There’s a soft and juicy gulab jamun surprise hidden inside this fluffy eggless red velvet cupcake.

Use either shop-bought Gulab Jamuns or make your own. I have a video tutorial and recipe for Perfect Gulab Jamun here. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as making gulab jamun at home.

Can I bake these eggless red velvet cupcakes without the gulab jamuns?

I know you’re thinking it. Of course you can bake these cupcakes without the Gulab Jamuns.

Be sure to fill the cases 3/4 way up and bake at 170°C/340°F for 22 minutes. This recipe calls for standard-sized cupcake cases (not fairy cakes and not muffins, somewhere in between).

Note: Smaller cupcakes will take less time at the same temperature. Larger muffin-sized cakes will take longer at a slightly reduced temperature.

How to make Gulab Jamun-Stuffed Cupcakes

1. Make the eggless red velvet cupcake batter

2. Fill the cupcake cases and add your surprise inside

3. Frost and serve!

Eggless cupcake FAQs

Q. Is there a single egg replacer that works for all baking recipes?

A. There’s not a one-size-fits-all answer as the techniques and make-up of different bakes all require different approaches and ingredients.

E.g. Mashed banana, flax eggs and applesauce are fine for eggless bakes like banana cake, dense muffins and crumb cake but they don’t work so well in red velvet cakes.

The eggless cake would end up tasting of those ingredients rather than having the light, white, fluffy texture we all want in a good red velvet cake.

Q. Can I swap the sugar in the recipe for a sugar alternative?

A. No. Sugar helps proteins bind and form a good structure in cakes. In the absence of eggs, sugar plays a vital role in binding proteins, forming a good crumb and holding the cake together.

Using liquid-based ingredients like honey will change the texture of final cake.

Coconut sugar and sweetener have a different make-up to regular sugar too and swapping them in place of sugar will also change the final result of the eggless cake.

Q. My eggless cupcakes are tough. Where did I go wrong?

A. Overworked batter can produce a dense, tough cake. This is the case with all cakes, not just the eggless kind. If you overbeat cake batter, the in the flour gluten develops and this results in tough, stodgy eggless cupcakes.

Q. Can I veganise these eggless cakes?

A. Yes, you can but again, the texture and flavour of the finished cake may vary slightly.

Increase the amount flour by 1 tbsp (8g) and switch the milk for unsweetened almond milk (at room temperature).

Do not add the gulab jamuns unless you happen to have vegan gulab jamuns to hand.

The butter in the frosting can be swapped with your favourite vegan spread. Use your favourite plant-based cream cheese.

Q. What type of food colour should I use?

I recommend using a gel-based red food colour, such as Wilton or Americolor for the best results. Liquid food colours can affect batter consistency when we add larger amounts.

Q. Can I use normal self-raising flour?

You can use either regular self-raising flour or cake/sponge flour. Note that sponge flour has a lower gluten content which will result in a lighter cake. Normal self-raising flour is fine to use, but your cake won’t be as light.

Handy equipment & tools for this recipe

If you make this recipe, please consider leaving a review and comment below.

Eggless Gulab Jamun-Stuffed Red Velvet Cupcakes recipe

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Eggless Gulab Jamun-Stuffed Red Velvet Cupcakes

There's a soft and juicy Gulab Jamun surprise hidden inside this fluffy red velvet cupcake. Perfect for celebrations!

Ingredients

For the gulab jamun-stuffed red velvet cupcakes:

• 180 g extra-fine self-raising cake flour
• 20 g cocoa powder
• 150 g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp skimmed milk powder
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp fine salt
• 240 ml milk room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 100 ml oil any flavourless oil of your choice
• 1 tsp red gel food colour
• 12 gulab jamuns

For the cream cheese frosting:

• 180 g unsalted butter
• 180 g cream cheese
• 125 g icing sugar
• 2 tbsp skimmed milk powder
• 1 tbsp reserved gulab jamun syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 12 gold dragees to decorate (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 170°C/340°F. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with cupcake cases.
• Gently press each gulab jamun between your fingers to remove excess syrup. Don't squeeze them too hard or they will break. Reserve 1 tbsp gulab jamun syrup for the frosting.
• In a jug or glass, mix together the milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside for 5 minutes, undisturbed. After 5 minutes, add the oil and vanilla extract and give it a brief whisk.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, milk powder, cornflour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
• Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and gently whisk for 40-60 seconds until smooth. Add the red food colour and mix well until incorporated. Don’t overbeat the cake batter or you could end up with tough cupcakes.
• Pour the batter into the paper cases, about halfway full. Place a gulab jamun in the centre of each case. Top with more cake batter, about 3/4 way up the case and so that the gulab jamuns are covered. Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes. It’s okay if some of the tops crack a bit where they gulab jamuns are.
• Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool in the tin. Ensure they’re completely cool before adding the frosting.

