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A dye free vegan strawberry cupcake topped with swirled strawberry frosting and a fresh strawberry.
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4.25 from 4 votes

Dye Free Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes

These easy dye free Vegan Strawberry Cupcakes with vegan strawberry buttercream will have your taste buds jumping for joy.  Super soft, insanely rich, and perfectly filled with natural strawberries!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Total Time33 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 18 cupcakes
Calories: 297kcal

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 1 pint fresh strawberries
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (can use another dairy free milk -see post for allergies notes)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 1 cup vegan sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup coconut oil, melted (can swap for another neutral oil - see post for food allergies notes)
  • 2 teaspoon strawberry extract

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

  • ¼ cup strawberry puree (about 3-4 additional strawberries)
  • 4 cups powdered sugar, divided
  • ½ cup dairy free butter, COLD
  • 1 tsp strawberry extract

Optional, Strawberry Jam Topping

  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 5-6 strawberries
  • ¼ cup water + 3 tbsp
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch (can sub arrowroot)

Optional Topping

  • fresh strawberries on top, see photos

Instructions

  • Make the strawberry puree:  Add the fresh strawberries to a blender and blend until small pieces remain. 
    Make the vegan buttermilk: Pour 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar into a 1 cup measuring cup and fill the remaining cup with almond milk. 
    Add liners to cupcake tins if using. If not grease tins.
    Set all aside. 
  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
  • In a large bowl, add the flour, cake flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Whisk together. 
  •  Add in melted coconut oil, strawberry extract and vegan buttermilk. Beat with a mixer until almost completely combine (this will be a thick dough). 
  • Add the strawberry puree and beat again. 
  • Pour batter into muffin tins half way filled. Repeat until no batter remains.
  • Bake for 15-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. 
  • Remove from oven and let cool before frosting. 

For the Strawberry Buttercream Frosting

  • Puree the strawberries like above for the cake. 
  • In a bowl, beat cold butter.
  • Add half the powdered sugar. Beat.
  • Add strawberry puree and extract. Beat again. 
  • Add rest of powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until the consistency you want. Beat until fully combined. 
    (We prefer a thicker frosting to hold up when piping)
  • Pipe onto cupcakes once cooled.

For the Jam, OPTIONAL

  • If making the jam to drizzle on top, add the sugar, strawberries and ¼ cup water to a pot over medium low heat.
  • Let it break down, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes. Mash down the strawberries as they become softer.
  • Mix the remaining water and cornstarch into a small bowl and pour it into pot was stirring at the same time.
  • Cook another 2-3 minutes until thickened.
  • Drizzle over cupcakes once cooled.

Notes

**Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. 
Includes facts for 1 recipe of strawberry buttercream frosting

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 183mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg