GLUTEN-FREE VEGAN LEMON BLUEBERRY CUPCAKES

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The cake batter for these cupcakes is made using my go-to sponge cake recipe: it requires just a handful of simple ingredients, one bowl, and is easily customisable. You can use any type of oil, any type of liquid sweetener, and any type of plant-based milk. It’s honestly undetectably vegan and gluten-free, and is refined sugar free and relatively healthy too.

The batter is enhanced by zippy lemon juice and zest, as well as a generous amount of blueberries. The recipe calls for fresh blueberries, but frozen blueberries work well too.

For the frosting, you can use a cashew-based buttercream, but my favourite choice for these cupcakes is a vegan “cream cheese” frosting.

My fool-proof vegan cream cheese frosting is made using coconut whipped cream, tart and tangy lemon juice and maple syrup for sweetness.

This frosting recipe yields a medium-sized amount of frosting per cupcake. However, if you do want to apply a more generous amount of frosting (like in my photos), I’d recommend doubling the amount of frosting that I’ve listed in the recipe.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:
60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
200 ml (4/5 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds* (almond meal)
150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
2 heaped teaspoons baking power (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
100 g (1 cup) fresh blueberries
For the frosting**:
400 g (14oz) tin of full-fat coconut milk***
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
To decorate (optional):
Lemon wedges
Fresh blueberries