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Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Hailey Welch
|Updated May 26, 2020
@natalie.naturally

While you're at home practicing your baking skills, these vegan lemon poppyseed cupcakes are a delicious and easy recipe to add to your repertoire. You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry so you can save yourself a trip to the grocery store. These cupcakes have a tangy lemon taste and a decadent, creamy 'creamless' frosting. I like to save some extra frosting in a container and use it as a topping for cookies, banana bread, and other sweet treats. If you take chocolate wafers and smother the cream cheese frosting onto them, it tastes just like an oreo.

Recipe Developer: Natalie Penney, @natalie.naturally 

Why we love it:  The sun is shining and the weather is warming up, it's time to add citrus to your water and baked goods. These lemon poppy seed cupcakes will be your go-to summer dessert.

Make it for: A spring or summer picnic, even if it's just in the back yard. Before you start baking, grab your muffin tins and set your oven to 345°F. Plan to spend a day in the sunshine on a checkered blanket and indulge in the sweet taste of these sinful vegan cupcakes. Serve the cupcakes with shaved lemon peels for a zesty presentation, or top them with a small lemon peel.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time: 25-30 minutes

Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 12 cupcakes 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar/lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 1 ½ cups plain flour
  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ cup vegan butter of choice
  • 1 tbsp. poppy seeds

Frosting

  • 1 1/4 cup of vegan cream cheese
  • 1 cup of coconut yogurt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ cup icing sieved
  • Zest and Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 lemon sliced as thin as possible ideally with a mandolin to garnish
  • 1 tsp poppy seeds plus some extra to sprinkle on to finish

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 347°F/ 175°. Line a 12 muffin tin with muffin cases.
  2. In a bowl combine the milk, apple cider vinegar/lemon juiced, and set aside.
  3. In a free-standing or handheld mixer cream the vegan butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
  4. Sieve in the flour, baking powder and bicarb in stages, alternating between the milk, beating continuously until it’s all combined.
    Finally, fold through the lemon zest and poppy seeds.
  5. Fill the muffin cases ¾ full and bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden and a skewer comes out clean.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
  7. Place the cream cheese, coconut yogurt, vanilla extract, and lemon juice in the bowl of a free-standing mixer, and whisk until smooth, add in the icing sugar and zest and continue whisking for a minute or two. Finally, fold through the poppy seeds. When its ready place in the fridge to firm up whilst the cupcakes are cooling.
  8. I placed mine in an icing bag before I put it in the fridge, but you can easily frost by hand.
  9. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, ice as you wish and sprinkle with some extra poppy seeds and a slice of lemon.

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