It’s national cupcake day! This is a cupcake I used to eat by the boxful as a child. I recently had a friend post a meme that said they hated bloggers who told childhood stories and can the new president please make this a priority? I had to post my own meme back of a staring blinking boy lol. You know the one. Anyway, these Sunny Doodles were a favorite of mine and I also loved the Hostess orange cupcakes too. I’ve come up with a vegan version that’s pretty darn tasty.
I’ve been working on a standard yellow cake recipe for a while now and I think this might be the one. It’s moist but sturdy and holds up to lots of frosting and let’s be real, it’s just a vehicle for that really. I’m using my old friend aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas) along with some flax meal for the egg then just a little acid added to the vegan milk gives it a little more lift and perfect texture.
Although not as pretty because all the frosting is on the inside, they’re way easier to eat and store because your hands won’t get messy. I wonder if this was the reason they made these for kids? I added a little bit of optional orange zest for a little more depth of flavor but you could use a little orange extract as well. Read the recipe notes.
To fill the cupcakes, a pastry or piping bag is the easiest way to do it but if you don’t have one, a hack is to use a storage bag that you fill and cut the corner off of to release the filling. It works, but you’ll need to use a knife to open a small hole on top of the cupcake first.
This recipe makes a perfect dozen but you could use it to make 2 eight inch layer cakes as well. It’s a great base recipe and you could add funfetti sprinkles, or other flavorings like lemon or almond. You can make this in one bowl too so clean up is a breeze. I hope these make your day a little sunnier!
Vegan Copycat Sunny Doodle Cupcakes
12
servings30
minutes25
minutesA delicious and easy vegan “copycat” recipe for a Sunny snack cake with a cream filling!
Ingredients
1/2 cup vegan butter, room temperature
1 cup vegan sugar
6 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas)
1 tablespoon finely ground flax meal
1/2 cup vegan milk
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange zest or 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
a few droops natural yellow food color (optional)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- Creme Filling
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons vegan butter
1 1/2 cups vegan powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons vegan milk
Directions
- Cupcakes
- Add the flax meal to the aquafaba and whisk together and set aside to thicken for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice or vinegar to the milk and whisk and also set aside for a few minutes. In a medium sized bowl using a hand or stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the aquafaba mixture to the bowl and mix together. Add the milk mixture and vanilla and zest (or extra extract if using) and the food color if using and mix together. Mixture will look curdled. This is ok.
- Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder and add to the wet ingredients. Mix for 2-3 minutes to develop some structure to the batter.
- Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with liners or grease with cooking spray if not using liners and using a large ice cream scoop equally divide the batter into the 12 cupcake wells. Set aside and let rest for 15 minutes while you preheat the over to 325°.
- Bake the cupcakes for 25-27 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean and the tops spring back slightly when pressed. Let cool completely.
- Creme Filling
- Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix together by hand or with a mixer. You want a stiff and not too loose filling. If too thick add a little more milk a half teaspoon at a time until the right consistency.
- Cupcake Assembly
- Using a piping bag or a small plastic storage bag, add the creme filling. Use a larger round tip if using a bag or snip a small corner off the storage bag. If using a piping bag, thrust the tip into the center of the cupcake and squeeze in filling until you feel resistance and a bit comes out of the top. If using a storage bag, take a small knife and open a small hole in the center of the cupcake then place the snipped bag corner inside and squeeze filling inside. Do this for all 12 cupcakes then enjoy! Store these in a covered container or in the fridge. These will freeze well up to 3 months.
Notes
- For a little extra flavor, add the orange or even lemon zest or orange or lemon extract.
- You can use all flax egg in this recipe. Just use water and increase the flax meal to 3 tablespoons.
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