For the frosting:

• To make the frosting, mix together the milk powder and 1 tbsp reserved gulab jamun syrup. Mix well until smooth.
• Beat the butter until pale. Add the milk powder mixture and vanilla extract. Beat briefly. Next, the icing sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Add the cream cheese and continue to beat until smooth. Refrigerate until cold, about 2-3 hours and whip once more. The cream cheese frosting ready to use when it's thick and can hold a stiff peak.
• Frost the cooled cupcakes however you like. I often use the Wilton 1M tip fitted in a piping bag for cute ruffles and rosettes. You can also just use an ice cream scoop to heap the frosting on. This time I liked the idea of a chubby blob piped with a simple large, round piping tip to reflect the roundness of the gulab jamuns. Add a gold dragee for sparkle.

Video

Notes

The unfrosted cupcakes can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Cover well and store at room temperature. Frost immediately before serving.

Make frosting ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Frosted cupcakes are best eaten on the day. Refrigerated cupcakes may dry out.

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If you like this, you’ll love my recipe for Vegan Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

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5 reasons why you need to make these Vegan Custard Powder Fairy Cakes ASAP

• They’re crazy easy to bake.
• The recipe is dairy free so these fairy cakes are 100% vegan.
• Lots of vanilla makes them taste like birthday cake.
• Custard powder gives these cakes a super light texture.
• No icing/frosting make them perfect for snacking all week long. Keep them in an airtight container and pack into lunchboxes or enjoy with your afternoon tea or coffee. I promise you won’t miss the icing.

A truly nostalgic snack cake

These little cakes take me back to my childhood. I remember raiding biscuit tins for these ALL the time. They look just like the Indian bakery-style cakes sold in the shops, too.

I have very fond memories of munching on them with a cup of masala chai. Peeling back the paper case still fills me with all the good vibes! Clearly I’m still a kidult at heart.

I could go on raving about the nostalgic factor of these Vegan Custard Powder Fairy Cakes but we’re cutting into precious cake time here.

What makes these Custard Powder Fairy Cakes vegan?

The clue is in the title… Custard Powder! The cornflour, thickeners, colour and flavour gives these fairy cakes their melt-in-the-mouth texture. Cornflour helps with binding as well as producing a cake that locks in all the little air bubbles and moisture.

The classic creamy vanilla flavour and colour gives the flavour and colour of traditional sponge cake without the butter or eggs!

If you want a deeper yellow fairy cake, add a tiny amount of yellow food colour to the batter. For example, Wilton Golden Yellow the the perfect custardy shade. This is of course, an entirely optional step.

Is custard powder vegan?

Most of the custard powders I’ve come across are indeed vegan. However, do check the label beforehand as the variety of options available can be confusing. For example, I’ve noticed products labelled “Instant Custard” contain dairy, whereas most “Custard Powder” is vegan friendly. For this recipe you will need “Custard Powder”.

I use the OG, Bird’s Custard Powder because it’s delicious and such a classic brand.

What’s a fairy cake?!

Okay, so I’m aware that lots of people will call these cupcakes. That’s totally fine. Although, where I come from, these smaller, daintier versions are referred to as fairy cakes. The snack cake (I love this term) of choice at any kid’s party and what you make in primary school cooking lessons. Seriously, what’s not to love?

Kids will love baking these vegan Custard Powder Fairy Cakes

I honestly cannot wait for the day my son is old enough to make his first batch of fairy cakes. As well as teaching him how to make scones and shortbread biscuits, I’ll be passing on my recipe for these Custard Powder Fairy Cakes.

The batter can be whipped up in less than 15 minutes and they take just 12 minutes to bake. As a result, the hardest part is the long wait for them to cool before you’re allowed to dig in!

The sprinkles in this recipe are optional. Nevertheless, I do think that they’re what give the cakes an old world touch.

