When I posted the recipe for these egg free vanilla cupcakes, I never thought that any other cupcake recipe can even come closer to that one. I was so ecstatic that I have found the best eggless vanilla cupcake recipe. But the only drawback was that it used Ener-G egg replacer powder and it's not easily available in all parts of the world and many of the readers were asking me for a substitute for Ener-G.
Also, people who tried it with Ener-G gave mixed reviews. I have tried it a couple of times now, and I have gotten it right each time, but I understand that not everybody is able to get it perfect.
I was working on finding another recipe for vanilla cupcakes that use easily available ingredients. I tried a couple of recipes but was not satisfied with any of them. That is when I decided to try this eggless vanilla cake recipe. Another reason for deciding to use that recipe was that some of the readers wanted a substitute for condensed milk in that recipe.
So, I used the vanilla cake recipe as a base, made a couple of variations, and baked it twice to get the right combination. I have to say that I'm completely satisfied with the results. If you love orange-scented eggless vanilla cupcakes, I'm pretty sure that you would love these orange cookies, too! Do give it a try.
Recipe
Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 and ½ cups Cake Flour
- ¾ cup White Sugar
- 1 and ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ tablespoon Orange Zest Zest of about 3 oranges
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup Milk See My Notes
- ¾ cup Orange Juice Freshly squeezed, See My Notes
- ½ cup Butter Melted
- 1 tablespoon Vinegar I used apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
Substitutions:
- Cake Flour = 2 and â…” cups of all purpose flour + 5 tablespoons of cornstarch
- Milk = Evaporated Whole or 2%; non-dairy for vegans
- Melted Butter = Oil or melted margarine
- Apple cider vinegar = White vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C for 15 minutes. Prepare muffin tins either by lightly greasing it with cooking spray or line it with paper liners.
- In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients and make a well.
- Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry mix one by one, stirring with a whisk simultaneously. Don't be bothered by some small lumps. Do not be tempted to dissolve the lumps by mixing the batter with an electric beater. (See My Notes)
- Fill each muffin cup ¾th full, which is about 3 tablespoons of batter for each cupcake. Bake for about 13-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Mine was done in 14 minutes. But note that my oven usually bakes quicker than the time mentioned in a recipe by at least 3-5 minutes.
- Remove the pan/s from the oven and allow it cool for about 5 minutes on a cooling rack. Then take out the cupcakes from the pan and let it cool on the rack completely before frosting, if you decide to.
My Notes
- I have tried this recipe using cake flour only. I have not tried it using the substitution I have mentioned. All purpose flour plus some cornstarch is the general substitution for cake flour. So I'm not sure about the texture of the cupcakes using this substitution.
- So far I have tested this recipe twice. The first time I used evaporated milk (unsweetened condensed milk) and the 2nd time I used 2% milk. I personally liked the cupcakes baked using evaporated milk. It was richer and lighter than the 2% milk cupcakes.
- I have mentioned it in many of my recipes and I'm mentioning it here again; use only freshly squeezed orange juice while baking. Store bought juice in cartons lends a bitter after taste in baked goods. That's my personal observation.
- Also the first time I just used ½ a cup of sugar and felt that the sweetness was very mild. It was okay for us who usually prefer mildly sweet treats. The 2nd time I increased the quantity to ¾th cup. ½ cup sugar is perfectly okay if you are going to frost/slather it with frosting.
- My personal experience has shown me that cake flour and electric beater are not compatible. I tried the Ener-G eggless vanilla cupcakes twice using cake flour and mixing the batter with a beater and ended up with cupcakes which sunk more than the Titanic. The cupcakes looked very pitiful. So please avoid the temptation to use an electric beater while preparing the batter in these recipes, especially with cake flour.
- Update: I tried a vegan version of this vanilla cupcake recipe for my son's birthday and it came out very well. I used 1 and ¾ cups of almond milk in place of the milk and orange juice. I also substituted ½ cup melted butter with coconut oil. I did use cake flour and the cakes turned out light, fluffy and tasted awesome. I got about 3 dozen mini cupcakes for this recipe.
Taste & Texture
Nutrition
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shelli says
i just made these and my batter was very wet and i got 23 cupcakes. I double checked recipe and i followed it to letter. i compared to other vegan recipes and the OJ was a lot more liquid with no more dry to match. they tasted good but didn't rise hardly at all...
Madhuram says
Hmm..I have made this recipe the most number of times and never had problem with it not rising or getting as many cupcakes like you have mentioned. All I can request you to do is to please check the measurements.
