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

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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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The highlight of every gathering

I have fabulous memories of digging in to fresh cream cakes at almost every family birthday party I went to. We never had novelty fondant-covered cakes at our gatherings.

My mum would spend all day baking, listening to her favourite songs on the cassette player and letting me lick the spoon. In our family, it’s tradition that when you make something sweet at home, the youngest child must have the first taste. It’s something we do to honour the memory of my great uncle, Velji bapu who died very young. We remember him always.

Can a vegan cake still taste good?

The sponge for this Vegan Fresh Cream & Fruit Cake is entirely vegan and the cake itself can be topped with your favourite vegan whipped cream, too. Nature’s Charm do a fantastic one. It’s light, fluffy, not too sweet and tastes like it came from a bakery. I add a combination of vanilla and almond extracts to give the cake that “just baked” flavour. It’s absolutely delicious and I defy you to notice the lack of eggs or dairy in this cake.

Can I make this Vegan Fresh Cream & Fruit Cake ahead of time?

I’d recommend baking the cake a few days before you want to eat it. Decorate it with jam, whipped cream, fresh fruit and chocolate curls the night before. Keep it covered and refrigerated and remove it from the fridge an hour before serving to let it come to room temperature. Ultimately, this makes ALL the difference. If eaten cold, the sponge may feel too heavy.

FAQ: How to bake a vegan cake

Ingredients you’ll need for this Vegan Fresh Cream & Fruit Cake

• Extra-fine self raising cake flour or sponge flour
• Caster sugar
• Almond milk (or your favourite plant-based milk)
• Cornflour (cornstarch)
• Lemon juice
• Baking powder
• Soy milk powder (NOW is a great option)
• Oil (any unflavoured – I use sunflower)
• Pure vanilla extract
• Almond extract
• Salt
• Vegan whipping cream (I use Nature’s Charm Coconut Whipping Cream)
• Mixed fresh fruit of your choice (I use strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwis, mandarins, peaches and pineapples)
• Chocolate curls (optional)

How to make Vegan Fresh Cream & Fruit Cake

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Vegan Fresh Cream & Fruit Cake

Course Dessert

Cuisine Indian

Keyword almond, baking, birthday, cake, fruit, party, vanilla, vegan

Prep Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

4 hours hours

Total Time 5 hours hours 55 minutes minutes

Servings 16

Author Sanjana

Equipment

• 20cm x 25cm x 10cm-deep (8" x 10" x 4"-deep) non-stick baking tin or 9" x 4"-deep square
• Wire cooling rack
• Baking parchment
• Whisk
• Large bowl
• Large jug

Ingredients

For the vegan vanilla sponge cake:

• 480 ml almond milk, room-temperature (or any plant-based milk)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract (optional, or enhanced flavour)
• 180 ml oil (any unflavoured)
• 340 g extra-fine self-raising cake flour (sponge flour)
• 300 g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 25 g soy milk powder
• 1/4 tsp fine salt

To decorate the cake:

• 300 ml vegan whipping cream, cold (I used Nature's Charm)
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 200 g mixed fresh fruit of your choice (I used strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi, mandarins, peaches and pineapples)
• Chocolate curls (optional)

Instructions

For the vegan vanilla sponge cake:

• Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/320°F. Grease and line a 20cm x 25cm x 10cm-deep (8" x 10" x 4"-deep) non-stick baking tin (or 9" x 4"-deep square) with oil and baking parchment. Leave an overhang at either side to lift the cake out easily later.
• In a jug, whisk together the plant milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract and almond extract. Allow to stand for 10 minutes and then whisk in the oil.
• Combine the remaining dry ingredients for the sponge in a large bowl.
• Add the milk and oil mixture to the dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth, about a minute. Do not overwork the batter.
• Pour the batter into the lined tin and rasp the base of the tin on the worktop a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 40-45 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. This cake will not brown too much.

To decorate the cake:

• Whip the coconut cream with some sugar. Refrigerate. Prep the fruit. Wash and dry all the berries, slice the pineapples, kiwis and peaches and drain the mandarins (I used tinned so drained the extra water, but you can also use fresh). Keep the fruit covered in a large plate in the fridge.
• Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes and then carefully run a knife around the edges. Lift the cake out using the overhanging baking parchment. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
• Once cool, brush the cake with the warm jam and top with whipped cream. Decorate with fresh fruit and chocolate curls.

Notes

HOW TO STORE THIS CAKE:

Keep the cake covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Remove the cake from the fridge 1 hour before serving to allow it to come to room temperature. Slice and serve.

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Like this? You’ll love these Vegan Midnight Brownies

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I think this cake is my spirit animal.

What are Gulab Jamuns?

If you’ve never had them, traditional Gulab Jamuns are basically doughnut holes on crack. They get their signature burnished bronze exterior from a high milk solids content that caramelises as it fries.

Yes, like any dessert worth its salt (or should that be sugar?), Gulab Jamuns are deep fried before being dunked in a bath of rose-scented syrup.

Here’s my mum’s annual batch of Gulab Jamuns for the Hindu festival, Diwali. They’re amazing and she is the master!

When do people eat them?

They’re the original “golden balls” (sorry Mr. Beckham) and an iconic dessert at weddings. No religious festival would be complete without a bowl of a hundred sticky Gulab Jamuns either.

Sweet memories

As a child, I would snaffle down a minimum of three at any sitting. Each jamun is basically a carrier for an outrageous volume of rosy-cardamom syrup.

For the uninitiated, they can cause quite the sugar rush. Some go a step further and serve them warm with ice cream. Too far?

Sadly, I no longer have the metabolism of an eight-year, but I do need my Gulab Jamun fix once in a while.

Gulab Jamuns, reinvented: The Eggless Gulab Jamun Cake

Enter, the Gulab Jamun Cake. This is one recipe I’ve gently modified to preserve all the things I love about the original dish.

Ultimately, the cake has all the treasured flavours of classic Gulab Jamun without the deep frying or long soak in sugar syrup. What’s not to love?

How can this Gulab Jamun Cake be Eggless?

Yes, my recipe is made without eggs so is suitable for lacto vegetarians or anyone with an egg allergy.

Is this Gulab Jamun Cake vegan?

No. I developed my recipe to pay homage to the rich, milky flavour of traditional Gulab Jamun. I use full-fat milk powder to enrich the cake batter with a subtle creaminess reminiscent of the Gulab Jamuns I ate growing up.

A note on milk powder

Classic Gulab Jamun recipes feature grated milk solids (mawa). Having said this, milk powder is a more readily-available substitute. It works beautifully in this recipe. If you’d like to have a go at making a vegan version, you can try swapping this for soy milk powder, for example.

How to serve Eggless Gulab Jamun Cake

Ultimately, you want to serve it with ice cream for a truly royal pudding. You could also enjoy a naked piece with masala chai.

Ingredients you’ll need to make this Gulab Jamun Cake

Here’s a list of ingredients you need to make this recipe. You can find exact measurements in the printable recipe card below.

• Plain flour (all-purpose flour or maida)
• Coarse semolina
• Caster sugar
• Full-fat milk powder (whole milk powder)
• Cornflour (cornstarch)
• Baking powder
• Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
• Fine salt (table salt)
• Full-fat milk (whole milk)
• Lemon juice
• Rosewater
• Almond oil (or any flavourless oil of your choice)
• Saffron strands
• Green cardamom pods
• Water
• Dried petals and/or rosebuds (optional)
• Slivered or chopped pistachios

How to make Gulab Jamun Cake

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Eggless Gulab Jamun Cake

This simple, yet beautiful cake sees the queen of Indian sweets transformed into an easy-to-make dessert. Rose, cardamom and saffron give the syrup-glazed sponge its iconic “gulab jamun” flavour. Serve it with ice cream for a truly royal pudding, or enjoy a piece with masala chai.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Indian

Keyword baking, cake, eggless, gulab jamun

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Equipment

• 18cm Dia. x 8.5cm small ring cake/bundt tin
• Sugar thermometer/candy thermometer

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 250 g plain flour
• 40 g full-fat milk powder
• 50 g coarse semolina
• 20 g cornflour
• 125 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 420 ml whole milk room temperature
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp rosewater (I used Nielsen-Massey)
• 125 ml any flavourless oil of your choice
• 8-10 saffron strands
• 4 cardamom pods seeds removed and crushed

For the syrup:

