Blueberry Cupcakes with Tangy Lemon Frosting

This Easter was my first spent with Nick’s family. At my family’s Easter, I’ve always been the odd-duckling out with my food intolerances and pretty much just eat what I can- not always so exciting. But Nick’s family is a little different, and I think we all laughed when we saw the email stating everyone’s food allergies/intolerances. We had: gluten-free, nut-free, seafood-free, no meat, peanut-free, dairy-free, vegan. That’s quite the challenge, even for a trained chef!

I decided early on I would bring something both Nick and I could have as our entree, and making a gluten-free vegan dish nut-free wasn’t too hard. But when it came to dessert… that one stumped me. I usually use at least a bit of almond milk in my desserts, and nut flours are a staple around these parts. But for this dessert I had to stay away from anything remotely nutty, so the challenge was on.

I had a vision of a pretty spring cupcake, something light and fruity to go with the changing season, a fresh, bright dessert to mimic the warm air and budding flowers of spring. That is, if spring ever decides to arrive in Southern Ontario.

I started envisioning something with Easter colors- but I didn’t want to use food coloring. So with the help of some tiny wild blueberries and nearly eight lemons, I came up with one of my best cupcake recipes yet: blueberry with tangy lemon frosting. This isn’t the healthiest recipe, I will admit that. But for a treat? They’re perfect. Light, bright and mildly sweet, they provide a hint of spring in what seems like a very, very long winter.

Blueberry Cupcakes with Tangy Lemon Frosting 
(Gluten-free, Vegan, Nut/Peanut-free)

Blueberry Cupcakes 

2 cups gluten-free All Purpose flour
1 cup unrefined cane sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 cup rice or soy milk
1 chia “egg” (1 tbsp milled chia, 1/4 cup water)
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup frozen wild blueberries, slightly defrosted

1 batch Tangy lemon frosting (recipe below)
Fresh blueberries for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

2. Mix dry ingredients well in a large bowl.

3. Whisk wet ingredients up to lemon juice in a  medium bowl. Add wet to dry, stir to combine.

4. Stir in blueberries and lightly stir until they turn the batter a slightly blue tinge.

5. Spoon batter into muffin cups, about 1/2-3/4 of the way full. Bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

6. Let cool in pan for about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack completely before frosting. While cupcakes are cooling, prepare frosting.

Tangy lemon frosting

1/2 cup non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
6 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
zest of two lemons

1. Beat margarine with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add in powdered sugar, lemon juice and vanilla slowly until they form a frosting-like consistency. Beat in lemon zest.

2. Using a pastry bag or a plastic bag with a metal tip, pipe frosting on top of cooled cupcakes. Add blueberries to garnish, if desired.

Don’t forget to share with your family!

xo

Tagged as: cupcake, dessert, holidays, spring, treats, vegan