These Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes with buttercream frosting are made with store cupboard ingredients and are light, fluffy & super tasty! Dairy and gluten free options available too.
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I wish I could take credit for this recipe, however this all falls to my wonderful Mother in Law.
She is a fabulous baker and when my daughter was diagnosed with an egg allergy she set to work to create a cake recipe without eggs.
After lots of trial and error and countless testing over the years, she perfected the recipe and these eggless vanilla cupcakes were born.
Moist, fluffy sponge is topped with sweet, buttery vanilla buttercream
Made with simple ingredients, but with no compromise on taste, they are perfect for birthday parties or an at home treat.
With dairy free and gluten free options (see further down the post) these eggless cupcakes are suitable for a range of dietary requirements. These cupcakes are also nut and soy free! ( If using cows milk)
If this has made you get your “bake on” why not try my Vegan Oreo Brownies or Gluten & Dairy Free Banana Bread.
Jump to:
- 🥘 Ingredients Needed
- 🥛 To Make This Recipe Dairy Free
- 🍞 To Make This Recipe Gluten Free
- ✏️ How to Make Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes
- 💡 Tips & Tricks
- ⚡ Make this recipe into an eggless Victoria sponge cake!
- 🔪 Equipment Used
- 🥡 How To Store
- 💬 Recipe FAQs
- Check Out My Other Bakes, Cakes & Desserts..
- Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes
🥘 Ingredients Needed
These cupcakes only need 9 ingredients (for the actual cakes) and they can be easily adapted depending on which allergens you need to avoid. See below for options.
For the cakes:
- Flour - Plain flour can be used as long as you add the baking powder but due to there being no egg in the recipe, I find self raising flour gives the cakes a better rise.
- Baking Powder - Used to help give the cakes their rise.
- Bicarbonate of Soda - Is used as a leaving agent. This reacts with the vinegar to help form bubbles and is used instead of the egg.
- Vanilla Extract - Always try and use extract and not essence.
- Caster Sugar - White caster sugar is best, I wouldn’t recommend using brown sugar.
- White Wine Vinegar or Cider Vinegar - Mixed with the bicarbonate of soda this replaces the eggs function in the cake.
- Milk - Whole milk will make the creamiest batter.
- Vegetable or Sunflower Oil - Or any other neutral tasting oil.
- Salt- This enhances the flavour of all the other ingredients.
For the buttercream frosting:
- Icing Sugar
- Butter
- Vanilla Extract
🥛 To Make This Recipe Dairy Free
Replace the milk in the cake batter for a dairy free milk. I would recommend either a soy or oat milk as these are both quite neutral tasting. Replace the butter in the buttercream frosting with a dairy free spread. I like Flora Plant Butter.
🍞 To Make This Recipe Gluten Free
- Swap the flour for a gluten free self raising flour blend like my trusted Doves Farm Freee Self Raising Flour. I wouldn’t recommend using a single flour blend like almond flour.
Scroll to the recipe card at the end of the post for quantities.
✋ Be sure to double check all packaging for allergens. ✋
✏️ How to Make Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes
First of all, you will need to sift all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Then, mix all the wet ingredients together in a different bowl.
Make a well with a silicone spatula in the centre of the bowl that contains the dry ingredients.
Slowly pour the wet ingredient mixture into the well in the middle, folding the mixture in with a spatula as you go until combined. Do not over mix the batter as this releases the gluten which stops the cakes being light and fluffy.
Once mixed, spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, being careful not to over fill them.
For a general rule, fill each case about half way up.
Bake in a hot oven for approx 15-20 mins, checking after 15 minutes to see if they are cooked.
Once the cakes are ready, leave to cool on the baking tray on the kitchen side for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
To make the buttercream icing, beat the butter with a silicone spatula until it’s smooth. Then add in the icing sugar. I add this gradually otherwise it ends up all over the kitchen!! Keep mixing until the butter and icing sugar are combined.
Finally, pop in the vanilla extract and food colouring (if you are using) give it one final stir & spoon the mixture into a piping bag, then pipe which ever pattern takes your fancy onto your cupcakes!
💡 Tips & Tricks
- Make sure the cakes are placed into a pre-heated hot oven. This makes sure they will cook correctly & evenly. Every oven is different and you may need to keep checking the cakes through the oven door to see how they are looking.
