Go ahead and lick the frosting spoon from these tender, cheery, and soft Dairy Free Cupcakes recipe with Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream. Combining fluffy and delicate vanilla cake with a cloud of rich chocolaty, hazelnut-infused frosting, these cupcakes are an instant classic that will be the hit of any party.

While everyone loves a stacked Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting there’s just something happy and fun about a pretty cupcake with a festive swirl of buttercream topping it off. This decadent vanilla cake recipe uses a few simple steps with favorite pantry staples to create the ultimate treat to celebrate with.

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Dairy Free Hazelnut Frosting Cupcakes Video
Why you will love this recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
Equipment
Variations
Storage
Top Tips
FAQs
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

Dairy Free Hazelnut Frosting Cupcakes Video

Why you will love this recipe

Easy Process - Skip the box mix and use this vanilla cupcake recipe that utilizes quality ingredients. With just a few simple steps, this is a recipe anyone can easily recreate in their own kitchen. It’s easy enough for a beginning baker to get your kids involved in cooking.
Make Ahead - Both the cupcakes and the frosting can be made a day or two in advance making it a dessert to entertain with. You can keep the frosting stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to frost.
Customizable - This recipe is written to be dairy free but you can make the same recipe to include dairy if desired.
Texture - Is there anything more magical than that first bite into a soft and incredibly moist cupcake? The texture of these will make you instantly fall in love. Using a couple of simple ingredients ensures that they have a texture everyone will love.

Ingredients

Gluten Free 1:1 Flour - Use a quality 1 to 1 baking flour. This allows you to easily measure out the flour without having to add any additional ingredients. You will also want to check the ingredients as some gluten-free flours contain milk powder.
Baking Powder/Baking Soda
Cornstarch - This gives gluten-free baked goods a tender and moist texture. You only need a little as it goes a long way.
Salt - Enhances all of the natural flavors of the ingredients.
Sugar
Vanilla Bean Paste - Singing Dog Vanilla Bean Paste is made from real vanilla beans. It will give a rich flavor to these cupcakes and stud them with little flecks of vanilla bean.
Eggs
Vegetable Oil - This is another key to the texture and moisture of these cupcakes while being neutral in flavor.
Dairy-Free Butter - Adds richness and decadence to these vanilla cupcakes.
Almond Milk/Vinegar - This combination creates a dairy-free buttermilk that keeps the cupcakes tender while adding a little tang.
Singing Dog Cocoa Vanilla Frosting Mix - Singing Dog Vanilla Cocoa Vanilla Buttercream frosting mix makes this extra easy while ensuring a quality finished product every time. It’s made with all organic ingredients and can be made completely dairy free or with dairy ingredients. All you do is add dairy-free butter and almond milk for a silky smooth and flavorful frosting.
Chocolate Hazelnut Spread - This is combined with the buttercream mix to create a sumptuous frosting that will have you licking the spoon.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 °C. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and set aside.
Add the almond milk and vinegar to a small bowl and mix. Set it aside. It will begin to curdle slightly.
Add all of the dry ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and mix well to combine.
In a large bowl add the butter and sugar and mix on high until light and fluffy.
Pour in the vegetable oil and mix for one minute.
Next, add the eggs and vanilla bean paste and mix slowly to combine.
Carefully add half of the dry ingredients and mix slowly.
Once combined add the remaining dry ingredients and the almond milk mixture and mix on medium until just combined.
Divide the batter between the cupcake liners, filling them ⅔ of the way.
Allow the cupcakes to bake for 14-19 minutes or until they’re slightly golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool completely.
To make the frosting follow the directions on the packages with the addition of the chocolate hazelnut spread. For this texture, I used four tablespoons of almond milk.
Frost your cupcakes and enjoy!

Equipment

Variations

This vanilla cupcake recipe uses all dairy-free ingredients. You can use dairy products for this and the measurements will be the same. Replace the almond milk/vinegar mixture with ¾ cup buttermilk.

Storage

The cupcakes and frosting can both be made ahead of time. Once the cupcakes have cooled either cover the cupcake pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it, or transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate. The buttercream frosting will also need to be refrigerated in an airtight container. They will last for 5-7 days.
Once frosted keep them covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator and they will last for up to five days. If desired allow them to sit out for 30 minutes before serving for the frosting to soften slightly.

Top Tips

Make sure that all of your ingredients from the butter to the eggs and almond milk are at room temperature before mixing together your cake batter. This will allow everything to come together smoothly and lump-free without over-mixing. This also includes the butter and almond milk for the frosting.
Make sure that your cupcakes are fully cool before frosting them. No one wants slightly melted frosting.
You can adjust the thickness of your frosting by adding a little more or a little less almond milk. For this recipe, I used four tablespoons.

FAQs

Can these vanilla cupcakes be baked as a cake?

Yes! Feel free to bake this in a cake pan and frost it with the chocolate hazel frosting.

Can I freeze the baked cupcakes?

Yes! Allow them to cool completely and then transfer them to freezer-safe bags, making sure all of the air is out. They will last for up to three months in the freezer. When ready to frost allow them to gently defrost overnight in the refrigerator.

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