Vegan Vanilla Cupcake

Followed this recipe for some egg-free cupcakes for a birthday. It is moist, fluffy and very sweet.

Ingredients

[Cupcakes]

All-purpose flour - 1 3/4 cup
Granulated sugar - 1 cup
Baking powder - 1 TBSP
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Milk - 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
Vegetable oil -1/4 cup + 1 TBSP
Apple sauce - 1/4 cup
Water - 1/4 cup
Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
[Vanilla Buttercream]
1/2 cup vegan butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tsp. non-dairy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a muffin tin with 12 baking cups and spray with cooking oil. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl combine the non-dairy milk, oil, apple sauce, water, and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and gently whisk together until the batter is evenly hydrated and fairly smooth.
3. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin so that they are 2/3rds of the way full, filling all 12 muffin molds evenly. 

4. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

5. In a stand-up mixer, using your paddle attachment, cream the vegan butter on high for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary. Turn mixer to low and slowly add powdered sugar with motor running, again scraping down the sides as necessary. Once the powdered sugar is incorporated, turn the mixer back up to high and beat for another 3-5 minutes until thick and creamy. Turn down mixer, add non-dairy milk and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
6. Once the cupcakes are COMPLETELY cool, pipe buttercream onto the cupcakes. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.