• 80 g sugar
• 50 ml water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp rosewater
• 8-10 saffron strands
• 2 cardamom pods seeds removed and crushed

To grease the cake tin:

• 1 tsp any flavourless oil of your choice
• 1 tbsp plain flour

To decorate:

• Dried rose petals/rosebuds
• Slivered or chopped pistachios

Instructions

For the sponge:

• Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/320°F. Grease the cake tin with 1 tsp oil and dust with 1 tbsp plain flour. Set aside.
• In a jug, mix together the whole milk and lemon juice. Set aside for 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Whisk in the oil and rosewater.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, milk powder, semolina, cornflour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom and saffron.
• Gradually whisk in the milk mixture and beat briefly until smooth, about a minute. Don't overwork the batter but be sure to get all the lumps out.
• Pour the cake batter into the greased and floured tin. Bang the tin on the work top 3-4 times to remove any unwanted air bubbles.
• Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Do not open the oven door in the first 40 minutes of cooking. This can cause the cake to collapse.
• Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack. It should come away from the tin easily since it was greased and floured. You might need to give it a gentle wiggle. Allow to cool slightly while you prepare the sugar syrup.

For the sugar syrup:

• In a small saucepan, mix together the sugar, water, lemon juice, rosewater, cardamom and saffron. Bring to the boil and simmer until it reaches 104°C (119°F) on a sugar/candy thermometer. It should be ever so slightly sticky. The lemon juice will stop the syrup crystallising.
• Set the warm cake (on the wire rack) over a roasting tray or oven tray to catch the excess syrup as it falls. You may need to set this over a heatproof mat to protect your work surface. Carefully drizzle the syrup over the cake. Repeat, transferring the cake to another roasting tray or oven tray and drizzle over the syrup from the first tin. Keep doing this until all the syrup is used up. I repeated this step 4-5 times.
• Decorate with pistachios. Allow the cake to cool completely at room temperature.
• Optional: Fill the centre of the bundt with dried rose petals and rosebuds for a show-stopping finish. Slice and serve.

Notes

• Leftover cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 48 hours.
• Refrigerating the Gulab Jamun Cake will cause it to harden and dry out.
• Serve the cake as it is, with masala chai or warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• This cake can be baked into cupcakes. It will make around 18 small cupcakes. Bake at 175°C/350°F for 18-20 minutes. The tops will turn slightly golden.
• You can also bake this cake in a 25cm x 4cm (10-inch x 1.5-inch) round cake tin. Bake at 160°C/320°F for 45-50 minutes.

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Finally, if you like this cake, you’ll love these Rum-Soaked Kala Jamun

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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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Trust me, your home will smell like a freaking bakery when you have these turning all fluffy and golden in the oven.

Get fancy and deck them out in all your favourite sprinkles, rock candies, vegan meringue kisses, and gold shimmer as well as freeze-dried fruit powders because why the hell not?!

Ingredients and equipment you need

• Flour
• Baking powder
• Sugar
• Salt
• Vanilla extract
• Almond extract
• Aquafaba (water from a can of unsalted chickpeas or white beans) Plant milk (any – I like to use almond or soy)
• Flavourless oil (any – I like to use sunflower)
• Apple cider vinegar
• Icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
• Water Gel food colours (I use Wilton)
• Decorations of your choice (I used sprinkles, rock candy, vegan meringue kisses in blush pink, gold leaf/gold shimmer and freeze-dried raspberry powder).
• 2x mini doughnut baking tins like this one
• Cooking spray

How to make The Best Baked Vegan Vanilla Doughnuts

Tips for making Baked Vegan Doughnuts

I like to use a piping bag to pipe the batter into the doughnut tin but you can also use a teaspoon or ziplock/sandwich bag. Simply cut a hole in one corner and pipe the batter into the pan. Be careful not to overfill the pan cavities because the holes in the middle will close up. Easy, right?

The Best Baked Vegan Vanilla Doughnuts are perfect for making with little ones. They will love dipping and decorating. Make them for parties or take them along to any get together. In fact, they are super for making with kids!

How to store

These vegan doughnuts are best eaten the same day. However, they can be covered and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can freeze the unglazed doughnuts for up to 3 months. Be sure to seal them well in an airtight container (Tupperware, for example) lined with baking parchment.