Dhivya says
Hi,
I tried this recipe(eggless cupcake) for the very first time and it came out to be a super hit one. I am very scared to bake more than appearing for exams. At first, I even got shivers to think about baking but I badly wanted to bake all by myself for my son's birthday. Fortunately, your recipe helped me a lot. Can I use the same recipe to bake a cake? I tried the cake recipe you had posted, but, I'm not quite awake why it turned out so dry and not so fluffy. If you can help me out to tweak this cupcake recipe for a cake, it would be much easier for scary people like me. 🙂
A big thanks to you.
Madhuram says
Thank you very much for the feedback Dhivya. Yes you can bake the same recipe as cake too. Just the baking time will differ based on the size of the pan you are using.
Aneesa says
Hi
Does using the orange and zest and juice give it a very orange flavour? I want to make vanilla cupcakes with no other flavours. Do i need to add more milk if i omit the orange juice? Thank you!
Madhuram says
Yes it does give the flavour but it's pleasant and nice. You can simply add milk instead of it.
Kelly says
Hi. I need to omit the orange. Should I replace this with water or another liquid or just leave it out without putting anything in in its place? Thank you.
Madhuram says
You can use water or milk.
Bettina says
Can I use this recipe in a cake tin? How long would the bake time be? Cheers
Madhuram says
Yes you can. I'm thinking between 25-35 minutes maybe.
Moka says
Love this cupcake. It's a keeper! Made so many times already and never failed. No fail recipe!
Madhuram says
Thanks for the feedback Moka. 🙂
Trisha says
Hi there do I have to use the orange zest and juice,can I just cut that out from the recipe? And make the cupcakes with the rest of the ingredients.
Madhuram says
Yes you can.
Marilena says
Thank you thank you thank you! You saved my daughter's birthday! This is the most delicious eggless cake recipe I've found and the cake doesn't fall apart when eating it. What would you recommend to turn this recipe into a chocolate cupcake recipe? Thanks again.
Madhuram says
You're very welcome Marilena. You may choose to use 3/4ths cup of cocoa powder instead of all-purpose flour or just choose any of my chocolate cake/cupcake recipes.
Bhem says
I will try this tomorrow. Is there any other fruit that can be used in replace of orange? Thank you
Madhuram says
Lemon probably.
Steph says
I thought I would try making eggless cupcakes because I didn't have any at home and now I have no intentions at all of using any other recipe but this! It's AMAZING! My cakes turned out light and fluffy and incredibly delicious. (Although, I added blueberries instead of oranges.) Thank you so much!!! 🙂
Madhuram says
Thank you for the wonderful feedback, Steph.
D says
I just tried this recipe....am in love with it.
Madhuram says
Thanks D 🙂
Chandani khandelwal says
Hi...
Can I make evaporated milk at home? If yes..pls tell me how...I live in india...I tryed to get evaporated milk in stores but I m not getting it.
Thank you
Madhuram says
Use high fat milk instead of evaporated milk Chandani. 🙂
Celine says
Thank you for this eggless cupcake recipe which does not taste like soap!
I made it in the past successfully using the substitution you suggest for cake flour - I was wondering if have you used gluten free flour? Did you add some xanthan gum? I need to cater for gluten and egg free allergies.
Madhuram says
Thanks Celine. I haven't tried this recipe with gluten-free flour.
Shaila says
Hi, i wrote in in Nov and i'm back again to ask you something else 🙂 if i want to replace the orange juice with lemon juice, could you tell me the quantity please and instead of lemon zest, i prefer to use this wonderful lemon flavouring that i have. What would the quantity be for that ?
Madhuram says
Sorry that I missed your question earlier. I'm thinking adding too much lemon juice will make it too sour. So maybe just 1/4 cup should be fine and some of the lemon flavoring. I guess you have to try and see how it is because can't tell for sure because haven't used neither in this recipe.
bhagyesh says
Hi,
Can this recipe be made without oranges as I am allergic to oranges
Please reply asap
Madhuram says
Yes you can make it without oranges.
SM says
Hi,
Thank you so much for all the eggless recipes. Can I use Betty Crocker or other brand premix cake flour? Will that turn out good?
Madhuram says
Yes you can bake with store bought cake mix. 1/4 cup of yogurt can be used for each egg to be replaced.
Lynn says
OMG! thank you! thank you! thank you! I've been looking and searching and I've found the best eggless vanilla cupcakes ever. I had to make some for a friend and decided to also bake some for myself. Well they're absolutely delicious! They would have been even more better(if that's possible lol) I'm sure if I had 3 oranges and the whole amount of orange juice. I only had one orange & some fresh pineapple juice to make up the for the rest of fresh orange juice that I didn't have. They are fantastic! Who would have thought an eggless cupcake could be so good.
Madhuram says
Thank you very much for such a great feedback Lynn. You have made my day. 🙂
Nicole says
This makes 15 right?
Madhuram says
Yes Nicole.
