Vegan Vanilla Coffee Cupcakes Recipe

I made us the ultimate vegan cupcakes: fluffy vanilla coffee cupcakes piped high with a caffeinated buttercream coffee frosting and dark chocolate shavings. The center holds an espresso filling surprise that is literally worth all the buzz!

Coffee Cupcakes

If you fancy fluffy vanilla cupcakes and are a true coffee lover then these vegan cupcakes will become your most favorite treat. I don’t often bake but when I do it must be easy to make and most importantly worth every single calorie! This recipe ticks all the boxes!

About the Batter

The sponge is made with an olive oil based batter that yields a light and fluffy cake, the perfect vehicle for the divine coffee frosting. Do your best and use a folding technique to combine the wet and dry ingredients together and avoid over-mixing which would yield a denser cake.

Use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter between 12 paper liners set inside a cupcake pan and only fill 3/4 of the way. Alternatively you can use dessert baking cups, the 5 oz ones will yield 9 cupcakes and the smaller ones will yield 12. If you make larger ones you’ll have frosting leftover to eat with a spoon 😉

Espresso Filling

Before you even get to frosting there’s a little espresso soak in the middle of each cupcake. It’s like having a shot of espresso with your dessert. This is a very caffeinated treat so it must be enjoyed for breakfast or as an after lunch pick me upper like you would a Tiramisu. For less buzz you can always opt for a decaf version of both the filling and frosting.

Coffee Frosting Notes

• The Butter – use a good cultured vegan butter if available and make sure to bring it to room temperature before whipping it. You want a soft texture to start with.
• Powdered Sugar – sift it to prevent any lumps and achieve the silkiest result. If your frosting seems too loose add a little more powdered sugar in spoonful increments until desired textured is achieved. To loosen it up add about a tablespoon of plant milk and whip the frosting until incorporated.
• Vanilla Extract – just a touch here is enough as a supportive flavor profile to the coffee.
• Espresso – The wow factor, this is what these cupcakes are all about. Start with instant coffee / espresso powder dissolved in hot water and allow the mixture to cool before beating it with the butter for an exquisite result.

Garnish + Storage

• Garnish -I have a thing for making chocolate curls lately. I loved them so much on the vegan chocolate cake from last week that I just had to use them here too. You can do with just a dusting of fine espresso powder, store bought chocolate sprinkles or go sinfully wild with a drizzle of tahini caramel like I did with our caramel apple cheesecake.
• On Storage – Store your frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. If indoor temperature is on the cooler side you could even store them on the kitchen counter for a couple of days. I’ve even had success freezing them as well with a little compromise of the fluffy factor upon thawing. Simply bring to room temperature for an hour or so and enjoy a really great treat that was just waiting to be enjoyed!

Vegan Desserts

• Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Bread
• Date Nut Bread
• Black Bean Brownies
• Fudgy Vegan Brownies
• Vegan Lemon Loaf
• Best Chocolate Sweet Potato Bread
• Vegan Ricotta Apple Pie
• Nutty Cookies
• Best Vegan Christmas Cookies.

how to make vegan coffee cupcakes with buttercream coffee frosting

4.50 from 2 votes

Vegan Vanilla Coffee Cupcakes

Vegan fluffy vanilla coffee cupcakes piped high with a caffeinated buttercream coffee frosting and chocolate shavings. The center holds an espresso filling surprise that is literally worth all the buzz!

Print Recipe

Prep Time:25 minutes mins

Cook Time:16 minutes mins

Total Time:41 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup cashew milk (or plain almond or soy milk)
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract (or the seeds from 1 vanilla bean if available for special occasions)
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Coffee Frosting

• 1 cup cultured vegan butter - salted (or your favorite vegan buttery spread)
• 3.25 cups powdered sugar (sifted) + more if needed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp espresso powder/ instant coffee + 2 Tbsp hot water (combine until espresso is fully dissolved and let cool)

Espresso Filling

• 1 Tbsp espresso powder/ instant coffee + 1 Tbsp hot water combined until dissolved (this can be doubled as desired for an extra strong caffeine boost)
• 1 small dark chocolate bar to to make chocolate shavings/ curls for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350”F.
• In a cup mix together the milk and apple cider vinegar. Add vanilla and olive oil and combine.
  3/4 cup cashew milk, 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp vanilla extract, 1/2 cup olive oil
• In a medium mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar, salt, soda and powder.
  1.5 cups all purpose flour, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp fine salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Pour the wet mixture over the dry and using a flat spatula fold the two together until fully combined but try not to over-mix.
• Line a muffin tin with cupcake liner or if using baking cups place them on a heavy baking sheet and fill them up 3/4 of the way full. (use an ice-cream scoop for easy transfer). Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or almost clean with just a couple of crumbs hanging onto it. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow them to cool off completely before frosting.

Espresso Filling

• In a small cup combine together the hot water and instant espresso until fully dissolved.
  1 Tbsp espresso powder/ instant coffee + 1 Tbsp hot water combined until dissolved
• Use a measuring teaspoon and scoop out a bit from the center of each cupcake. Then drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon of the concentrated coffee filling in the center.

Make the Frosting

• In a medium mixing bowl using a hand held mixer beat together the butter and powdered sugar, vanilla and cooled espresso mix until thick and fluffy. Sprinkle in more powdered sugar as needed until desired thickness is achieved.
  1 cup cultured vegan butter - salted, 3.25 cups powdered sugar (sifted), 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 Tbsp espresso powder/ instant coffee + 2 Tbsp hot water
• Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and decorate your cupcakes. For easier piping you can refrigerate the frosting for a few minutes to firm up a bit.
• Garnish with chocolate shavings/ curls and maybe a dusting of espresso powder.
  1 small dark chocolate bar to to make chocolate shavings/ curls for garnish

Storage

• Store your cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Video

Notes

• Makes 9 to 12 Cupcakes - (12 if you bake in a regular lined cupcake tin or 9 x 5 oz paper baking cups).

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 2g | Sodium: 241mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 42g | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: coffee cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, vegan cupcakes

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Calories: 407kcal

Author: Florentina