Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes

Not sure if it’s because Valentine’s Day is around the corner, but this site has been getting lots of hits for vegan red velvet cupcakes this past week. There’s a recipe for red velvet cupcakes, and the word vegan floats around this blog a bit, but there is no recipe for vegan red velvet cupcakes here at the M&C…until now!

I love vegans. I love red velvet cake. I love cupcakes.And I just hate to see people land on this site, and not find what they’re searching for. I guess that means I love you!

I compared the red velvet cake recipe in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World to my Aunt’s recipe for red velvet cake, and the two are virtually identical.In the vegan version, vegetable oil replaces the shortening and eggs, and soy milk replaces the buttermilk. For the cream cheese frosting, margarine replaces the butter, and vegan cream cheese replaces regular cream cheese.Simple!

The resulting vegan cupcakes are super moist – almost a little too moist – due to the vegetable oil, and the frosting is just as good as non-vegan cream cheese frosting. I do prefer the lacto-ovo red velvet cupcakes to the vegan cupcakes, because I think the vegetable oil in the vegan cupcakes changes the original texture of the cake, but that’s not to say I didn’t scarf three of the vegan red velvet cupcakes the second they were frosted!

Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes
Adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and my Aunt
Makes about 22 cupcakes

Update: Because some commenters are concerned about the vegan-ness of red dye, let me clarify: some, but not all red food coloring is made from insects. Cochineal/Carmine is made from beetles (sometimes labeled E120). Red #40 is derived from coal. If you’re concerned about ingredients in red dye being vegan or not, just read the label.

Cake
2 cups soy milk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 ounces red food coloring
4 teaspoons vanilla extract

• Add vinegar to soy milk, and set aside to curdle.
• Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
• Add vegetable oil, food coloring, and vanilla extract to the curdled soy milk, and mix.
• Pour liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix.
• Fill cupcake liners ¾ full.
• Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 20 minutes or until done.

Frosting
½ cup margarine, room temperature
½ cup Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners sugar

• Cream margarine, cream cheese, and vanilla extract.
• Slowly mix the confectioner’s sugar into the creamed sugar, and then beat until smooth and fluffy.
• Frost cooled cupcakes.