Vegan Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
Did you know that May is National Strawberry Month? Seriously, the last thing I need is another reason to eat strawberries.
It doesn’t matter what month it is, I just can’t resist these bright red, intoxicatingly sweet and juicy berries. I especially love them fresh and perfectly ripened, smothered in whipped cream on top of fluffy vanilla cupcakes…I mean really, how can you go wrong with that combination?
I have been wanting to make these cupcakes well before May or National Strawberry Month arrived and I attempted to make them gluten-free at first, which didn’t work out so well. So I opted for a vegan version instead and this time things worked out very well.
So well, in fact, that Brandon made the bold statement that they were close to beating out my Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Well, I don’t know about all of that but these were pretty dang tasty.
Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes (Vegan)
Adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (1 tablespoon + 1.5 teaspoons) or 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup Earth Balance, softened or 1/3 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Whipped Coconut Cream Icing**
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can of full-fat unsweetened coconut milk; chilled overnight in the coldest part of your refrigerator
- 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled and diced
Makes 10 cupcakes **For a great step-by-step tutorial on how to make whipped coconut cream, check out Angela’s post. I personally found it helpful to place the coconut milk all the way in the back of my refrigerator, overnight, to assure it solidifies properly. You can shake the can to feel if it is still liquid or not before opening. I also rinsed one of the bowls and mixing spoons after making the cupcakes and placed them in the freezer for about ten minutes before using them to make the icing. Keeping everything nice and cold really helps to thicken the coconut cream better.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease or place paper liners in a muffin tin.
- In a measuring cup, combine the almond milk with the vinegar and allow to sit for at least five minutes so that it is able to curdle.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, arrowroot powder or cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Grab a separate large bowl and cream together the Earth Balance* and granulated sugar with a hand mixer for about a minute or until a slightly fluffy texture is achieved. Add-in the vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
- Then alternate adding small portions of the almond milk and flour mixtures while stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula in between mixing. Be careful not to over-mix the batter.
- Once all of the ingredients are well combined, fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way full.
- Bake for 2o to 22 minutes and allow to cool before icing.
- To make the icing, remove the coconut milk from the refrigerator and flip the can upside down.
- After opening with a can opener, drain the excess liquid that is on top (you can save the liquid to cook with or make smoothies later). You should see a nice chunk of “cream” left at the bottom of the can. Scrape the cream out into a (preferably cold) large mixing bowl and beat with a mixer on high until whipped cream texture has formed.
- Add the powdered sugar along with the vanilla extract and continue to beat until mixed well.
- Add the diced strawberries to the coconut cream and spoon the icing on top of the cupcakes. If you are concerned with presentation, you can also add strawberry pieces on top of the whipped cream icing to make them nice and pretty.
These are best served fresh but can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one day. Although, I’m sure you won’t have a problem consuming them all the first day.
GORGEOUS cupcakes, dear! I didn’t know that May was National Strawberry Month. Now I’m even less ashamed that I ate an entire pint of strawberries last night ;) I love shortcake and I’m interested in trying a vegan version! Can’t wait to put these into my oven!
I’m surprised by the PB thing too! I mean, who doesn’t like a little bit of sweetness with their nut butter?! Craziness. And would you consider me crazy if I told you that I prefer blueberries over strawberries? Not that I don’t adore strawberries, but blueberries definitely hold the spot of #1 berry for me. Still, these cupcakes… swoon.
Blueberries are a close second for me and they would be great thrown on top of these cupcakes! :)
Lol, we’re all weird! ain’t it the truth. your cupcake pictures are so beautiful!! they look soo delicious. that coconut cream icing sounds absolutely amazing. And i totally agree- i like my strawberries smothered in whipped cream too. AND in a daiquiri :)
These look delicious! They’d be perfect for a summertime cookout or a summertime brunch!
These look delish! I am going to have to work them into my “treat day” rotation ;)
TY!
First of all, these are SO pretty! Second, I love that they are vegan. Third, I am fairly certain that they must taste amazing!! :)
These cupcakes sound amazing! Ha you should try pb only sandwiches, they are soo good!
Your photos are gorgeous! they just keep getting better and better :) Like I need another reason to eat strawberries. These are totally on my list of cupcakes to make.
Aw, thanks Sonia! I keep trying to improve my pictures so I appreciate the compliment. :) And you can’t go through strawberry season without strawberry shortcake!
Yum these look so delicious! Thanks for sharing :)
I like strawberries in jam or just fresh and by themselves is really good too.
I had no idea it was strawberry month….I need to get on the strawberry eating train!! These cupcakes look incredible! And I love that they’re vegan.
Not kidding. I made strawberry shortcake cupcakes today. The recipe is much different, but still. Anyway, I had no idea it was national strawberry month! I love strawberry anything.
Oh my gosh, that’s too funny!! I can’t wait to see yours, I know they’ll be beautiful!
I had no idea it was strawberry month, that might have explained the feeling I had at the grocery store when I bought multiple pints of strawberries! I guess the world was trying to tell me something! This recipe looks delicious, adding to the bookmarks. :)
Just wanted you to know that I featured these on my blog today for National Strawberry Shortcake Day! They look so good!
Thank you dear! I appreciate the link love! :)
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Hi Sarah!
Is there any other type of sugar that I can substitute the powdered sugar with? Maybe a healthier alternative like a dry sweetener, or does it strictly have to be the powdered kind? Thank you!
Hi Wendy! Sure, you could use a dry sweetener instead. The sugar is only to alter the flavor slightly, not the texture. Another option would be maple syrup. I have only tried it with powdered sugar so I’m not sure how it would turn out otherwise but I think it would be fine. Please let me know how it turns out if you end up adapting the recipe! I’m interested to find out! :)
So excited to make these! I’m right in the middle of mixing the dry ingredients but I don’t see how much salt to add. Can you clarify?
Sorry about that! 1/4 tsp salt. I’ll fix that now, thank you!
Thanks! I missed your reply before I finished making them- I used a little too much salt but they still turned out amazing. The whipped cream is unbelievable and the whole thing really tasted like strawberry shortcake. Thanks again for sharing!!
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Very helpful and want to try this amazing cup cakes soon. seems like delicious. Thank you so much.
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These sound delicious! I’m going to make them this weekend but I was wondering if the coconut cream icing would melt off the cupcakes? I am doing a couple’s night with friends at my house and I have a table prepared and would love to have these out when they come but I’m wondering if the icing needs to stay cool.
Hi Lorena! I think it would be safest if you brought the cakes, strawberries and cream separately then assembled them when everyone is ready to eat. Or just leave them out and explain that they can assemble them themselves. That way you can refrigerate the cream in the meantime.
Also, the coconut cream can be finicky to make yourself so if you find the So Delicious coconut whip at the store, that would save a lot of time and effort. I hope that helps!