Flavour ideas for Vegan Doughnuts

Besides vanilla, there’s a whole other host of flavours you can try. If vanilla isn’t your thing, switch the vanilla extract for any of the following:

• Grated zest of one orange and/or lemon for vegan citrus doughnuts
• 1 teaspoon of mixed spice/chai masala or gingerbread spice for a spiced vegan doughnut
• 1 tbsp peanut butter for vegan peanut butter doughnuts
• Replace 2 tbsp flour with 2 tbsp cocoa powder for vegan chocolate doughnuts
• Replace the plain flour with a good gluten-free flour blend for gluten-free vegan doughnuts
• Add 2 tsp instant espresso powder for delicious vegan coffee doughnuts
• Finally, you could try a combo of these ideas and make vegan chocolate-coffee (mocha) doughnuts, for example.

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The Best Baked Vegan Vanilla Doughnuts

The Best Baked Vegan Vanilla Doughnuts: Soft and delicious baked vegan vanilla doughnuts, dipped in a thick glaze and topped with sprinkles.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword almond, baking, donuts, doughnuts, party food, vanilla, vegan

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 24

Author Sanjana

Equipment

• 2 x 12-hole mini doughnut baking tin
• Whisk

Ingredients

• 250 g plain flour all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend
• 2 tsp baking powder or gluten-free baking powder
• 75 g caster sugar
• 1/8 tsp fine salt
• 160 ml any plant-based milk such as almond or soy milk
• 3 tbsp cold aquafaba whisked lightly until frothy
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract optional – for enhanced flavour
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 50 ml unflavoured oil such as sunflower oil

For the glaze:

• 225 g icing sugar confectioners' sugar
• 4 tbsp water
• Gel food colours of your choice I use Wilton for intense colours
• Decorations of your choice I used sprinkles, rock candies, vegan meringue kisses, gold shimmer and freeze-dried raspberry powder

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180°C fan assisted/350°F. Spray 2 mini doughnut baking tins with cooking oil/baking spray.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
• In a jug, whisk together the frothy aquafaba, milk, vanilla extract, almond extract and apple cider vinegar.
• Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and gently whisk until there are no visible lumps.
• Slowly stir in the oil until completely smooth and incorporated.
• Piper or spoon the batter into the tins, filling each one a little more than three-quarters full. Don't overfill or the middles will close up so you no longer have a ring doughnut.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then tap the doughnuts out onto a baking tray. Allow to cool completely.

For the glaze:

• Mix the icing sugar and water together until smooth. It should be thick but slightly drippy in consistency. Use as is or colour with gel food colours if desired.

To decorate:

• Dip one side or drizzle each doughnut in icing and go wild with your favourite decorations. For a watercolour effect, marble two coloured icings together in a bowl and dip.

Vegan Baked Doughnuts: FAQ

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The post The Best Baked Vegan Vanilla Doughnuts appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

They’re…

• VEGAN
• NO SPECIAL FLOURS
• ZERO COCONUT OIL
• NO FLAXSEEDS, CHIA SEEDS, BANANAS OR APPLESAUCE
• FREE FROM COMMERCIAL EGG REPLACERS

These vegan cookies spread beautifully. This is thanks to @sarah_kieffer and her revolutionary #bangonapan pan-banging technique. Finally, the flavours are on another level of spectacular.

The perfect vegan cookie

Describing the qualities of a perfect cookie is almost as subjective as trying to describe what breed of dog is the cutest, which Avenger is the most badass or what the coolest kind of shark is. Everyone will give you a different answer.

My choices are as follows: Soft cookies with crispy edges, golden retrievers, Thor and hammerhead sharks. My momma didn’t raise no fool.

I’ve been testing this recipe for Vegan Pistachio & Vanilla Salt Cookies for a long time. I’m pleased to say that finally, even without eggs and dairy, they’re perfect. This is because the cookies spread beautifully. I’m overjoyed with how this batch turned out.

Moreover, they’re exactly how I like them — thin and crispy around the edges, with soft middles that’s cookie perfection right there. Each one is studded with dark chocolate chips and pistachio nibs. I made my own vanilla salt by infusing flaky Maldon sea salt with fragrant vanilla beans. This was sprinkled on top of the cookies whilst they were still warm, too. Amazing!

