Eggless Vanilla Cupcakes: Eureka! Eureka! I'm very happy to let you all know that I have found something that I have been looking for the past 3 years. I really cannot contain my excitement!
I guess you all are wondering what I'm talking about. If you were like me you too will join me to celebrate the discovery of an amazing recipe for eggless vanilla cupcakes.
You guys cannot believe how many recipes I have tried so far to find the perfect eggless white/vanilla cake. Now I can confidently tell you that my search has ended. This is it!
Many many thanks to Colleen Patrick - Goudreau for creating this awesome vanilla cupcake recipe. I found this in her Joy of Vegan Baking cookbook.
I had bookmarked this nearly 2 years back but got a chance to try it only this week.
I wish I had tried it earlier which would have saved me a lot of time and ingredients. I'm glad that I baked it at least now.
As the original recipe is vegan, I substituted dairy butter for the vegan butter and 2% milk for the non-dairy milk. Other than that I followed the original recipe. I cannot wait to try the vegan version too.
The version I tried with butter gave the cupcakes a very good buttery flavor. Other than the few minor changes I have suggested in the My Notes section, I wouldn't change anything else about the recipe. This is a keeper.
Do try it and I'm sure you are going to get a ton of compliments. For the frosting I followed the vegan buttercream icing recipe but used all butter instead of shortening.
How to make eggless vanilla cupcakes?
1. Preheat the oven at 375F/190C for 15 minutes. Grease the muffin tins lightly or line it with paper liners. I brushed the inside of the liners with melted butter which gave a nice color on the sides of the cupcakes.
2. Whip the egg replacer powder and 3 tablespoons of water, preferably in a blender for better results. Or just do it hand. The mixture should be frothy.
3. Add the milk and ¼ cup of water to the egg replacer mixture and stir it well.
4. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set it aside.
5. In another large bowl, put the melted butter.
6. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This may take up to 2-3 minutes.
7. Add the vanilla extract and remaining ¼ cup of water, and beat well.
8. Add the flour mixture and the egg replacer/milk mixture in parts alternating. (See My Notes). Beat until combined.
10. Fill in the muffin cups ¾th full and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Mine was done around 24 minutes (See My Notes).
11. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Then apply frosting as needed.
If you tried this Vanilla Cupcakes recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
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Recipe
Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer powder
- 3 tablespoons lukewarm water
- 1 and ¾ cups Milk (I used 2%)
- ½ cup Water, divided
- ½ cup Butter, melted
- 1 and ¼ cups Sugar (See Notes)
- 1 and ½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract (See My Notes)
- 2 and ½ cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 and ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 375F/190C for 15 minutes. Grease the muffin tins lightly or line it with paper liners. I brushed the inside of the liners with melted butter which gave a nice color on the sides of the cupcakes
- Whip the egg replacer powder and 3 tablespoons of water, preferably in a blender for better results. Or just do it hand. The mixture should be frothy.
- Add the milk and ¼ cup of water to the egg replacer mixture and stir it well.
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set it aside.
- In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This may take upto 2-3 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract and remaining ¼ cup of water, and beat well.
- Add the flour mixture and the egg replacer/milk mixture in parts alternating. (See My Notes)
- Beat until combined.
- Fill in the muffin cups ¾th full and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Mine was done around 24 minutes (See My Notes).
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
My Notes
- The original recipe called for 1 and ½ cups of sugar and that's what I used too and we felt that the cupcakes were very sweet. So I would definitely recommend to scale it down to 1 and ¼ cups, especially if you are going to frost it.
- I would increase the quantity of vanilla extract to 2 teaspoons.
- The original recipe mentioned to "just" mix together the flour and the egg replacer mixture with the creamed butter and sugar. I did the same (even though I was thinking at the back of my mind that I should not) and the batter had a lot of small lumps. Had I done that in parts alternating between the flour and milk mixture I could have avoided the lumps and would have got a smooth batter. I was hesitant to beat the mixture further to dissolve the lumps fearing it would toughen the cupcake. I expected the lumps to dissolve while baking but it did show up in the cupcakes but fortunately, it did not mess up with the taste or texture.
- The toothpick came out clean at the 24th minute but I left the cupcakes in the oven for another minute or so, which I think slightly hardened the tops. But it softened after a couple of hours. Anyhow the next time I try these I will check for doneness around the 22nd minute itself.
- I'm also thinking of using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour when I try it the next time. I think it will give even softer cupcakes.