Ingredients and equipment you’ll need for this recipe

• Plain flour
• Custard powder
• Caster sugar
• Baking powder
• Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• Almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
• Apple cider vinegar
• Vanilla extract
• Almond extract (optional)
• Sunflower oil (or any flavourless oil)
• Your favourite vegan sprinkles
  
• 12-hole cupcake or bun tin
• Approx 20 paper fairy cake cases (or small cupcake cases)

Okay, are you ready for this absolute treasure of a recipe? Grab your favourite sprinkles, because they make these fairy cakes look hopelessly cute.

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Vegan Custard Powder Fairy Cakes

These spongy, golden yellow Vegan Custard Powder Fairy Cakes are the happiest cakes I know how to make! Flavoured with vanilla, they're the perfect birthday-style cake for snacking.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Indian

Keyword almond, baking, cake, cupcakes, custard, eggless, fairy cakes, vanilla, vegan

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 18

Author Sanjana

Equipment

• 12-hole cupcake or small bun tin
• 18-20 small paper cases

Ingredients

• 130 g plain flour
• 30 g custard powder
• 140 g caster sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp fine salt
• 240 ml almond milk (or any plant-based milk)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp almond extract (optional – for enhanced flavour)
• 90 ml sunflower oil (or any flavourless oil)
• 2 tbsp your favourite sprinkles (check the label to ensure they've vegan as many contain shellac or beeswax)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F. Line a 12-hole cupcake or bun tin with small paper cases in a design of your choice (or keep it simple with plain white cases).
• In a large jug, stir together the room temperature almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Allow the mixture to stand for 10 minutes, and then stir in the vanilla extract, almond extract and oil. If it looks a little lumpy and thick this is good. Give it a brief whisk to make it smooth. This is your vegan buttermilk.
• Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, excluding the sugar. Whisk the sugar in to the sifted ingredients. This process removes any lumps so you don't run the risk of overbeating the batter trying to remove lumps of flour.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk gently until no lumps remain. Don't overbeat the mixture. About a minute of gentle whisking should do the trick.
• Pour or scoop the batter into the paper cases, filling them about 3/4 way up. I like to use a small ice cream scoop for this. They will rise in the oven.
• Scatter a few sprinkles onto the tops of the cakes. This step is optional but I think they add a fun touch.
• Place the filled tray into the oven and back for 12-14 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
• Repeat the filling and baking process for the remaining fairy cake batter.

Notes

• Keep the fairy cakes in an airtight container and eat within 48 hours.

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Vegan cake FAQ

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Psst… If you like these fairy cakes, you’ll LOVE these Fluffy Eggless Vanilla Birthday Cupcakes.

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When it comes to baking, the more lemon that’s involved, the better as far as I’m concerned. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t go weak at the knees for a slice of lemon drizzle cake or three. Have you?

Why is Lemon & Saffron such a great flavour combo?

One of my favourite flavour combinations has to be lemon and saffron. The humble, sharp lemon against the heady fragrance of saffron is such a winner. Whether you’re cooking something sweet or savoury, the two ingredients together are the perfect marriage of colour, taste and aroma.

Sweet is most certainly my preference because once baked, they mingle with the smell of toasty flour and fill the house with the most gorgeous baking scent. It’s pure and strong, unlike if you were making a savoury dish with 10 other spices.

In the past, I’ve successfully combined the two to make cheesecakes and seeroh (sweet semolina) which were both delicious. This time, I wanted to give a simple cupcake recipe a special makeover. They’re light, fluffy and so moreish.

How to make vegan lemon curd

Each fluffy sponge is filled with a golden-hued saffron lemon curd which I veganised with cornflour, coconut oil and coconut milk in place of eggs and butter. Use unrefined coconut oil to ensure the flavour of coconut doesn’t overpower the rest of the ingredients. It’s the saffron that gives it a pretty daffodil colour. If you have any leftover lemon curd, pop it in a jar and spread it on toast or scones for a special tea-time treat. It really is spectacular.

The best Vegan Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

These Vegan Lemon Meringue Cupcakes are a little riff on the Vanilla Birthday Cupcakes I posted a while back. It’s a straightforward one using almond buttermilk to give the cupcakes lift. If you have any questions about the cupcake baking process, check here for lots of detail (can you tell I could talk about baking forever?).