It’s honestly the most gorgeous thing. Not to mention, I now want to sprinkle vanilla salt over EVERYTHING!

Things to remember when make Vegan Pistachio & Vanilla Salt Cookies

Rest the cookie dough

Firstly, the cookie dough needs to rest for 24 hours. I know, it’s a test of willpower but in order for the flavours to develop, and the moisture and fats in the dough to hydrate and solidify correctly, this resting period is crucial. Make sure you start the day before if you want a perfectly-spread vegan chocolate chip cookie.

If you bake this dough straight away you’ll find the flavour is less pronounced and the texture is very soft and doughy. It will not have the crispiness and chewiness of rested dough. If you like your cookies to have a melt-in-the-mouth quality, go ahead a bake them straight away. This logic is not the same for all cookie recipes, however. It very much depends on the ingredients you use and how they are combined.

Fat, fat, fat

For example, a cookie made with coconut oil instead of vegan butter (equally proportional in the recipe) will yield a firmer, crispier cookie that spreads much less, even before resting because the vegan butter contains hydrogenated fat (basically fat + water) which also hydrates the dough and evaporates slowly whereas coconut oil is considered a pure, non-hydrogenated fat. Again, the final result depends on the combination of all the ingredients in a recipe, as each modification will produce different cookies in both taste and texture.

Replacing eggs

I’ve tried what feels like every trick in the book when it comes to replacing eggs in baking recipes (20 years+ experience), from boxed commercial egg replacers, to soy-based alternatives, applesauce, bananas, yoghurts and the oh-so fashionable aquafaba, flaxseed and chia seed “eggs”. I’m not discrediting the merit of any of them. Their effectiveness at replacing the binding and leavening agents of whole eggs is relative to the food you are making. In short, some egg replacers work better than others, depending on the recipe.

First you need to figure out the purpose of the egg in a particular recipe, and then work out what ingredient/s work best to substitute. For example, in my recipe, a combination of aquafaba, baking soda and cornflour do the job required to achieve my idea of the perfect chocolate chip cookie. That is to say that the cookie is golden and crispy around the outside and soft and crinkled in the middle.

A note on vegan chocolate

Hit up your favourite health food shop, well-stocked supermarket or online retailer for vegan chocolate chips. My current favourite is Sainsbury’s free from chocolate chips and Ombar Vegan Milk chocolate. If you can’t find vegan chocolate chips, chop up your favourite vegan chocolate bar for delicious chocolate chunk cookies with puddles of melted chocolate. I use two kinds of chocolate in my cookies for a more rounded flavour.

Pimp your Vegan Pistachio & Vanilla Salt Cookies

• Swap the pistachio nibs for chopped roasted hazelnuts or almonds.
• Use spelt flour for extra nuttiness or for a gluten-free version, use gluten free plain flour for a crispy chocolate chip cookie.
• Vanilla beans are important in the flavouring of this recipe but if you can’t get them, replace the vanilla in the dough with 1 tbsp good vanilla extract and sprinkle with plain sea salt flakes.

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Vegan Pistachio & Vanilla Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

Perfectly soft and crisp vegan cookies studded with chocolate chips, pistachio nibs and flaky vanilla sea salt.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate chip cookies, cookies, vegan

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 18

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

• 320 g plain flour
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 200 g vegan butter
• 80 g soft, light brown sugar
• 80 g caster sugar
• 200 ml aquafaba, reduced down to 30ml cold
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 100 g vegan chocolate chips and/or chopped vegan chocolate chunks
• 80 g pistachio nibs or roughly chopped pistachios

For the vanilla sea salt:

• 25 g flaky sea salt
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

Instructions

• In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and cornflour.
• In a separate bowl, add the vegan butter, sugars and the seeds from the vanilla pod (reserve the pod for the jar of vanilla salt later). Beat until light, pale and fluffy. Slowly beat in the aquafaba until smooth.
• Add half of the flour mixture into the beaten butter mixture and combine. Next, fold in the the rest of the flour mixture until you have a dough. Fold in the chocolate chips and pistachio nibs, reserving some chocolate chips to sprinkle on top halfway through baking.
• Use a medium-sized ice cream scoop or your hands to make the dough balls. Place them on the baking tray in rows leaving a small gap around each one. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 24 hours. You could also place into a lined airtight container and freeze for up to 6 months.
• To make the vanilla salt, gently mix together the sea salt flakes and vanilla bean seeds. Store in an airtight container along with the scraped vanilla pods used for the salt and cookies.
• When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 170˚C/350˚F. Line three large baking trays with baking parchment. If baking from frozen, add an additional 3 minutes on to the cooking time.
• Place the cold cookie dough balls onto the lined trays with enough room in between each for spreading.
• Bake for 5 minutes, remove from the oven and wearing oven gloves, firmly bang each tray on the worktop a few times to flatten the tops and encourage the cookies to spread. Sprinkle with a few flakes of vanilla salt and more chocolate chips if you like. Return the cookies to the oven and bake for a further 8 minutes (11 minutes if cooking from frozen), until lightly golden around the edges.
• Remove the trays from the oven and allow to cool slightly before eating. They’ll firm up as they cool down.

If you like these cookies, you’ll go LOOPY for these Baked Vegan Vanilla Doughnuts. You’re welcome!

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The smell of fresh doughnuts frying is like nothing else. If they bottled it, I’d wear it as perfume, leaving a faint whiff of “funfair” trailing behind me everywhere I’d go. You’d smell me coming a mile away and know I’d been around hours after I’d gone. From a purely practical point of view (and not at all a gluttonous one), this would also make me a very hard person to kidnap. I should probably stop watching so many Netflix true crime shows.

Back to doughnuts.

My vegan doughnut dough has a stretchy-smooth quality, as well as a slight sweetness which I find hopelessly irresistible once fried. Despite being made up of flour, sugar and oil, each pillowy puff is lighter than air. A combination of almond milk, lemon, yeast and baking powder give them an ethereal weightlessness that you only get when you eat them hot, as soon as they’re made. I defy anyone to spot the lack of eggs and dairy in this recipe.

In my book, no variety of cakey baked doughnut comes close to the utterly fuzzy feeling you get from eating a yeasted, fried doughnut. It of course, involves hot oil and for you to set aside a bit of therapeutic baking time but there are moments you can break away to catch up on your favourite TV show, drink wine and/or have a power nap. The results are special and not at all cake like. The dough needs to be left to rise and this is when the magic happens. Keep it in a warm place like an airing cupboard or even in the oven with just the light left on inside.

Swap almond milk for soy milk or oat milk if you want to make a nut-free version of these doughnuts — both work beautifully. Over the years I’ve realised you can add most of the ingredients to the hot milk mixture with little to no compromise on results, which makes the dough-making process much easier. There’s no adding of butter in stages involved either. Reserve the salt and baking powder and add them to the flour mixture. Once the warm-ish milk hits the flour, all of those lovely raising agents join forces to work their magic as the gluten in the flour develops through the kneading process. You can use your hands to knead the dough if you have arms of steel and the stamina to do it for 25 minutes or so. I do not have such superpowers and my stand mixer is my friend.

More ideas: You can switch the cardamom sugar for cinnamon sugar and fill these with your favourite thick vegan custard instead of jam. Or better yet, fill them with both jam and custard. I’ve done this before and I don’t want to say everyone liked me more that week, but they definitely did. Vegan lemon curd is also a noble choice of filling and it works particularly well with cardamom sugar. I have also successfully steeped my warm milk with saffron strands for a saffron flavoured doughnut and it was dreamy, like the best marriage of Indian mithai and a classic funfair doughnut. Be creative and report back with your results. I’d love to hear from you.

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Vegan Raspberry Jam Doughnuts with Cardamom Sugar

Pillowy puffs of vegan doughnut goodness! These sweet treats are filled with sharp raspberry jam and coated with a spectacular cardamom sugar. You won’t be able to stop at just one.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Indian

Keyword cardamom, dessert, doughnuts, jam, vegan

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

• 500 g strong white bread flour plus 20g for rolling out
• 12 g fast-action dried yeast
• 40 g caster sugar
• 100 g vegan margarine
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 250 ml unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 L rapeseed oil for deep frying

For the filling:

• 200 g your favourite shop-bought or homemade raspberry jam I prefer seedless

For the cardamom sugar:

• 150 g caster sugar
• 4 cardamom pods seeds removed and crushed to a powder

Instructions

• Place the flour, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.
• Next, add the milk, butter, sugar and vanilla to a saucepan and heat over a low heat until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool at room temperature to about 38°C/100°F or just warm. Add the lemon juice and yeast and stir. Set aside for ten minutes.
• Add the milk mixture to the stand mixer and switch it on to slow. Once the mixture has come together, knead on medium-high speed for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on your mixer to ensure it doesn’t overheat or climb its way across the worktop (I speak from experience here). Once the dough is soft and smooth, the dough is ready to proof.
• Remove the dough from the bowl and grease the sides of the bowl with a tablespoon of oil. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with a clean, damp tea towel. Allow to rest in a warm place for 60 minutes, until it has doubled in size.
• Knock the risen dough back to remove large air bubbles but do not knead it again. Dust your work surface with flour and roll the dough out until it’s about 2cm in thickness. Use a round cookie cutter to stamp out circles of dough and arrange on a tray lined with parchment paper. Leave some space between them, as you don’t want them to stick together while they prove again.
• Cover loosely with cling film and leave in a warm place for for 30 minutes.
• To make the cardamom sugar, mix together the sugar and ground cardamom in a bowl.
• Fill a heavy-based saucepan halfway with oil. Heat the oil to 175°C/350°F.
• When the oil is heated, carefully slide the doughnuts from the tray using a floured spatula. Taking care not to deflate them, put them into the oil. Do 2-3 per batch, depending on the size of your pan. Don’t overcrowd the pan. I did 2 at a time.
• Fry for 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. They will puff up and float to the top of the oil, so you will need to gently move them around the pan to ensure they colour evenly.
• Remove the doughnuts from the fryer and place them on kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
• Place the jam in a bowl and microwave on high power for 20 seconds. Stir well to loosen slightly.
• Fit a piping bag with a medium, round tip. Using a straw, make a small hole in the side of each doughnut, about halfway until it reaches the centre. Fill the doughnut with the warm raspberry jam through this hole, about two teaspoons of jam per piece. Repeat for the remaining doughnuts.
• Gently roll the doughnuts in the cardamom sugar until evenly coated. Serve warm.

Notes

Store the doughnuts covered and at room temperature. Best consumed within 24 hours. Will they all be eaten before then? Definitely.

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A new dessert I made this year was this coconut, lime and cardamom cheesecake with exotic flavours galore. It’s a bit of a play on the traditional Diwali favourite, Coconut Barfi or Kopra Pak. Coconut is one of my favourite flavours in a dessert and there’s nothing quite like freshly-grated coconut in cakes, cookies and cheesecakes. I’ve used it as a topping and in the biscuit base for a double coconut hit.

This is an eggless baked cheesecake and the filling is made with a combination of ricotta, cream cheese and lime. It’s gloriously decadent with a hint of sharpness to cut through the richness of the coconutty cream. The edges of the cheesecake caramelise beautifully and the centre rises and falls just a little for a melt-in-the-mouth dessert that’s best served cold.

Start making this cheesecake at least a day ahead to give it time to cool and set properly. You can make it up to three days in advance and keep refrigerated (the base may lose some crunch though) or make and freeze in an airtight container for up to three months.

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Double Coconut, Lime & Cardamom Cheesecake

This is an eggless baked cheesecake and the filling is made with a combination of ricotta, cream cheese and lime. It’s gloriously decadent with a hint of sharpness to cut through the richness of the coconutty cream. The edges of the cheesecake caramelise beautifully and the centre rises and falls just a little for a melt-in-the-mouth dessert.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword baking, cardamom, cheesecake, coconut, eggless, lime

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Chilling time 1 day day

Total Time 1 day day 2 hours hours

Servings 16

Ingredients

For the base:

• 200 g coconut biscuits I use NICE biscuits
• 60 g sweetened desiccated coconut
• 85 g unsalted butter

For the filling:

• 500 g full-fat cream cheese
• 500 g ricotta
• 300 g caster sugar
• 80 ml lime juice
• 300 ml double cream
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 green cardamom pods seeds removed and crushed
• 150 g fresh coconut to decorate

