Birthdays are wonderful and they are especially for someone who LOVES to bake! Bakers invent holidays just for the opportunity to whip up some delicious treat! Growing up I was given the nickname “Martha Stewart” because I was the chick who showed up for every holiday with the corresponding cookie/treat. Gingerbread for Christmas, heart-shaped shortbread with pink and red frosting at for Valentines Day, Shamrock cookies and green frosting for St. Patty’s, Easter treats, May Day cookies, July 4th something-or-rather, Halloween trick or treat bags… Thanksgiving…Birthday’s Cupcakes…Picnic Pies and never white frosting after Labor Day!
Well, that was “back in the day” (am I even old enough to say that!?) before food allergies became so prevalent. Now, a baker must be VERY aware of those that might not be able to join in the sugary delicious consumption of a well-baked treat. Well, those bakers that want friends do!
It was a co-workers birthday a few weeks back and I immediately went into “Martha Mode”… “IF cupcakes just happened to show up on your desk what flavor would they be?” I inquired. “Not made by me” was the response…every bakers dream or dread! That is either the field of dreams to explore or a stress sentence of deciding what kind of baked good says what about you. Quickly I got over my female phobias (it’s true… women DO think of things like this!) and decided that I’d just make cupcakes that I’d be happy to take home if no one ate them.
Being mindful of both a gluten AND a dairy intolerance I quickly realized that I didn’t have a go-to cupcake recipe to suffice. So I did what any good, sound, logical baking blogger did and headed to Google! This recipe is from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and they were a HIT!!!! Not just… hey this doesn’t taste like a rotten breaded sardine but actually got compliments of “These are AMAZING!” Even the birthday boy was skeptical when I told him they were gluten-free (omitted the dairy free part…have to ease them into the idea you know) said they were, and I do directly quote, “DELICIOUS! I was worried when you said gluten-free but those are REALLY GOOOOOOOD!
I LIVE BY Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour for my gluten-free recipes so with that, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the ultimate go-to birthday baked good! It’s chewy and moist with the correct density and texture of a “real” cupcake while incorporating various intolerance’s. It’s pretty much amazing! I also love the other book from these authors and have it on the cookbook shelf, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.
Culinate, who also posted this recipe suggested Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting or Not-Too-Sweet Blueberry Mousse for a topping but since I was short on time I just picked up a ready-made can from the grocery store and let people frost themselves. Okay…short on time AND lazy.
Golden Vanilla Cupcakes
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
1 c. Soy Milk
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 c. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour
2 tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c. canola oil
3/4 c. sugar
2 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Whisk the soy milk and vinegar in a measuring cup and set aside for a 4-5 minutes to get good and curdled.
- Beat together the soy milk mixture, oil, sugar, vanilla, and vanilla in a large bowl.
- Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix until no large lumps remain.
- Fill cupcake liners two-thirds of the way and bake for 20 to 22 minutes.
- Transfer to a cooling rack, and let cool completely before frosting.
Thank you for your recipe!! First time making a vanilla cupcake without a weird after taste! My son is gluten/dairy/egg/peanut/coconut free amongst others and I’ve been trying to find a good vanilla cupcake recipe to use. This will be my go to base recipe now!! Thanks again!
SO incredibly thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe!! It truly makes my entire WEEK that you enjoyed the recipe and that your son enjoyed them! Post a picture if you have one of the cupcakes- did you frost and decorate them?
Out of curiosity, how did you find my page/recipe? I’m so happy you did!
I will see what pictures were taken today and show. I had several people compliment too, including non- gluten people!! I even made a variation and subbed applemixedberry applesauce instead of oil. They were good too! I found your blog through google search. It was one of the first links too.
this recipe looks delish! i have two questions: is the vanilla measured in tea or tablespoons? also, does this recipe make 12 or 24 cupcakes?
SO glad you found the recipe Holly!! We LOVED it! The Vanilla is measured in teaspoons and this recipe yields 12 cupcakes- thanks for that catch! I’ve updated the recipe!
Make sure to post on how you like them when you make the recipe!!
would this work with almond milk?