The meringue might seem daunting at first. However, once you have all your ingredients laid out in front of you, it’s very simple. You’ll need a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or robust electric hand beaters to get that meringue whipped up perfectly. Reducing the aquafaba and adding agar-agar will give it more stability and the cream of tartar and sugar will help it whip into a sweet cloud of fluffiness. I used a kitchen blowtorch to toast the tops but if you don’t have one, you can pop them under the grill for a 15-20 seconds — just be sure to remove the cupcakes from their paper cases first!

These are perfect for parties, bake sales and for when you just want to eat a cupcake or three, alone, on your kitchen floor.

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Vegan Saffron & Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

The lightest vegan cupcakes filled with tangy saffron and lemon curd, all crowned with a cloud of toasted vegan meringue.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Indian

Keyword cupcakes, dessert, lemon, meringue, saffron, vegan

Prep Time 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 12

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 225 g extra-fine self-raising cake flour
• 160 g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp cornflour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp fine salt
• 250 ml almond milk room temperature
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 30 ml lemon juice
• 110 ml rapeseed oil or any flavourless oil of your choice

For the saffron lemon curd:

• 50 ml lemon juice
• Zest of 3 lemons
• 75 g icing sugar
• 20 g cornflour
• 30 g refined coconut oil
• 50 ml coconut milk
• Pinch of saffron

For the meringue:

• 100 ml aquafaba reduced from 200ml chilled
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 100 g caster sugar
• 25 ml water
• 25 ml agave
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp agar-agar

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 175°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
• Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with paper cupcake cases.

For the vegan saffron lemon curd:

• To make the saffron lemon curd, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and give everything a good whisk. Cook over a medium heat, whisking all the time until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of custard. The saffron will start to turn the lemon curd a beautiful shade of daffodil yellow. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Once the lemon curd has cooled for 10 minutes, directly cover the surface with cling film to stop a hard skin forming. Refrigerate until needed.

For the vegan cupcakes:

• Mix together the almond milk and lemon juice in a jug. Allow to stand for ten minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in the oil.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, caster sugar, cornflour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.
• Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and beat with a whisk for 1-2 minutes, until you have a smooth batter.
• Pour or scoop the batter into the paper cupcake cases, filling to about ¾ of the way up. Give the base of the tin a quick succession of taps on the work surface to remove any large air bubbles.
• Place the tin into the pre-heated oven and bake for 18 minutes, or until golden on top and springy to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

For the vegan meringue:

• To make the meringue, place the reduced and chilled aquafaba in a clean stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the cream of tartar and whisk on high speed for 3-4 minutes until frothy.
• Combine the water, sugar, agave, vanilla and agar-agar in a saucepan and mix until dissolved. Cook over a medium heat, stirring often to stop the syrup catching and burning at the base of the pan. Use a sugar thermometer to check the temperature of the syrup. Once the syrup reaches 120°C/250°F, remove it from the heat and quickly pour it into the still running bowl of the stand mixer. Whisk the mixture for 15 minutes until white and meringue-like in texture.
• Use a spoon to remove the centres from the cooled cupcakes and pipe or spoon 2 teaspoons of the chilled lemon curd into the centre. Fill top of the plug with a few cake crumbs.
• Fill a piping bag fitted with a large, round tip with the meringue mixture. Pipe the meringue on to the cupcakes. I chose to do a simple pillowy blob but you can also use a star piping tip if you like. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can also spoon the meringue on top.
• For a toasted finish, use a kitchen blowtorch to toast the tops of the meringues before serving. I do not recommend placing the cupcakes under a grill when using paper cases. If you don’t have a kitchen blowtorch and would like to toast the meringue, consider using grill-safe silicone cupcake cases.
• Storage: Keep these cupcakes covered and at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Storing them in the refrigerator may cause the meringue to weep liquid and deflate.

Vegan Cake FAQ

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I was seven years old and obsessed with baking with my mum in the little kitchen above our corner shop. It was our home for the first ten years of my life and the place where I first fell in love with food and the idea of cooking.

Cakes eluded me as I never indulged in them at friends’ birthday parties. Like many Gujarati Hindus, we are a family of lacto-vegetarians so don’t eat eggs.

My mum never wanted us to miss out so she would test recipes for the perfect fluffy eggless sponge cakes for us at home.

A hundred iterations of cakes made with everything from condensed milk and sour cream, to custard powder and buttermilk. I’d watch intently the whole time, soaking up the baking smells and tips.