Instructions

• Combine the crushed biscuits, toasted coconut and melted butter and firmly pat it into the bottom of a 24cm springform tin. Make sure it’s even and tightly compacted. Cover and refrigerate.
• For the filling: in a large bowl, beat together all of the ingredients until it becomes thick like softly-whipped cream. Don’t overmix.
• Spoon the mixture on top of the chilled biscuit base. Smooth the top down.
• Place this in a preheated oven at 160 degrees Celsius for 90 minutes, until golden. Don’t open the oven door at any point during cooking. It will drop the oven temperature and the cause the cheesecake to sink or crack. Once the cooking time is up, switch the oven off and leave the oven door closed until it is cold. The cheesecake will still be very wobbly at this stage. Just leave it in the oven.
• Once the cheesecake has cooled down completely (8+ hours), top with the fresh coconut and cover with cling film. Next, cover and refrigerate the whole cheesecake for 8-10 hours before cutting and serving.

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What’s in this Indian-Inspired Rocky Road?

Truffle-like chocolate studded with pistachios, almonds, dried mango, crystallised ginger, Turkish delight, mini marshmallows and spiced shortbread biscuits. Dried rose petals top the Rocky Road off beautifully.

Last-minute Mithai

I’ve been known to leave things to the last minute at Diwali time when it’s customary to gift Indian sweets (“mithai”) to your nearest and dearest.

This recipe is a quick and easy raid-the-cupboard workaround that hits the spot when Pendas, Jalebis, Gulab Jamuns and Burfis are all too time consuming to make.

It’s also great for people who aren’t too keen on Indian sweets.

I’ve added all the things I love to this (namely pistachios, Nankhatai from the wonderful Chins’ Kitchen and Turkish delight) but you can swap any of these for what you like best.

Ways to Customise your Indian-Inspired Rocky Road

Other delicious mix-ins would be candied pineapple, coconut cookies and chopped dates. If you’re after a more authentic Indian sweet taste, add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom or cinnamon. This is your sweet treat to customise.

How to add jellies and marshmallows to Rocky Road

Freeze the Turkish delight pieces and mini marshmallows for about 2 hours before you start making these. This will help them keep their shape so you’ll get beautiful pink and white- studded pieces when you cut the Rocky Road.

Box it up for gifting

This Indian-inspired Rocky Road looks stunning when boxed up for gifting and even make a great after-dinner treat when you feel like dessert but are short of time.

How to store this Indian-Inspired Rocky Road at home

Store them in an airtight container in the fridge and they’ll keep well for up to 10 days, although I doubt they’ll last that long.

Follow me on Instagram for more Indian recipes!

After receiving a tonne of requests for Indian sweets through my latest Instagram Q&A session, I have a handful of Indian-style sweet recipes lined up, all in time for Diwali. I hold these Q&As regularly so make sure you’re following my Instagram Stories to tell me what you’d like to see next.

Indian-Inspired Rocky Road recipe

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Indian-Inspired Rocky Road

Truffle-like chocolate studded with pistachios, almonds, dried mango, crystallised ginger, Turkish delight, mini marshmallows and spiced shortbread biscuits. Dried rose petals top the Rocky Road off beautifully.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Indian

Keyword chocolate, marshmallows, rocky road

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Chilling time 8 hours hours

Total Time 8 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 24

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

• 300 g milk chocolate
• 300 g dark chocolate
• 140 g unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• 100 g Turkish delight cubed
• 100 g Nankhatai broken
• 40 g toasted pistachios plus more for sprinkling on top
• 20 g toasted flaked almonds
• 20 g dried mango cut into 2cm pieces
• 20 g crystallised ginger cut into 2cm pieces
• 60 g gelatine-free mini marshmallows
• 2 tsp dried rose petals
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

• In a freezer-safe container, freeze the Turkish delight pieces and mini marshmallows. This will help them keep their shape for pretty slices.
• Place the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water. Give it a gentle stir every 5 minutes until melted and well combined. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
• Add the crushed Nankhatai, Turkish delight, nuts, dried mango, crystallised ginger and mini marshmallows. Combine to coat.
• Spread the mixture into a 9” x 6” brownie tin lined with greaseproof paper. Flatten the top and scatter with extra pistachios and dried rose petals.
• Cover and allow to set in the fridge for 6-8 hours.
• Slice however you like and serve with masala coffee.

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If you like this, you’ll love my recipe for

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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

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