Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

Rich, tender chocolate cupcakes with a soft crumb and deep cocoa flavor, topped with a bright pink strawberry frosting made from fresh berries. The vinegar and plant milk react to create lift without eggs, and the strawberry puree makes the frosting taste like actual fruit instead of artificial flavoring. These are fun to decorate and easy for little hands to grab.

By TasteBuds

Recipe details

Yield
12 cupcakes
Prep time
25 minutes
Cook time
20 minutes
Total time
50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsweetened plant milk (almond, oat, or soy all work)
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup neutral oil (vegetable or canola)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups fresh strawberries, hulled
  • 2½ cups powdered sugar
  • ½ cup refined coconut oil, softened but not melted

Instructions

  1. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened plant milk and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) white vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes to curdle and create a vegan buttermilk.
  3. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
  4. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 1½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, ⅓ cup (30 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon (5 g) baking soda, and ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt.
  5. Add ⅓ cup (80 ml) neutral oil and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract to the bowl with the curdled plant milk mixture. Whisk until smooth.
  6. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Whisk gently just until no flour streaks remain. Don't overmix or the cupcakes will be tough.
  7. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full.
  8. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
  9. Remove the muffin tin from the oven and let the cupcakes cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
  10. While the cupcakes cool, hull 1½ cups (225 g) fresh strawberries and cut them into chunks.
  11. Puree the strawberry chunks in a blender or food processor until completely smooth.
  12. Strain the strawberry puree through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. You should have about ½ cup (120 ml) of smooth strawberry juice.
  13. In a large mixing bowl, beat ½ cup (110 g) refined coconut oil, softened with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  14. Add 2½ cups (300 g) powdered sugar and ¼ cup (60 ml) of the strained strawberry puree to the bowl with the coconut oil. Beat on low speed until combined, then increase to medium-high and beat for 3 to 4 minutes until the frosting is light, fluffy, and pale pink.
  15. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, spread or pipe the strawberry frosting onto each one. If you want neat swirls, use a piping bag or a ziplock bag with one corner snipped off.