Light, fluffy, and wonderfully moist, easy vegan lemon cupcakes with a lemon buttercream frosting OR glaze! One bowl, fuss-free, inexpensive, and super versatile (keep reading for tons of flavor variations!)
¾ cupsof granulated sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)
1teaspoonof baking soda
½ teaspoonof salt
1 ½ teaspoonsof vanilla extract
1teaspoonof white or apple cider vinegar
¼ cup+ 1 tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil
1cupof water
1 ½ tablespoonsof lemon juice
1 ½ tablespoonsof lemon zest
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees C). Line a cupcake tin with silicone or paper baking cups.
In the bowl of an electric mixer (or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer), mix together all the ingredients until smooth.
Pour the batter into each baking cup until it’s three-quarters full.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Test a cupcake by sticking a toothpick in the middle. If the toothpick comes out dry, the cupcakes are done.
Notes
Adjust the amount of lemon: We’ve made these vegan lemon cupcakes fairly zingy (because no one likes a ‘barely there’ lemon-flavored bake), but adjust the amount to taste.
Don’t overmeasure the flour: To measure the flour, it’s important to spoon it into the measuring cup and level that with a knife (rather than scooping the cup into your bag of flour) to use the correct amount of flour that will make for light and fluffy eggless lemon cupcakes.
Don’t over mix the batter: Otherwise, the gluten becomes overly activated, affecting the density and rise of the dairy-free lemon cupcakes.