If you’re craving something sweet that is quick, easy, and delicious, then my dear friends, you have come to the right place. Incredibly moist, rich, and decadent eggless vanilla cupcakes topped with a luscious whipped cream frosting are perfect for birthdays, special occasions, or just for that special day in your life!
Plus, these eggless cupcakes come together in less than 30 minutes to satisfy those dessert cravings.
Do you love fruity cupcakes?
If the answer is YES, then you’re straight-up going to L-O-V-E these eggless vanilla cupcakes.
I think there is something extraordinary about a cupcake that fascinates me.
Maybe there is something special about peeling off that liner before eating a cupcake that’s so satisfying or the swirls of frostings that beautify a cupcake is what makes my mouth water!
Seriously, I can’t decide which one is my favorite! What’s your favorite?
Either way, these cuties are absolutely fantastic.
Honestly, if I had to bake one dessert for my kids, it has to be cupcakes. Why, because first of all, they are so cute,
- Perfect portions sized
- Can be created with different colors,
- Flavor combinations are endless, and
- Not to mention all those pretty frostings. Heavenly!
The best part, you can get creative and have fun with these cupcakes, just like I created these eggless key lime cupcakes, eggless marble cupcakes, eggless red velvet cupcakes, etc.
Eggless Baking!
Eggless baking is something that either discourages people or ultimately directs them away. But trust me, egg-free cakes or cupcakes can turn out as good as the real stuff with just the right ingredients.
And this recipe is one of those! It did require a lot of trial and error or my part. But over the years of practice, I can confidently say this eggless vanilla cupcake is my favorite go-to recipe that is fail-proof and ultimate.
It has been tested and tried in my kitchen endless time – every time with perfect results. Serve it to your friends, who relish cakes baked with eggs, and they would never tell the difference.
So here is my recipe for the perfect, most effortless, moist and easy eggless vanilla cupcakes. The best part is that these cupcakes have no artificial colors (minus the frosting) or flavors—just the pure taste of vanilla and a secret ingredient in every bite.
I had initially published this eggless vanilla cupcake recipe in 2015. Yes, it’s a pretty old one.
But then I decided it demanded a face-lift. Here I am with a step by step tutorial on making egg-free vanilla cupcakes with better pictures and all the tips and variations.
Ingredients for Eggless Vanilla cupcakes!
These eggless cupcakes use basic ingredients to create tender and moist cupcakes, and they are-
» All-purpose flour- Flour provides structure to our cupcakes. Make sure you measure the flour correctly. I personally use a cup measurement to measure the flour. Then use a knife to scrape off the excess to get an even cup measurement.
» Baking powder – a chemical leavening agent adds bubbles to the batter that helps our cupcakes to expand (rise) during baking. It also gives these cupcakes the feather-like texture it needs.
» Salt – It balances the sweetness in the cupcakes and deepens the flavor.
» Sugar – well, of course! How can we forget about that? Sugar helps make our cupcakes tender, adds sweetness, and tons of flavor.
» Butter – Butter tenderizes our cupcakes. Use soften unsalted butter. Soft butter can properly cream with sugar.
» Milk – it provides moisture to the batter.
» The secret ingredient – is unsweetened, unflavored applesauce. It is an excellent substitute for eggs in baking. Not only it helps bind all the ingredients, but it also lends a wonderful texture and adds tons of moisture to our cupcakes. You don’t have to add a whole lot; 1/4 will do the trick.
» Vanilla essence – It will add richness and a nice vanilla flavor to these eggless cupcakes.
» Yogurt – Helps lighten the cupcakes and produces a moist and tender crumb.
» Now, do you need a simple frosting to top these vanilla cupcakes? Try making a super easy and stable frosting with heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and agar-agar powder.
How to make Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes?
Preparations-
Preheat the oven at @350 degrees F.
Line your cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
Dry Ingredients-
In a large mixing bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder. Make sure you spoon and level the flour from the container.
Set aside.