We baked them in the oven and cooked them in the microwave, in silicone liners and traditional tins. No stone was left unturned in the eggless cake department.

Of course, each experiment came with its own set of unique results; Sometimes they were good, sometimes they were a total flop. The fun part was always in the time we spent with one another rather than in getting the recipe totally right.

For a kid my age, any cake was good cake. Weighing out the ingredients, mixing the batter and sitting in front of the oven waiting for it to “ping” was just one part of the mother-daughter bonding experience.

We’d talk about all things food and she’d tell me about her childhood, learnings and lessons for life. We still do this now, almost 25 years and hundreds of cakes later.

You’ll be pleased to know that after years of testing and more cake fails than I can count, we did finally nail the perfect eggless vanilla cake recipe. Here it is, in cupcake form, ready to see in my 30th birthday this month. Yep, I’m T-H-I-R-T-Y now. And a mum to the most lovely little boy. How times have changed since starting this blog as a carefree, party-loving twenty year-old student.

My eggless vanilla birthday cupcakes are light, white, fluffy and super moist with lots of vanilla flavour. I’ve baked sprinkles into the sponge because there’s nothing more exciting than funfetti. It just screams, “Happy Birthday!” and I’d have freaked for these cakes when I was a kid.

The best thing is that the recipe uses simple, easy-to-obtain ingredients rather than commercial egg-replacers (I have tried every egg replacer under the sun and none of them produce a better cake than this recipe, regardless of how expensive they are).

You don’t need a fancy mixer either. Use a bowl, a regular whisk and a spatula for the recipe for the best results.

The frosting is a simple, American-style crusting buttercream which is easy to pipe/spread and sets up beautifully. I kept it a plain ivory colour but you can colour it to your favourite shade if you like.

I recommend using gel or paste food colours such as Wilton, Sugarflair or Americolor. These will ensure the frosting doesn’t become too slack which can be a problem with liquid food colours.

Watch the recipe video to see exactly how I make these at home. The recipe has been tried and tested dozens of times and I always get perfect results. You’re going to love them!

Here are some of my best learnings from baking a million eggless cakes over the years for both weddings and just for the family at home. I’ve tried to answer as many as I can here but if you can’t see the answer to a question you have, drop a comment below and I’ll get back to you.

Q. Is there a single egg replacer that works for all baking recipes?
A. There’s not a one-size-fits-all answer as the techniques and make-up of different bakes all require different approaches and ingredients. E.g. Mashed banana, flax eggs  and applesauce are fine for eggless bakes like banana cake, dense muffins and crumb cake but they don’t work so well in vanilla cakes. The eggless cake would end up tasting of those ingredients rather than having the light, white, fluffy texture we all want in a good vanilla cake. I also tend to stay away from using these in vanilla cake baking because the results can be a bit too unpredictable.

Q. Can I swap the sugar in the recipe for honey/coconut sugar/agave/sweetener? Can I reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe?
A. No. Sugar helps proteins bind and form a good structure in cakes. In the absence of eggs, sugar plays a vital role in binding proteins, forming a good crumb and holding the cake together. Using liquid-based ingredients like honey will change the texture of final cake. Coconut sugar and sweetener have a different make-up to regular sugar too and swapping them in place of sugar will also change the final result of the eggless cake.

Q. My eggless cake is tough. Where did I go wrong?
A. Overworked batter can produce a dense, tough cake. This is the case with all cakes, not just the eggless kind. If you overbeat a cake, the in the flour gluten develops to unwanted levels and this will result in tough, stodgy eggless cakes.

Q. Can I swap the white cake flour for wholemeal flour?
A. Technically yes, you could. Having said this, your eggless cake will be darker in colour and heavier than if you were to use a refined white flour. I’ve found that extra-fine self-raising sponge flour produces the best results by a country mile if you’re looking for a fluffy, white eggless cake.

Q. Why do you use full-fat milk powder?
A. Sugar bonds with proteins to give the cake batter a strong structure. Milk powder contains protein which will bind with the sugar to give the eggless cake a strong, fine crumb, helping it rise in the oven and most importantly, hold its shape. The cornflour and raising agents also help these along.

