Sparks are flying over here.
You are looking at purely vegan lemon cupcakes with vegan cream cheese frosting. Pure vegan cream cheese frosting? Oh my stars. When there’s no dairy, eggs or unhealthy sugars- it calls for celebration! There’s not even any soy “cream cheese” products in these! Healthy cupcakes like these are going to light your fire. Especially if you find cute little cupcake wrappers to use them with. Ones that scream “Happy 4th of July!” will kick-start your holiday.
Some people don’t love super lemony flavored treats. These are the perfect balance of citrus flavor and sweetness. These lemon cupcakes are not overpowering. Most the lemon flavor comes from the cupcake and the frosting has the most subtle hint of lemon -so it’s pretty versatile! And let’s talk about the color. Bright, light frosting on lovely yellow cakes. Perfect for summer because the color of these cupcakes won’t take away from all that red, white and blue!
Vegan Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon “Cream Cheese” Frosting
Print Recipe
Lemon Cupcakes:
1 3/4 cup Spelt Flour
1 cup Powdered Honey (or coconut sugar for strict vegans)
1/2 teaspoon Sea or Pink Salt
1 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon Almond Milk
1/2 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Neutral Oil
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Zest
In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Combine the almond milk with the lemon juice in a small dish. Add the milk/lemon mixture to the dry ingredients with the oil, vanilla and lemon zest. Gently mix to combine. Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to fill the pan. Fill the prepared cupcake wrappers almost all the way full. These will puff up the best when more than 3/4 the way full. Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 cup Earth Balance Butter
1/3 cup Coconut Butter
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 cups Powdered Xylitol
1 Tablespoon Spelt Flour
1- 2 Tablespoons Almond Milk, to desired consistency
In a mixing bowl, beat the earth balance butter and coconut butter. Mix until well combined. Add all the other ingredients except milk and beat until smooth – it may become a little crumbly or chunky looking. Add almond milk slowly and beat until smooth and silky or to desired consistency. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes. Store in an airtight container in a cool place.
Yields 12 cupcakes and about 1 1/2 cups of frosting.
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Margaret says
Hi, there. Found you searching for “natural cream cheese frosting” and was delighted to find your website! I am unfamiliar with Xylitol, so googled that and found some unsettling information. Do you have any concerns about the process by which it’s made, or any of the side effects that others have written about?
Thanks very much.
Annie says
Hi Margaret,
There are some controversies with using sugar alcohol’s like xylitol. In our studies, we have come to the conclusion that a moderate amount of this sweetener is completely safe and healthy. We wrote a post about some of these benefits on xylitol here:
http://www.naturalsweetrecipes.com/xylitol-what-to-know/
In regards to some of the negative claims, we are not sure all of them have valid ground. BUT we are always open to new studies and information and as such, we take them into consideration and use this sweetener moderately. It is not as nutrient dense as other sweeteners and actually doesn’t bake up like regular sugar, it is not our first sought after sugar. However, we do believe there are some benefits to using it occasionally, which we have shared in the link above. I hope this helps answer some of your concerns! Thank you for the questions. :)
Hannah says
What dreamy little lemon cakes! I’ve never worked with xylitol before, but that creamy frosting has me very intrigued. I’m really inspired by your recipe, since there still aren’t many resources out there for naturally sweetened desserts.
Reba - Not So Perfect Life says
This cupcake recipe was made for me… I love lemons! Glad I found your blog!
Chelsea says
Thank you, Reba! Welcome! :)
Britney says
I love cream cheese frosting!! I hope these taste like lemon cheesecake.
Julia {The Roasted Root} says
These look so good! I love the vegan cream cheese frosting – definitely a more healthful alternative to a tasty topping! Have a happy 4th!
Chelsea says
Thanks! It surprised us how much the cream cheese frosting tasted like real cream cheese. It’s good to know we don’t need to give it up even if we are giving up dairy. :)
Kelly @ hidden fruits and veggies says
Lemon = my favorite flavor. The frosting sounds amazing with coconut butter, too.