Wet ingredients-
Combine sugar and butter in a separate mixing bowl. Beat the two until butter turns pale yellow, light, and fluffy.
While beating the mixture, use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl’s sides a couple of times.
Add milk, yogurt, and vanilla essence to the sugar mix. Mix to combine.
Add in the sifted dry ingredients and beat until a smooth batter forms. Do not over mix the batter.
Mix just until the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated together, and no dry flour is visible in sight. Overmixing will result in dense- textured cupcakes. So if you are in doubt, mix the ingredients by hand.
Add in the secret ingredients – unsweetened applesauce. Gently fold the applesauce until incorporated. Be careful not to over mix the batter.
Using a spatula, scrape the bowl’s bottom and sides and make sure everything is thoroughly combined and smooth.
The batter may look curdled at this point. Don’t worry; it’s absolutely fine. This curdling of ingredients will not affect the cupcakes.
To prevent liners from sticking to cupcakes, spray them with nonstick cooking spray or brush with a little melted butter.
Use an ice cream scoop and add the eggless vanilla cupcake batter to the lined cupcake pan.
Fill each mold 2/3 of the way up with the batter. Give them some room to rise.
After filling the cupcake liners with batter, tap the pan on the kitchen counter a couple of times. This tapping will help get rid of air bubbles.
Bake the eggless vanilla cupcakes in the preheated oven for about 18-20 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.
The baking time was 20 minutes for me. But every oven is different; therefore, keep a watchful eye on the cupcakes and make sure they don’t burn.
Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. After the resting time is over, remove the cupcakes from the pan.
Cool them on a cooling rack.
What kind of frosting Should I use to frost my eggless cupcakes?
As for the frosting, I have topped these eggless vanilla cupcakes with homemade whipped cream frosting. This whipped cream frosting is unbelievably creamy, fresh, and delicious!
Pipe this homemade whipped cream frosting over the cooled cupcakes, decorate with fresh fruits or sprinkles, and serve.
I have used whipped cream frosting to frost many of my cupcakes on the blog, such as Eggless mango cake, Eggless pineapple pastry, Eggless key lime cupcakes, and many more.
Give it a try, and I am sure you will like it.
Recipe Tips to make the Best Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes
» Baking a cake is not complicated at all. But it does require some planning and forethought. So, here are some tips for creating the best eggless vanilla cupcakes without fail.
» Follow the recipe carefully – Measure your ingredients correctly. If the ingredients are not measured well, cupcakes will not turn out as expected.
» Don’t skip the sifting of ingredients – This will not only keep the lumps out, but it also helps to incorporate air into the flour. Sifting results in fluffy cupcakes.
» Ingredients should be at room temperature – Cake batter will blend easily when all the ingredients are at a similar temperature, and the cupcakes will have a uniform texture. Make sure you set out your butter and yogurt 45 minutes ahead of time before mixing the ingredients.
» Makes sure you use the unsweetened, unflavored applesauce. If you only have sweetened applesauce on hand, reduce the sugar in the recipe by 2 tablespoons.
» Prevent over mixing – To avoid overmixing, wet and dry ingredients need to be mixed separately before combining. Overmixing will produce dense cupcakes. When in doubt, combine the ingredients by hand.
» Use an ice cream scoop to fill your cupcake liners.
» Tap your cupcake pan a couple of times on the counter before putting it in the oven. This will bring the trapped air bubbles to the surface.
» Be patient – keep that oven door closed during the entire baking time. Cupcakes require consistent heat to rise. Therefore, checking again and again on how your cupcakes are doing in the early stages of baking can cause the cupcakes to sink.
» Do the toothpick test – To tell if the cake is done, always perform the toothpick test. Meaning, insert a toothpick in the center of the cupcake. If it comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, it is ready. If not, then your cupcakes need a few extra minutes in the oven.
» Let the eggless vanilla cupcakes rest – Once baked and out of the oven, let the cupcakes cool for 8-10 minutes in the baking pan.