Sophie says
I just love this cupcakes thank you! I've made a few egg free cupcake recipes now, and these are definitely the best. Just hoping now they freeze well, so that I can pull out when needed for my Daughter at parties.
Madhuram says
Thank you very much Sophie.
Nandanie says
Why do you use vinegar in the recipe??
Madhuram says
It's used as an egg substitute to give the cake/cupcake the rise and lightness.
Michelle says
If using this recipe for a 6 or 8 inch cake, how long do I cook it and at what temperature?
Madhuram says
This recipe will yield two 8 inch cakes. I think the batter will be more for 6 inch cakes. For the 8 inch cake you may want to bake for 20-25 mins maybe.
kumisha says
Hi! Enjoy ur recipes! Do u have an eggless orange cake recipe? Tq.
Bri Washington says
I'm also allergic to milk can I use water instead of milk?
Madhuram says
How about non-dairy milk like soy, almond or rice milk?
Randy says
Hi,
You have mentioned in the notes that Cake flour and electric beaters do not go well while trying this cake.
How else do you mix or beat the batter? By hand?? please clarify soon as i cant wait to try this for my hubby who wants eggless cakes!!
TIA
Madhuram says
Yes, just mix it with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Shaila says
I tried this as I have been looking for a nice eggless cupcake recipe and I have just one word for it. Amazing !!! thank you heaps for such a lovely recipe. Until this recipe, I have been unable to find good eggless cupcake recipes which have the same texture and consistency as cake. These are amazing. Thank you so much 🙂
If I want to make this ahead of time for a function, what is the best way to store it frosted ?
Madhuram says
You're welcome Shaila. I usually bake it just a day ahead and store it on the counter itself. But if I remember right some of the readers have tried freezing it in advance, thaw it and then frost it.
Sandra says
How much in advance can the cupcakes be made for a party . Also can they be refrigerated?
Madhuram says
Some of the readers have mentioned that they have baked it at least a week in advance, stored it in the freezer and then thawed before frosting, but I have not tried it so far.
Tejaswi Parande says
Hi,
I do want to try out this recipe, I am wondering if we could use soy milk??
Madhuram says
It will work out Tejaswi. But I personally avoid using soy milk because I feel that it gives a rubbery texture. So I either use rice milk or almond milk.
Jyothi says
Hi,
Can I make this without orange zest/juice. What should I use instead of orange Juice
Madhuram says
Orange juice and zest gives a nice flavor, but you can simply replace it with equal quantity of milk.
sahab pyari says
What changes I do to cook these muffins for using microwave in place of Oven ?
Madhuram says
I'm not sure Sahab because I have not baked in a microwave oven.
diana says
i made these today, they were awesome, will be making them again for sure
Madhuram says
Thank you very much for the feeback Diana.
Wiley says
Wonderful taste and not gummy or too sweet. I used the evaporated milk option. Thank you.
Madhuram says
You're welcome Wiley.
Wiley says
Thank you! Thank you for trying and publishing a wonderful egg-free cupcake recipe. Previous recipes were too gummy and too sweet and this recipe is neither. The kids loved them. I was worried about the orange flavor being too strong but the cupcakes were loved by all and the kids asked for seconds. Again, thank you!
Madhuram says
You're very welcome Wiley.
Geetha says
Thanks again. They turned out perfectly.
Lorcán says
I tried this yesterday as I needed cupcakes at short notice and had no eggs.
The Texture of the batter gave me a fright, I had expected it to be less liquid.
But wow! They were fantastic.
Thanks.
Madhuram says
You're welcome Lorcan.
Barbara says
Made cupcakes for my daughter's birthday. She is allergic to eggs. This are by far the best cupcakes I have ever tried. Loved the orange zest! 5 Stars!
Madhuram says
Thanks a lot Barbara.
harsha says
Hi, I have been looking for egg less cake recipe for a while now. I am going to try it thank you to sharing recipe with us.
Chelsea says
Hi there,
I am a Nanny, and looking to bake a cake for 25 kids and 4 adults for a combined birthday party for the kids I look after. There is an egg and nut allergy. Worried this recipe will crumble like others have. Will it be ok if I double the reciepe for a rectangle pan... I am not sure on the size. I wanted to make a two tier rectangle cake would that be 13x9
Thanks!!
Madhuram says
Yes you would have to double the recipe for two 13x9 inch pans. I have never had any problems with this recipe. You should be fine. But I'm thinking you will have to make the pieces quite small for feeding so many people. I'm not sure about it because I have not baked for so many people.
sowmya says
Hi Madhu,
I am using this recipe for a rainbow cake for my son. I will be baking it at night and storing it till morning before icing. Whats the best way to store it so it retains its moistness ?