- The serving size mentioned in the original recipe was 10-12 cupcakes but I got about 15.
Amanda says
I made this today...my daughter is allergic to eggs and I am always looking for new recipes, I have been in search of the perfect vanilla cake recipe. I got 26 cupcakes out of this recipe. I filled the cups 3/4 the way full (as directed) and got almost double what you did, how did that happen? I can't figure it out.
I baked them for 15 minutes and checked them, they probably should have been taken out at 13 minutes.
It is definitely lighter and fluffier than I expected...my egg-free recipes seem dense and thick.
I have yet to frost them and taste...but so far just plain they are pretty good!
Madhuram says
Amanda, this recipe has a mood of it's own I guess because I too tried it again, used cake flour instead of all purpose flour and used an electric beater for the entire process and got a very watery batter and must have easily got 20 cupcakes. The cupcakes also turned out very flat, so I had to redo the batch because it was for somebody else. So this time I used all purpose flour and just a whisk to mix the ingredients and it came out so beautifully and just 12 cupcakes. I have to update this info in the recipe. Thanks for the reminder.
ramona says
Thank you for this recipe! I have made it twice now. I use flax meal softened in boiling water and then whipped with the milk instead of the ener-g replacer. I've made them once with Yuzu zest and juice and the other time I added blackberry seedless puree. They turned out amazing each time. Thank you again! I am so excited to find such a tasty recipe that actually hold together. At my girls party, I literally had people asking to take cupcakes home with them!
Madhuram says
You're welcome Ramona and thanks for rating the recipe. How much of flaxseed meal did you use for this recipe? Did you replace it measure by measure for Ener-G or used the usual 1 tablespoon and 3 tablespoons water method?
ramona says
Oh, I forgot! I also added about a teaspoon of arrowroot starch to the flax meal mixture. I'm attempting this recipe today with coconut milk and oil instead of milk and butter. A child in dd's class has milk allergies. We added fresh strawberries, and with the oiliness of the coconut milk (I just used canned coconut creme thinned out with water), I added a 1/4 cup more flour. It ended up making 24 cupcakes! we'll see how they turn out. They're halfway done baking 🙂
Shubhangi says
Hi,
Can I use vanilla essence instead of vanilla extract?
Madhuram says
Yes Shubhangi.
h m says
hi i have surfing ur web for a while n js wondering if i could use anything besides egg replacer, if so how much?
Madhuram says
If you go through the comments you can see that some of them of got it right even without the egg replacer and some have used yogurt (about 1/4 maybe) instead. But I haven't tried both these.
anna says
hi...
wondering whether I could just use your eggless vanila cake receipe and pour the mixture into muffin cups to make it into cup cakes.
this is because I'm very new with baking, only started baking due to son's egg allergy. I think your eggless vanila cake receipe is a lot simpler to follow than this one, thus the question to see if that'll be ok. Thanks! anna
Madhuram says
Yes Anna. Any cake recipe can be baked as cupcakes. That being said, this recipe (if followed right) gives you a fluffier, lighter cake than the Eggless Vanilla cake recipe. I would try that cake recipe if I didn't have Ener-G egg replacer.
Viji says
Hi,
Can you please tell me if I can use egg white instead of ener-g.
If so what is the amount?
Thanks
Madhuram says
I don't anything about baking with eggs, but my guess is 2 egg whites maybe?
Mina says
I tried the recipe, but I didn't have any egg substitute, so I just followed through the recipe without it and without any water. The cupcakse still came out great!
Madhuram says
That's great to know Mina.
Crystal says
could i use buttermilk instead of egg replacer?
Madhuram says
I read some of the comments here and see that somebody has used yogurt and the cupcakes have turned out well. Another visitor (Mina) has not used any egg substitute at all and still the cupcakes has turned out good she claims. So give it a try but I haven't tried it myself.
Nealm says
Hi Madhuram, I came across your site by chance while surfing for a good eggless cupcake recipe. I had to try this recipe straight away and have just taken my cupcakes out of the oven and they are absolutely yummy! They turned out to be very moist, light and fluffy. The only thing I noticed was that just before taking them out of the oven they had risen quiet well, but once out they flattened and very slightly dipped in the middle. Could I have prevented this? Excellent site, I will be trying many more recipes.
Thanks : - )
Madhuram says
Thanks for trying the recipe Nealm. There are many reasons for cakes/cupcakes to sink in the middle, from overbeating the batter, to underbaking, filling the tin with too much batter, using quite old baking powder/soda, opening the door of the oven quite often. Do you think it could be one of the reasons I have mentioned?