» Frosting cupcakes – Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before you begin frosting.
Can I replace applesauce?
You sure can! Applesauce adds a ton of moisture and produces a wonderful soft crumb. But if you are not an applesauce love, you can swap applesauce for an egg.
Can I replace yogurt?
Of course! Simply swap yogurt with sour cream. It will give the same results.
Let Me Know What You Think!
This eggless cupcake recipe is genuinely the simplest recipe, I have ever made.
Should you make these eggless vanilla cupcake or any variation of it, please let me know your thoughts by sharing your comment below.
And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.
Craving for more, try my other eggless delicacies –
| This recipe post has been updated from the archives, first published on July 19th, 2015 |
Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
FOR CUPCAKES
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1¼ cups All purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
WET INGREDIENTS
- ¾ cup Sugar
- ¼ cup Unsalted Butter or oil
- ½ cup Milk
- ¼ cup Unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla essence or Almond essence
- ½ cup Yogurt
FOR FROSTING
- 2 cups Heavy whipping cream
- ¾ cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Agar-Agar powder
INSTRUCTIONS
CUPCAKE PREPARATION
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the oven 15 minutes before baking.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder. Make sure you spoon and level the flour from the container. Set aside.
- Combine sugar and butter in a separate mixing bowl. Beat the two until butter turns pale yellow, light, and fluffy.While beating the mixture, use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl’s sides a couple of times.
- Add milk, yogurt, and vanilla essence to the sugar mix. Mix to combine.
- Add in the sifted dry ingredients and beat until a smooth batter forms. Do not over mix the batter.
- Add in the secret ingredients – unsweetened applesauce. Gently fold the applesauce until incorporated. Be careful not to over mix the batter. Using a spatula, scrape the bowl’s bottom and sides and make sure everything is thoroughly combined and smooth.
- To prevent liners from sticking to cupcakes, spray them with nonstick cooking spray or brush with a little melted butter.
- Use an ice cream scoop and add the eggless vanilla cupcake batter to the lined cupcake pan. Fill each mold 2/3 of the way up with the batter. Give them some room to rise.
- After filling the cupcake liners with batter, tap the pan on the kitchen counter a couple of times. This tapping will help get rid of air bubbles. Do not let the batter-filled-cupcake-pan sit on the counter for long.
- Bake the eggless vanilla cupcakes in the preheated oven for about 18-20 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake. Overbaking will result in dry cupcakes.
- The baking time was 20 minutes for me. But every oven is different; therefore, keep a watchful eye on the cupcakes and make sure they don’t burn.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. After the resting time is over, remove the cupcakes from the pan. Cool them on a cooling rack.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, before unwrapping the liner. Unwrap the liner and reveal the inner beauty.
- You can bake a cake out of this recipe. This cake is baked in a 8" x 1½" round cake pan. It's a thin cake pan; therefore, bake the cake for 30-35 minutes @ 350 degrees F.
- Or until the toothpick comes out clean. Top with your favorite frosting and enjoy!
- This recipe also bakes into a delicious 6-inch round cake.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. This recipe has not been experimented with a 8 X 3 inch round cake pan.
Can I use coconut milk instead of regular milk?
Thanks for stopping by Eli. Yes, you can. I have substituted regular milk with coconut milk while baking, and haven’t faced any problem.
Big shout out to you Ruchi……My kids loved it!! Thanks for your steps they were really helpful. Have made 3 batch of cupcakes since I first tried it. Very moist cupcakes!!
