Vegan Lemon Raspberry Jam Filled Cupcakes
These vegan lemon raspberry jam filled cupcakes have a vegan lemon cupcake base with raspberry jam filling inside. They are topped with vegan raspberry buttercream frosting and packed with flavor. They taste just like raspberry lemonade cupcakes and are so easy to make. Perfect for Valentine's Day!
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer or electric hand mixer
- 2 Mixing Bowls
- 1 Standard Muffin Tin
Ingredients
Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
- 1 cup unsweetened plant milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup vegan butter softened
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Raspberry Jam Filling
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ tablespoon honey
- ½ tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon chia seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Vegan Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
- ⅔ cup vegan butter softened
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon raspberry jam (made above)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Making The Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake tins with 12 liners. Lightly spray the liners with oil to prevent sticking.
- Combine apple cider vinegar and almond milk and set aside for 5-10 minutes. The milk will begin to curdle to create a vegan buttermilk.1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 cup unsweetened plant milk
- In a stand mixer, beat the butter, coconut sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and fluffy.⅓ cup vegan butter, ½ cup coconut sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Add the vegan buttermilk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and mix on slow to combine. The mixture may not be smooth in this stage, and that's okay.2 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, flax seed, and salt. Continue mixing on low speed to combine. Once incorporated, scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and beat on medium speed to mix fully.1 cup all-purpose flour, ¾ cup whole wheat flour, ½ tablespoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon ground flax seed, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Fill cupcake liners ¾ of the way full and bake in the oven for 24-28 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs. Let the cupcakes cool completely before filling and frosting.
Making the Filling
- To make the raspberry jam filling, follow the instructions on this raspberry chia seed jam blog post.1 cup raspberries, ½ tablespoon honey, ½ tablespoon pure maple syrup, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoon chia seeds, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- You need about ½ cup of jam to fill 12 cupcakes. The recipe linked makes about 1 cup. You can halve the recipe if you only want enough jam for the cupcakes. However, you can make a full batch if you want extra jam to use throughout the week.
Making the Frosting
- Beat the vegan butter until light and fluffy. This takes 2-3 minutes.⅔ cup vegan butter
- Add the vanilla extract, lemon juice, chia jam, and salt. Beat to combine. Scrape the sides of the bowl and continue mixing until smooth.1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon raspberry jam, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Once incorporated, beat for 3-5 minutes on medium-high speed, until the frosting is light and fluffy.2 ½ cups powdered sugar
Filling the Cupcakes
- Insert the large end of a piping tip ¾ of the way down into the center of each cupcake. Twist the piping tip as you remove it from the cupcake to remove the center.
- Use a piping bag or small spoon to transfer the jam into the center of the cupcakes. Fill until level with the top of the cupcakes.
Frosting the Cupcakes
- Use a piping bag with a piping tip of choice to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. If you prefer, you may spread the frosting on with a knife instead.
- Garnish the cupcakes with a fresh raspberry and serve immediately. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Notes
The lemon cupcakes themselves are not overly sweet. This is good. When paired with the jam filling and buttercream frosting, they have a sweeter, more decadent flavor.
You can use any non-dairy milk for this recipe. I like almond milk, but soy milk, oat milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk are all acceptable. I prefer the unsweetened versions, since the frosting makes it plenty sweet.