I believe it would, since the “milk” is just to add liquid to the recipe so I see no reason why almond milk would be anything but delicious in this recipe!! Please post how it turns out when you make them!! Happy Baking and THANK YOU for reading!!!
My son has a dairy allergy so we only use almond milk. Works fine!
Thanks for the update!! Glad to hear that your son can still enjoy cupcakes!! Thanks SO much for reading!!!
Many of my coworkers are vegan, some gluten free, and others just starting to live a healthier life style. So I have been hunting around for a really good vanilla cupcake recipe that’s vegan and gluten free, for a coworkers birthday coming up. I wanted to make sure it’s delicious & safe for everyone to eat. And WOW this recipe was pretty great! I just tried it & can’t wait to share it with everyone at work! Thanks so much for sharing! I’m glad I stumbled upon your site 🙂
Jessica- SO glad you found the recipe as well!! I made these for a co-workers birthday as well and they were a hit! Even the gluten eaters liked ’em!! Post a picture of the cupcakes if you can and I’ll celebrate with you!! -Kate
Hello,
I am excited to make this.
I am a vegan having a birthday party and my best friend is gluten intolerant. I am looking for a good birthday cake. Have you tried this as a full size cake?
Hello!! I have not tried a full layer cake style for this recipe but cupcake and sheet cake recipes are typically the same recipe but just have different baking durations. I can tell you that this recipe tastes AMAZING and it’s my go-to for ANY vegan/gluten-free parties!
I would suggest baking at the same temperature but try doing it for 30 minutes and check it every 5 minutes after that until it’s golden brown and you can insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean.
Please do leave a comment on how it turns out! I wish I was there to bake it for you! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!
I’ve been searching all over the internet for a delicious gluten-free vanilla cupcake recipe and this recipe beats them all! Nice one! I used a gluten-free self-raising flour found in my local supermarket and it worked great. (Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour is not really sold where I’m from). The final product was not gritty, dry, or crumbly like some GF recipes; it was wonderfully moist and fluffy!
I was recently diagnosed with multiple food sensitivities. I attempted to make this recipe with rice milk instead of the soymilk, after I saw comments that almond milk worked fine (allergies to almonds, can’t do dairy, and sensitive to soy & coconut)! So, not sure about the curdling of the almond milk, but the rice milk did not curdle at all. So, I was forced to add more of the Bob’s flour mix. I also used applesauce instead of oil as another reviewer stated this worked well. The end result was edible/decent….kind of on the dense/firm side. I wouldn’t not make them again but would rather figure out how to make them turn out better if I were to make them again. Any milk alternative suggestions would help. Food allergies are SO frustrating!!
You poor thing! I’m so excited to alter this recipe in a way that allows you to enjoy it! My first suggestion, before getting in the kitchen and baking, is that if your recipe is too dense you need to add more liquid based ingredients. Maybe we could bake the recipe again and try upping the the apple sauce, the “milk” that is used, try infusing whatever milk we use with fresh vanilla to increase the flavor.
There are loads of alternative milks these days too! Without doing a recon trip to Whole Foods, I remember that there is quinoa milk, oat milk, sunflower milk and cashew milk available. What are your allergies and let’s go from there! We WILL find you a updated recipe that works!!! OX
Is there no xanthan gum in this recipe?
Hi Lauren! Nope! I don’t cook with xanthan gum.
Yesterday was my boss’ birthday and I offered to make her a birthday cake!
She has many intolerances gluten, dairy and soy being some which made it a huge struggle to find a recipe that wouldn’t make her sick!
I find a recipe of another website and the cake came out gluggy and moist I had to throw it away, under a lot of pressure I found this recipe and made it into a cake instead of the cupcakes!
I made two cakes and sandwhiched them together with chocolate buttercream and decorated the cake with lollies that she could eat, it looked amazing I would love to show you a photo!
Not being able to taste the cake until cutting it at her birthday dinner I was so nervous because majority of the guests were also vegan, but it turned out amazing and everyone was licking their plates!
So thank you so much for this recipe, it was a big hit!!
Jamie, thank you So much for sharing your experience with this recipe!! It made my whole day and I’m beyond thrilled that everyone enjoyed it. You made my entire day, than you so much! xo