Thanks for trying the recipe Revathy!! So glad to hear that your kids loved these cupcakes. 🙂
Fantastic recipe. This was on my list for quite some time and turned out soft and fluffy. Will be making it more often. Thanks Ruchi
You are welcome Alka! Thanks for trying the recipe and sharing your wonderful feedback with me. 🙂
I searched the web for eggless cakes and cookies and landed on your blog!! Wonderfully crafted and each and every detail is presented well. Truly appreciate it. I made your vanilla cupcakes and they came out so well. Made homemade applesauce and followed the exact recipe. My family loved your vanilla cupcakes. Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for your wonderful feedback. Glad to hear that you are enjoying my blog and recipes! Thanks for trying it out. 🙂
I wonder how much effort you must have put into to make such a excellent and informative blog. Beyond words….descriptive and so fun to go through all the images. It is like seeing a video in pause format. Thanks for all the hard work. I tried your cupcakes and they were very good. My family loved it. Thanks!!
Thanks for your wonderful feedback Pihu, that’s so sweet of you!! Glad to hear that your are enjoying my blog and recipes!!
Hi.
Thanks for sharing. I’m a little confused when you say 1-1/4- does that mean 1.25? Or 1 ‘minus’ 1/4 ?
Just want to make sure I’m using the right amount of ingredients ..
Harsha,sorry for the confusion. It’s 1 and 1/4 cup (1.25). Happy Baking!!
Thanks :))
you guessed my mind! I wanted applesauce in my cupcakes and i got it!
Thanks, glad you liked it!
This didn’t work for me sadly… The were sticky and oily inside and flat when they came out, looked great and rose when they were cooking, the only thing I changed was I used a sunflower dairy free version of butter…
Thanks for trying the recipe Sophie. So sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t work for you. This recipe uses 1/2 cup of unsalted butter and replacing it with dairy free version is what caused it to fail. Butter is the main ingredient in baking (unless stated). Creaming of butter with granulated sugar is what aerates the fat that results in light and fluffy cupcakes. Dairy free butter fails to do so. Dairy free butter works best in recipes that uses liquid sugars like honey or maple syrup. Hope that helps!
Hey thanks for your reply I only just checked back now, I did try it with less apple sauce I think it was about 1/4 cup and sunflower oil I can’t remember if I adjusted the amount of flour but that ended up working out for me O can’t remember exactly I should have written it down when I had success as I tried a couple of changes, thanks again…..
So happy to hear that after a few adjustments the recipe finally worked for you. Thanks Sophie for sharing your experience with me. 🙂
First time here, loved this eggless vanilla cakes..You have explained the recipe so well with great tips and great pics:)
Thanks for stopping by Shubha! Glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
IT looks super fab.. very nice recipe
Hellomomy.blogspot.com
Thanks Rupali. 🙂
Hi !!
Just wondering what you mean by this ?? – NOTE – applesauce adjusted from 1/2 cup to 1- 1/4 cup and milk was adjusted to 1/2 cup (milk is added to adjust thickness of the batter).
Thank you
Oops! so sorry for the confusion, Hannah. When the recipe was published last year, my ingredient section had some issue so had to update the following information in the “METHOD” section. Will take care of this, please ignore and continue with the recipe. Thanks again for pointing that out. 🙂
Just a question can I use cocoa powder instead of applesauce n if I use cocoa powder what other liquid should be increased thxx.. 🙂
Ankita, I would not suggest substituting cocoa powder for applesauce as it will result in flat or dense cupcakes. For this recipe, I have played around with buttermilk, yogurt,sour cream and the ingredients mentioned in the recipe gave me perfect results. Please visit my eggless baking section and select the recipe that meets your need – http://www.ruchiskitchen.com/category/recipes/desserts/cakes-and-cookies/
Hey Ruchi, nice recipe. Can i replace applesauce with banana puree? Alsi, i get amul butter here which is slightly salted. Can i use it instead of the unsalted one?
Tanya, you can replace applesauce with mashed banana.
Skip the salt in the recipe and continue with Amul butter.
Thanks dear!
You are welcome Tanya!
Tried cup cakes for the first time with ur recipe n they were just wow..Thanks for sharing
Thank you so much for trying this recipe, Pooja, glad to hear that you liked the cupcakes. 🙂
Can I use condense milk in place of apple sauce what will be the quantity. Plz tell us how to make apple sauce. Thanks
Thanks for stopping by Archana! I have not tried this recipe with condensed milk so can’t comment on the texture.