Q. Can I veganise your eggless cake recipe?
A. Yes, you can but again, the texture and flavour of the finished cake may vary slightly. Increase the flour by 1 tbsp, switch the milk for unsweetened almond milk (at room temperature), and use 2 tbsp aquafaba (reduced from 4 tbsp and chilled) in place of milk powder. If you’re making this funfetti vanilla cake recipe, please ensure your sprinkles are suitable for vegans. The butter in the frosting can be swapped with your favourite vegan spread (the soft kind in a tub, not a block). Swap the milk in the frosting for unsweetened almond milk at room temperature.

Q. My cakes are dry. Where did I go wrong?
A. They are overbaked. Ensure you’re baking them for the stated time at the correct temperature. Most domestic ovens tend to be a few degrees out but an internal oven thermometer can help ensure your oven is set at the right temperature. If you don’t have an internal oven thermometer you could also increase or reduce the cooking time depending on whether your cakes are overbaking or underbaking.

Q. Can I use condensed milk in place of sugar and milk in this recipe?
A. I wouldn’t. I’ve baked so many cakes with condensed milk before and whilst they smell amazing in the oven, they are caramelising in the oven and produce dark brown crusts and sponges that are pretty unpleasant to eat. They’re often dense and heavy too (fine for some cakes but not if you want fluffy white eggless cakes).

Q. Can I add cocoa powder to make this a chocolate cake?
A. The make-up of eggless vanilla cakes and eggless chocolate cakes are super different and although some ingredients may be the same, the proportions are not. I’d recommend using a chocolate cake recipe, such as this Eggless Malted Chocolate Whipped Ganache Cake if you want to make a chocolate cake. Adding cocoa powder (as it is a dry ingredient) to this recipe will change the texture and you would then have to adjust the liquid ingredients to make up for the increased quantity of dry ingredients.

Q. Why do you add oil instead of butter?
A. In eggless cakes, an oil-based batter will result in a moist, fluffy cake. I’ve found that using butter results in a much firmer cake with a larger crumb.

Q. Why does the milk need to be at room temperature?
A. Room temperature milk will ensure the milk and vinegar mixture curdles quickly and adequately. If you’re short of time, microwave cold milk from the fridge on high power in 15 second intervals for a total of 30 seconds, stirring in between.

Q. Why add the additional baking powder if you’re using self-raising flour?
A. After a lot of testing, I’ve found the extra leavening from the baking powder gives the eggless cakes an extra lift for a super fluffy result.

This recipe makes 12 standard-sized cupcakes or 9 if you’re using muffin cases).

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Fluffy Eggless Vanilla Birthday Cupcakes

My eggless vanilla birthday cupcakes are light, white, fluffy and super moist with lots of vanilla flavour. I’ve baked sprinkles into the sponge because there’s nothing more exciting than funfetti.

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 170 g extra-fine self-raising cake flour
• 150 g caster sugar
• 240 ml full-fat milk at room temperature
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract not vanilla essence
• 2 tbsp full-fat milk powder
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 90 ml sunflower oil
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tbsp colourful sprinkles not nonpareils

For the buttercream:

• 150 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 200 g icing sugar
• 1 tbsp whole milk at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 170°C/340°F. Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with 12 paper cupcake cases or 9 muffin cases.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, milk powder, cornflour, sugar and salt.
• In a separate jug or glass, mix together the milk, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar. Set aside for 5 minutes, undisturbed. After 5 minutes, give it a brief whisk.
• Add the oil and milk mixture to the dry ingredients and gently whisk for 40-60 seconds until smooth. Don’t overbeat the cake batter or you could end up with tough cakes.
• At the last minute, fold in the sprinkles with a spatula. Be gentle and swift. Too much mixing will cause the colour from the sprinkles to bleed into the batter.
• Pour the batter into the paper cases, about 3/4 of the way full. Bake the cupcakes for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of a cake comes out clean. They should be springy to the touch and not too brown on top.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin.
• To make the frosting, beat together the butter and icing sugar until fluffy and pale, about 8 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, salt and milk. Beat for a further 5 minutes until thick, light and creamy.
• Frost the cooled cupcakes however you like. I love using the Wilton 1M tip fitted in a piping bag for cute, simple ruffles and rosettes. You could also just spread the frosting on using a spatula if you like. Top with extra sprinkles (as many as you like). Candles are optional, but make any cake infinitely more fun.
• If you’re eating the cakes on the same day, know that frosting is the best way to preserve your cakes and keep them from going stale. If you’re keeping them for the another day, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Remove from the fridge an hour before serving to soften the cakes and frosting.
• Alternatively, you can bake this cake in a greased and lined 15cm (6-inch) round x 7cm (3-inch) deep at 160°C/320°F for 45-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in to the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then flip it out onto a wire rack to cool before decorating.

