Vegan Rainbow Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting | Easy and Delicious

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This is one of my absolute favorite recipes. Vegan rainbow cupcakes with peanut butter cream cheese frosting! Easy and delicious and perfect for birthdays. I love that you can really make these cupcakes your own.

 

I get cupcake requests often in my home and these vegan rainbow cupcakes are my go to recipe. Bake them for birthdays, holidays, or just for fun! They are easy to make and fun to customize. So when my hubby requested I add peanut butter, this amazing peanut butter cream cheese frosting was born. My daughter helped me throughout and this delicious treat was our reward.

Be bold with how you customize this recipe. I love to make rainbows in these cupcakes and I’ve always used classic colors, but you can totally have fun with a variety of colors! Make them pastel for spring, or add a unicorn flare or go spooky for Halloween! I’m all for recipes that you can truly make your own.

Remember to take your time, because frosting can be tough, especially when you’re doing it vegan. If you choose to make this cream cheese frosting, which you should, then make sure your butter is at room temperature. This is ALWAYS a must when you’re baking with butter. If you’re butter is frozen, it will not make a good frosting. I’ve totally done this in a rush before and ruined frostings, so learn from my mistakes. If you don’t want to make frosting with cream cheese, then I recommend splitting the butter in half. Only use half the amount of butter and then substitute hardened coconut oil for the rest. You can totally use the frosting recipe I did for our funfetti cake for these cupcakes!

More BuzzChomp: Vegan Baking Guide – Every Substitute You’ll Ever Need

If you have kids, then invite them to bake this dessert with you. I love doing these cupcakes with my daughter. They’re really fun because you can mix the colors together and depending on the age of your child, you can teach them how to pour the batter into the cupcake liners. Then they can see the process of making the batter into a rainbow!

 

Vegan Rainbow Cupcakes

 

Recipe Details:

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yields: 12 cupcakes

 

 

Ingredients for Cupcakes:

• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 2 cups nondairy milk (I always use unsweetened almond milk)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or any neutral cooking oil)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Food coloring of your choice (7 colors)
• 12 cupcake liners
• 7 disposable cups

Ingredients for Frosting:

• 1/2 cup vegan butter
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp nondairy milk

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Preparation for Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease your cupcake tin, making sure to do the top too. Then line your tin with the cupcake liners. Use the metallic liners so your colors don’t dull.
3. Mix your vinegar and nondairy milk in a small bowl and set aside so it curdles.
4. In a large bowl mix your flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt together.
5. Stir your milk mixture, oil, and vanilla extract into the flour mixture. You can do this by hand, using a stand mixer, or a hand mixer.
6. Divide your cupcake batter between 7 disposable cups. Then using your food coloring, add 4-8 drops of a single color to each cup and mix. Remember that the color dulls a bit when you bake the cupcakes, so you want to make sure the colors stay vibrant.
7. Add one color at a time to each spot in the cupcake tin.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
9. Let cool before frosting the cupcakes.

Preparation for Frosting:

1. Soften your butter and cream cheese. Also soften your peanut butter if you keep it in the fridge.
2. Cream your butter and cream cheese together. Then add the peanut butter.
3. Add your powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Once combined, add your vanilla extract, followed by your nondairy milk.
4. Put your frosting in the fridge while your cupcakes cook and cool. Vegan butter and cream cheese do not stay as solidified as the dairy version, so you want your frosting to be as thick as possible. It’s easier to work with when it is cold because when it warms up it gets a bit runny.
5. Fill a pastry bag with your frosting and have fun!

 

Meet Our Baker:

Mandi Mellen is Lead Editor, Staff Writer, and Featured Host at BuzzChomp. She’s an Actress, Writer, Director and Producer. Get lost in her Youtube comedy channel PillowTalk TV. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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