To make applesauce at home –
In a pan add finely chopped 4-5 apples without skin. To it add 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, a pinch of salt and 3 – 4 tablespoon sugar. Boil until apples are soft and mushy. Take it off the flame and puree in a mixer. Homemade applesauce is ready. Feel free to substitute sugar with honey. Add honey once the boiled apples are cooled.
Thanks Ruchi if i want to try condense milk what would be the ratio 1-1/4 cup
Archana, I have played around with many ingredients and one that gave me perfect results are listed in the recipe. You can substitute applesauce with mashed banana.
Substituting applesauce with condensed milk will require a lot of adjustments in this recipe (sugar + liquid) and without experimenting I can’t comment on the results. Sorry about that!
Please visit this link for other eggless cupcakes – http://www.ruchiskitchen.com/8-eggless-cupcakes-and-cake-recipes/
Hello Ruchi,
I desperately wanna try cupcakes for my daughter’s 3rd birthday and trust me I am as scared n nervous as a child would be. I have never made any cupcakes before. Going through this site has given me half the confidence, the other half would be after they come out atleast presentable. I just have a few queries:
1. substitute for applesauce.
2. my family is a strict maida no no. they only like cake from wheat flour which i have tried before. Can the same be done in this. we have homemade butter so i can use that loads but just the confusion of flour.
thanx
Thanks Pratibha for your kind words. Archana, I have played around with many ingredients and one that gave me perfect results are listed in the recipe. You can substitute applesauce with eggs.
Substituting maida with wheat flour will require a lot of adjustments in this recipe and without experimenting I can’t comment on the results. Sorry about that!
Please visit this link for other eggless cupcakes – http://www.ruchiskitchen.com/8-eggless-cupcakes-and-cake-recipes/
Hi ruchi, what to use instead of applesauce ?
Thanks for stopping by Gayatri! You can use either one of these –
1. Ener-G Egg replacer as an applesauce replacement.
2. Substitute applesauce with apricot puree or pureed banana or peach puree.
How much Energ replacer should I use for this recipe?
Stara, use 3 teaspoon of egg replacer mixed with 4 tablespoon of warm water.
Hi I want to make cupcakes for my 1 year old son with this recipe. Can I reduce the amount of sugar? thanks!
Reducing sugar will have a great effect on the cupcakes – taste and texture will be affected.
Try using sweetened applesauce to balance the sweetness, without compromising the taste, or consistency of the cupcakes. Would love to hear back from you. 🙂
Hi Ruchi,
These look great! We are baking them with kids tomorrow/ Two questions how did you come up with the quantity of 15. I ask because all my cupcake pans are quantities of 2 (6, 8, 12, 48). I assume that you leave a “cup” empty? could you adjust it for multiples of two? Also when my friend sent the ingredient list I was confused about some quantities (3 1/5 C sugar, 12.8 t vanilla) I then saw the converter at the bottom of the recipe and that she had “adjusted the recipe to fit my 24 cup mini cupcake pans. Is there any kind of converter out there for standard baking measurements?
Thank for stopping by Herby James. I too have the same cupcake pans that bake 6,12 or 18 cupcakes.
This recipe bakes 15 cupcakes and they were baked in a cupcake pan of 12 and for the rest 3, silicone molds were used.
Unfortunately with my recipe converter, recipes can be doubled or reduced in half. For example this recipe can be doubled to 30 cupcakes but not 24. Sorry about that!
Feel free to email me if you have any other questions! Happy Baking!!
Hi Ruchi,
Planning to make these with my son tomorrow. Just had a quick question-in your picture of the cupcake ingredients, the butter looks melted. So can we cream sugar with melted butter? Or did u just use butter at room temperature?? Please clarify. Thanks.
Please use butter at room temperature. It’s the heat that has melted the top layer of my butter. 🙂