Video

Love Sanjana

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So how have you been? The new site is coming along nicely and I’m hoping to build some pretty new features for you to get your paws on soon. Thanks for your patience.

The post Eggless Chocolate and Rose Cupcakes appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

Temperatures are dropping, frosty sheens are crystallising everything within reach, and the only way to hold on to your marbles is with Eggless Christmas Cupcakes.

A reader took the time to email me a couple of months ago with a request for eggless Christmas cake. The ever popular fruit cake around Christmastime is imperative, so why should non-egg eaters miss out on the goodies? The festive flavours of mixed fruits, nuts and spices fill the house with the most comforting seasonal aroma whilst these pretty cupcakes bake. Simply irresistible.

I wanted to create a small twist on conventional Christmas cake by making easy to serve cupcakes, but keeping the flavours traditional and reminiscent of the season was also a must. These little bites of Christmas have been iced with marzipan and white icing in the usual fashion. And although they have been loaded with dried fruits, nuts and spices, I’ve purposely kept them light and not too overpowering or dense.

You can decorate your cakes however you like with your favourite Christmassy patterns. I kept mine really simple with a holly pattern (and a random Christmas tree- I forget why) made from white icing coloured with green and red gel food colours (I used Wilton), a shower of icing sugar and edible glitter. You can go as elaborate as you like- just be sure to email me pictures to drool over.

I haven’t used alcohol in my recipe given the majority audience of this blog. However, if you would like to spike your cakes with a little tipple I suggest using 5-10ml of amaretto (e.g. Disaronno) or any other almond liqueur. You could also use brandy or bourbon. Simply make a dozen holes in the top of your cake with a cocktail stick and pour over the liqueur. Allow this to soak in for a couple of hours before icing and eating.

So, instead of serving up a huge and rich Christmas cake this year (while pondering how much will be leftover), why not bake a batch or two of these light and spicy individual Eggless Christmas Cupcakes? You don’t even need to take the time to decorate them; try serving warm with custard for the ideal December dessert.

Eggless Christmas Cupcakes
Makes 18-20

Ingredients

450g self raising flour + 50g plain flour
350g mixed dried fruits (I used a mixture of dates, apricots, prunes, cranberries, raisins, sultanas and cherries)
320g dark brown sugar (such as muscavado)
250ml sparkling water
80g chopped pecans
100g ground almonds
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3 tsp ground mixed spice (cloves, nutmeg, coriander seed powder)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp cornflour
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
50ml lemon juice
60ml orange juice
2 tsp natural yogurt
1 ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp sunflower oil

To decorate:
250g marzipan
250g white icing (ready to roll)
Golden syrup (or dark corn syrup) to brush on the cakes and stick the decorations on
Red and green food colours
Icing sugar to dust
Edible glitter

Method

1. Mix together the dried fruits (chop up any large pieces) and chopped pecans with 50g plain flour. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl sift together the self raising flour, baking powder, baking soda, mixed spice, cinnamon and cornflour. Sift again then gently fold in the ground almonds, lemon and orange zest.

3. In a separate bowl whisk together the sugar, lemon juice, orange juice, yogurt, apple cider vinegar and oil.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the sifted flour mixture and add the sparkling water. Whisk and then fold in the flour-dusted fruits and nuts. Be careful not to overwork the cake batter.

5. Spoon the mixture into a lined cupcake tray. Bake at 160 degrees C for around 20 minutes or until a skewer poked through the centre comes out clean. Don’t open the oven door for the first 15 minutes of baking.

6. Allow to cool.

7. Brush with warm golden syrup and first stick on thin discs of marzipan (I rolled my marzipan with a rolling pin, dusting with icing sugar, and used a wine glass to cut to size but you could also use a cookie cutter or just freehand it).

8. Brush the marzipan with more golden syrup and repeat for the icing. If you don’t want it to be too sweet, roll the icing thinner.

9. Colour your white icing with your food colours and roll the red into little berry-sized balls and roll the green, then cut into holly shapes. Dust with a flurry of icing sugar and edible glitter.

