Animals > People

Vegan Butterbeer Cupcakes
Makes an even dozen

What you need:
1/3 c milk (I used almond)
1/3 c cream soda
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup butterscotch syrup + extra to swirl and drizzle (my recipe)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 TBS vanilla
1 tsp butter flavoring (optional)
1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

What you do:
Whisk together milk and cider vinegar and set aside a few minutes while you get everything else ready (this gives it time to curdle).

Preheat oven to 325 and line the cupcake pan.

Sift together all dry ingredients and set aside.

In a larger bowl, combine all your wet ingredients, including the milk mixture. Mix well and add dry ingredients bit by bit, mixing until no lumps remain.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full (I use a 1/3 measuring cup for this and only just hit 12 cupcakes).

I did half the batch with a butterscotch swirl and half without. The ones with the swirl needed extra time to bake and didn’t fluff up as much. I have a huge sweet-tooth, and I thought they were definitely toeing the too-sweet line. Without the extra swirl, the cupcakes still had that wonderful butterscotch taste without being too sweet.

If you want the swirl: Add about 1 tsp butterscotch syrup per cup and give a little stir to mix it in.

Bake cupcakes 20-22 minutes.

Let cool completely before frosting!!

Butterscotch Frosting:
Makes more than enough for a dozen cupcakes

What you need:
1/2 cups Earth Balance
1/4 cups cream cheese
1/2 cup butterscotch syrup
1 TBS vanilla
1 tsp butter flavoring
4-5 cups powdered sugar
Splash of milk or cream soda, if needed.

What you do:
Cream together butter and butterscotch. Add the extracts, and then add sugar in batches.

Beat until fluffy.

If it’s too stiff, use some milk or cream soda until you reach the proper consistency.