- Don’t skip the sifting step! The flour needs to be sifted to break up any lumps there may be in the flour.
- Pop a metal skewer through the middle of a cupcake to see if it is cooked. If it comes out clear and there is no mixture stuck to it they are done!
- Allow the cakes to cool fully before piping on the frosting, otherwise the frosting will melt.
⚡ Make this recipe into an eggless Victoria sponge cake!
Just pour the cake batter into two 8” cake tins and bake for 22-25 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 170˚ Fan / 190˚ C / 375˚F. Check the middle of the cake with a metal skewer after 22 minutes. If it comes out clean the cake is cooked.
Turn the cakes onto a cooling rack, then once the cakes are cool, spread some jam over the flat side of the two cakes, followed by half of the butter cream. Sandwich the two cakes together. Either dust the top of the cake with icing sugar or top with more frosting.
🔪 Equipment Used
A sieve is a kitchen staple.
Silicone spatulas are a must have in the kitchen and can be used for a variety of things.
Since originally creating this post back in 2020, I now use these brilliant silicone muffin trays, they are fab! They hold the cupcakes in their cases really well.
I love these Rainbow Cupcake cases, they are so pretty!
I use this piping bag from Amazon which is really reasonable and works really well.
Leaving your cakes to cool on a cooling rack will help them cool quicker and prevent that soggy bottom!
🥡 How To Store
These eggless vanilla cupcakes can be stored frosted in an airtight container for up to 2 days. If the weather is really hot, you may want to store them in the fridge to stop them melting, however this will dry them up more quickly so is not ideal.
To be fair, they will probably all be gone by then anyway!
You can freeze the cupcakes (unfrosted) for up to a month. Wrap the cakes in clingfilm or place in a freezer safe container. To defrost, remove from freezer and allow to defrost at room temperature and then pipe on your frosting.
💬 Recipe FAQs
I would only recommend baking the cupcakes 2 days in advance and then preferably frosting them on the day you wish to eat them. If you want to make them ahead of time any longer than 2 days, I would recommend freezing them unfrosted and then frosting them once they have fully defrosted.
In short, yes! The fridge sucks all the moisture out of the cakes and will cause them to dry out really quickly. Buttercream frosted cupcakes will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for a couple of days. If the weather is hot you can place them in the fridge, but be sure to let the cake return to room temperature before eating.
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Check Out My Other Bakes, Cakes & Desserts..
Dairy Free Cranberry & Coconut Flapjacks
Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes
Equipment
- Cooling Rack optional
- Silicone muffin tray optional
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 225 grams Self Raising Flour For gluten free use a gluten free flour.
- ¾ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 195 grams Caster Sugar
- 1 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar or Cider Vinegar
- 250 ml Milk For dairy free used a plant based milk
- 85 ml Vegetable or Sunflower Oil
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Buttercream Icing
- 500 grams Icing Sugar
- 250 grams Butter for dairy free use a dairy free spread.
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
For The Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 180˚ Fan / 200˚C / gas mark 4
- Sieve all the dry ingredients together into a bowl.
- Mix all wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Create a well in the dry ingredients bowl.
- Slowly pour in wet ingredients and fold in with a spatula. Don't over mix.
- Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases. Fill to around half full
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, checking after 15 minutes. Poke a skewer into one of the cakes, if it comes out clear they are ready.
- Leave to cool on a baking rack.
For the Buttercream Icing
- Beat the butter in a bowl until soft.
- Slowly add the icing sugar and mix until fully combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix again.
Decorating
- Once the cupcakes are completely cool, fill your piping bag with the buttercream icing and pipe swirls on top of the cupcakes.
Notes
- Make sure the cakes are placed into a pre-heated hot oven. This makes sure they will cook correctly & evenly. Every oven is different and you may need to keep checking the cakes through the oven door to see how they are looking.
- Don’t skip the sifting step! The flour needs to be sifted to break up any lumps there may be in the flour.
- Pop a metal skewer through the middle of a cupcake to see if it is cooked. If it comes out clear and there is no mixture stuck to it they are done!
- Allow the cakes to cool fully before piping on the frosting, otherwise the frosting will melt.
- Replace the milk in the cake batter for a dairy free milk. I would recommend either a soy or oat milk as these are both quite neutral tasting. Replace the butter in the buttercream frosting with a dairy free spread. I like Flora Plant Buttery.
Let me know what you think of this recipe!