Moist Red Velvet Oreo Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 12 Frosted Cupcakes
With rich, light cream cheese frosting and a crunchy baked Oreo bottom, these perfectly moist yet fluffy cupcakes make a great customizable treat for any occasion!
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
Wet Ingredients:
¼ cup vegan butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup vegan yogurt
Vegan Buttermilk:
½ cup unsweetened soy milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Red food coloring
Dry Ingredients:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sifted cocoa powder
¼ cup unsweetened soy milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
16 Oreos of choice
Frosting:
¾ cup room temp vegan cream cheese
2 tbsp room temp vegan butter
1 ½ tablespoons vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups powdered sugar
Food coloring of choice (if desired)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a standard 12-cup muffin tray with cupcake wrappers, then place an Oreo at the bottom of each cup. Set aside.
To make vegan buttermilk, combine apple cider vinegar and non-dairy milk, stir and set aside to curdle.
In a standard electric mixer with whisk attachment, cream butter and sugar. Add remaining wet ingredients, including buttermilk. Make sure everything is thoroughly incorporated.
In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, then slowly pour them into the mixer on low speed.
Once a slightly runny batter has formed, use a standard ice cream scoop to transfer batter to muffin tray, filling each cup a little more than ¾ full.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cupcakes have puffed up, and a toothpick inserted halfway into the center of one comes out clean.
Let cupcakes cool for at least 15 minutes in tray before transferring to cooling racks for another 30 minutes before frosting them (pop them in the fridge to speed up this process).
In the meantime, make the frosting. In an electric mixer with whisk attachment, combine all frosting ingredients, starting with cream cheese. Whip on high speed for 1-2 minutes, or until frosting is light, fluffy, and thick.
Refrigerate frosting for at least half an hour before frosting the cooled cupcakes, add sprinkles if desired.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
I'd recommend cupcake wrappers rather than cooking spray because this makes the muffins easier to remove from the tray.
For the buttermilk, I recommend using a high protein plant milk such as soy or hemp.
I always use plain and unsweetened applesauce, non-dairy milk, and vegan yogurt, but any type works fine, as long as they’re not flavored (other than vanilla).