Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with a Vegan Vanilla "Buttercream" Frosting

After recreating our wedding cake at home, we blissfully decided to make it a tradition each year to make the cake for our anniversary celebration.

Maybe it is just my opinion, but making a cake is a lot of work, and a lot to eat if you are just two people. Granted, I could just make a smaller cake...or I could just make cupcakes!

I ran with the idea of the cupcakes to celebrate our third wedding anniversary. The bonus is we froze the leftover cupcakes we didn't eat and now we have a quick grab-and-go treat when we are feeling in the mood for something a little sweet.

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with a Vegan Vanilla "Buttercream" Frosting

Corn & Coconut-Free Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Cupcake:

• 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour

• 1 ¼ cup oat flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar

• ½ cup cocoa powder (only use if you are planning to make the cupcakes chocolate)

• ½ cup palm shortening (or dairy-free butter)

• 1 cup sugar: date, maple, or cane

• 2 eggs, or an egg replacement

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• ½ cup dairy-free milk of choice

• 1 tablespoon oil (we use olive or sunflower oil)

• ½ cup of Enjoy Life Mini Chip chocolate chips

For the Frosting:

• 2 cups palm shortening

• 5 cups corn-free powdered sugar

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• ½ cup of aquafaba, room temperature

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Directions

For the Cupcake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 12-cupcake pan with cupcake papers and set aside.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the two flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar with a whisk. Set aside. (If you are planning to make chocolate cupcakes along with the chocolate chips, you will add in the cocoa powder during this stage as well.)

3. In a large mixing bowl or using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, blend the palm shortening until smooth and creamy. Then add in the sugar and beat for about 1 to 2 minutes to whip it. This will add air to the mixture.

4. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating in between each egg. Once the eggs are incorporated, add in the vanilla, then mix just until combined.

5. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until combined. At this point, the batter is going to be very thick. Add the second half of the flour, the milk, and the oil and mix until everything is starting to loosen up, but don't over-mix it as the batter does need to remain somewhat thick.

6. Fold in the chocolate chips until they are divided throughout the entire batter. You can add more chocolate chips if you prefer.

7. Divide the batter among the 12 liners in your prepared pan, filling each cup 3/4 of the way.

8. Bake for 22 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test (insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean). Remove from the oven and allow cooling for a few minutes. Then transfer the cupcakes to a wire cooling rack. Let the cupcakes cool fully before decorating!

For the Frosting:

1. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream your shortening, the same as you did with the cupcakes, on low speed until smooth and creamy.

2. Add one cup of powdered sugar at a time, mixing on a low speed until completely incorporated. I advise using a mixer bowl cover or tea towel to cover the top of the bowl while mixing the powdered sugar, as it will create a cloud of sugar dust.

3. Add in your vanilla and aquafaba. Mix on medium-high for about five to ten minutes, or until your preferred level of fluffiness has been achieved. Keep in mind that the fluffier it gets, the less weight the buttercream will be able to hold.

4. When you reach your level of fluffiness, switch to a low speed and mix for about a minute or two to get rid of any bubbles that form.

For the assembling:

1. Add the frosting to a piping bag or decorating tool and pipe it onto cupcakes. For a video tutorial, watch here!

2. Top with your chosen decorations: sprinkles, Unreal Chocolate Gems, etc.