactaid)
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/3 cup applesauce (or canola oil)
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• toothpick
• wire rack for cooling

For frosting: 

• small mixing bowl
• good spatula
• 1/4 cup margarine (I used Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks)
• 1/4 cup vegan cream cheese (I used Tofutti better than cream cheese)
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put cupcake liners in cupcake tin.
2. In medium bowl, whisk soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside to curdle.
3. In large bowl, sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Mix with whisk.
4. Add applesauce, food coloring, and vanilla extract to medium bowl with curdled soy milk. Whisk until combined.
5. Slowly, pour wet ingredients into large bowl with dry ingredients and whisk until combined. Do not over mix.
6. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
7. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes (so when toothpick is inserted, it comes out clean).
8. As cupcakes are baking, make the frosting. Cream together Earth balance margarine and Tofutti better than cream cheese, then add powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments. Add vanilla extract. Refrigerate while cupcakes are baking.
9. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack for cooling. After cupcakes have completely cooled (5 to 10 minutes), frost with faux cream cheese frosting and enjoy!