Since this is the season to eat, drink and be merry, I’ve decided that in the run up to Christmas I will post recipes for my favourite seasonal desserts and drinks- they make the best fire-side companions during the chilly period.

P.S.
I’d love to see which edible gifts you’re sending out to your friends and family this year. Email me at: sanju(underscore)modha(at)hotmail(dot)co(dot)uk and I’ll post your image up in time for Christmas. Also, I’m just gonna put this out there if anyone is interested in sending me an edible gift for Christmas… please? Anyone? No?

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Today, the wonderful Mr. P from the delicious ‘Delicious Delicious Delicious’ is going to quite literally make you drool.  Thank you P, for this gorgeous EGGLESS chocolate spice cupcake recipe. I am in love with P’s beautiful blog which I am sure you’re all aware of by now. If you’re not, you’re really missing out- I urge you to visit him over at DDD. He’s a baking wizard and literary genius who I’ve grown to simply adore. It is an honour to present him to you as a guest blogger today… You guys are so spoilt rotten!

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes by P of DDD (No, not P. Diddy)

You see, they are eggless. If you don’t bake very much, that might not sound like a big deal, but I promise you it is. It’s a big a deal as you can get. I remember learning in Home Economics at school that the lecithin and fat in egg yolks were what gave texture to cakes, and that eggs also acted as a leavening agent, so it never even occurred to me that you could bake without them. I thought they were essential.


Reader: I was wrong.


(An aside: Have I ever told you that I wasn’t allowed to take Home Economics at GCSE level in school? Nope. We boys had to do Craft and Design, which I was bitter about for years. I’m over the sexism now though. On reflection neither subject has really shaped my life anyway, and having done CDT at least I know how to use a lathe and make egg cups using a vacuum former. I’m such a manly baker…)

As a result, I am extending an open invitation to The Cool Kids’ Club to all of you, in the hope that you too will try these out. I am not vegan, and I don’t avoid eggs generally (which is good, because Mr. Other P adds eggs to everything – curry, pasta, noodles, you name it.), but I am planning on making these again. They are not only the simplest cupcakes I have ever made ( and ridiculously so), but also the cheapest. I’ll be honest – warm from the oven, I could detect a slight after taste of bicarbonate of soda, but once the cakes had cooled, it completely vanished. I can’t wait to try out some different variations of the recipe and am thinking lemon first and foremost.

 
I have tinkered with the original recipe to make these spiced chocolate cupcakes, since they are for the Queen of the Spice Trail, and also completely changed the method used to make them. Mainly because I was making cupcakes, and not a sheet cake. But also because I like to simplify. It’s OK, you can trust me; like I said before, I can operate a lathe.
 

I metricated the recipe: love me, love me.


Chocolate Spice Cupcakes


You will need:


225g plain flour
150g caster sugar (or granulated)
35g cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
75ml vegetable oil
1 tbsp cider vinegar (use whatever type you have)
2 tsp ground allspice
300ml water
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Line a cupcake tin with 12 paper liners.


2. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients gently. You can use a wire whisk.


3. Add everything else, and whisk to mix everything to a smooth, lump free batter. It will be very liquid.


4. Transfer the batter to a jug, and pour into cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 full.


5. Bake for about 25 minutes, until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean.


6. Remove from pan immediately and cool on a wire rack. Then ice with your choice of frosting. That’s right – you have a choice:


Allspice Cream Cheese Frosting


You will need:


100g cream cheese
30g butter
400g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp ground allspice


1. This was going to be green cardamom cream cheese frosting, but my pods were all dried up. I was devastated, but adapted the recipe and like it this way anyway. Cream the butter and cream cheese together, and slowly mix in the sugar until you get the consistency you like.


2. Stir in the spice, and use immediately. This is a lovely, thick, rich icing. Enjoy it!


Lucy and Nuria’s Vegan Version
You will need:


100g soy margarine
250g icing sugar
1 tsp allspice


1. Cream everything together using a wooden spoon; that’s it! (This is such a great icing.)

… And this is why we love you so, P! I don’t know about you, but I’m about to go make me some eggless Chocolate Spice Cupcakes. You can join me for this said midnight munch if you like… But that doesn’t mean that there will be any cupcakes left for you.

Maneh maaf kari de.

Mujhe maaf kar do.

I’m sorry.

and P.

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