Madhuram says
I'm sorry for the late reply Sowmya. Use some sugar syrup coating on the cake to keep it moist.
sowmya says
Hi Madhu,
I am planning to use this recipe for my son's 4th birthday cake. He wants a rainbow cake with whipped cream so I'm planning to bake it the night before and whip up the cream in the morning and decorate it. The cake will be cut around late afternoon. So it's almost 3/4 day after the cake is baked. What is the best way to store it? Thanks.
Madhuram says
Simply store it in a cake carrier and leave it on the counter itself. If you have time do the extra step of brushing the cakes with sugar syrup before frosting to keep it even more moist.
sowmya says
Will covering in plastic wrap do also, after sugar syrup coating? Thanks!
Madhuram says
I usually brush the cake with sugar syrup and store it in my cake carrier. I have not tried wrapping it after the coating.
Alissa says
Great eggless recipe! I made these for my son's second birthday as he's allergic to egg. The is certainly the best recipe I've used so far. The rest of us liked them as well, and you can't tell the recipe is vegetarian. I followed the recipe exactly as suggested, using cake flour and evaporated milk. I plan on putting the extras in the freezer to take to other birthday parties, etc. for him so that he will have a safe dessert to eat that's no-stress for me. Thanks!
Madhuram says
Thank you very much Alissa.
Nirusha Routho says
Hello,
I tried the cake and it came out perfect. It is really a relief to get a accurate vegetarian recipe as yours. Just a small query, if want to double the number of cupcakes? what do I do? Can I double the given amount of ingredients and follow the same instructions? or should I do it in different batches?
Please advice/ Thanks
Madhuram says
Thanks for the feedback Nirusha. Yes you have to double the recipe and bake it in 2 batches either separately or together if you have 2 muffin tins. In that case, you would have to rotate the pans halfway through, to ensure even baking. By rotating I mean putting the pan on the middle shelf on the bottom and the vice versa.
Sowmya says
I just finished making this cake. My first attempt at an eggless cake and it came out beautifully. I wanted to make a three tier cake, so I halfed all the quantities (direct half) and it worked very well. I also used all purpose flour instead of cake flour. I used the following rule for substitution-1 cup cake flour= 1 cup of all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons
Thanks!
Madhuram says
You're welcome Sowmya. I'm glad that it worked out for you.
Tina says
Hi, I have tried this recpie and my grandad loves it and I want to make this cupcake mix into a a full sized cake, is it possible and if so what sized cake pan?
Madhuram says
You can make two 8/9 inch layers or one 13x9 inch cake.
Bee says
Hi,
I followed your instructions exactly and used cake flour but the cakes sunk a little in the middle and didn't look like the finished product in the picture. Should I just use all purpose flour instead of cake flour? Will that produce a better cake?
Thanks
Bee
Madhuram says
What I notice is while using cake flour it is better to mix the batter with a wooden spatula or spoon instead of beating it with an electric blender. Because beating it too much with the beater makes the cake sink.
JEYASRI says
VERY NICE..... I LOVE THIS
Vijoo says
Hi Madhuram
Can I convert this to a cake recipe? If yes, how much would it yield? Thanks
Madhuram says
One 9x13 inch cake or two 8-inch cakes.
Vijoo says
Hi Madhuram
Have you had any problems with a electric mixer and AP flour?
I just read your comment here and I think that's why my pumpkin cupcakes sunk when I baked them. Instead of using AP flour I had used cake flour.
Madhuram says
I usually get sinking cupcakes when I use cake flour and beat it too much but not with all-purpose flour.
Savannah says
Hi There, I just made this cake. I used the all purpose flour and corn starch substitute(and oil, and almond milk, and lemon instead) and the batter came out VERY wet. I thought I would just leave it for the first time since I have never made this recipe before. I baked it until the tooth pick came out clean, but when I took it out of the pan to cool the bottom was still very wet, cooked, but wet.
Is the batter always so liquidy or should I add more flour next time?
Madhuram says
I don't remember the batter or the cupcakes being as wet as you have mentioned. I'm unable to pinpoint what the mistake is. All I can say is just go over the recipe and see if you could have messed up with the measurements accidentally.
Sim says
Do I have to use orange zest?
Any substitute for lemon juice?
Madhuram says
Orange zest gives a good citrussy flavor. Do you mean orange juice? I have not used lemon juice in the recipe. If you don't want to use orange juice just add water/milk.
Sarah says
Delicious!
I used raw sugar instead of white and had no butter so used coconut oil, which worked really well with the orange.
I also used pure crushed vanilla bean instead of essence.
Thanks for a gorgeous and delicious recipe!
P.S. I made icing using cream cheese, more vanilla bean, raw sugar and butter.
Madhuram says
You're welcome Sarah.