Gurpreet says
Hi,
I have been trying to ding EnerG egg replacer powder in the supermarkets however wherever I go they tell me they don't stock any. Do you know where I can get hold of it from?
Many Thanks in advance
Madhuram says
Did you try Whole Foods? Or order it through Amazon.com
Radha says
I followed your recipe except instead of EnerG I used half cup of home made curd. The recipe turned out wonderful and everybody loved it.
Thanks
Madhuram says
Thanks Radha. It's nice to know that yogurt works well in this recipe. There are so many of them who keep asking me what to use instead of Ener-G. I'll also try it once and see how it turns out. Also do rate the recipe.
Carolyn says
Do you think this will work as a sheet cake? I'm thinking of doing a half sized sheet cake. Thanks!
Madhuram says
I think it should Carolyn. The author did mention about baking it as a cake as well.
KK says
Is there a way of using silken tofu here rather than Ener-G powder? If so, how much? I have some left in the fridge that I need to use up. Also, I've tried your chocolate cake with tofu and got great results.
Thank you! 🙂
Madhuram says
I don't think it will turn out as great as the ones using EnerG because tofu will give it a dense/moist texture rather than a light/fluffy texture.
Simone says
I tried this recipe in Vanilla and made my own chocolate variant with half of the batter.
The vanilla turned out very sticky to the liner (didnt butter them as this normally isnt needed).. The chocolate ones became perfect.
Fluffy and bouncy 🙂 I will share the recipe here..
Proceed to make everything upto the melting butter.
Add chocolate to the butter, I added about 50 grams pure chocolate (50% I guess) melt it together then add it to the sugar in a bowl.
Mix butter chocolate mix with the remaining water and then add the milk, vanilla extract, mix that well then mix in the flour, mix well and divide batter in the molds. 3/4 and a bit full.
I had to bake it for 30 minutes but as the recipe above says 20 -30 minutes on 190 degrees should work.
I givethe recipe 4 stars for sticking to the filler, but it was tasting good.
Simone says
So I added 50 grams of chocolate for half the batter, if you want to make everything in chocolate add about 100 grams. Plus I also forgot to say I added 1 tablespoon of dutch cacaopowder. Its not neccesairy ( I made something similar before without the powder) but I like it extra chocolaty 😉
Madhuram says
Thanks for the feedback Simone. I too will try the chocolate version.
subashree says
Madhuram,
My daughter has nut and egg allergies and i tried this. it came out just fantastic! thanks so much for helping put a big smile on my daughter's face! baking this for the second time in 10 days. tonight's batch is for halloween party at school
suba
Madhuram says
Thanks for giving it a try Subashree. I'm very happy that your daughter will be able to enjoy these cupcakes.
khushi says
fantastic recipe!! my husband and son loved them! thanks for sharing! x
Madhuram says
You're welcome Khushi.
sushma says
what do you mean by "1/2 cup Water, divided"
Madhuram says
You will notice in the procedure that the 1/2 cup of water is used in two parts. Once in step 3 and again in step 6.
Maurya says
Send me chocolate cup cake recepie
Maurya says
Were do u get ener-g
Madhuram says
http://www.ener-g.com/where/
Angel says
Hi,
I tried this recipe today, and by far its the best eggless cake recipe i haave tried, and i have tried a few.
i used 1% milk, and i used your exact recipe, but the egg replacer powder i used called for 2 tbp of water per tsp of powder, and your recipe calls for 1 TBP less. i used less salt as well because i thought it was a LOT of salt, but it turns out that every bit of that salt is needed.
i baked them with chocolate chips so the taste was better, but i found them to feel thick but taste rather thin, if that makes sense. it tasted rather like raw flour, like thats all there was in the recipe, but it was too heavy, not light or fluffy enough, even though the crumb was very fine.
is there a way to make the cupcake lighter and airier instead of so flour-y and heavy?
also, what color should the cupcakes be to check for doneness? i checked after 20 mins and it was soo pale, and i wasnt sure if they were done yet so i left it in for another 4 mins, still had some crumbs, left another 5, then they had color but they were TOO well done, and hard. if i took the cupcakes out when they are a white pale color like your pictures, will the cupcakes come out oily and undercooked? the way i baked them thats what it seemed like.
Madhuram says
Angel, I guess this recipe is a hit or miss kind of recipe, because some got it right and some not that much. I'm sorry that I can't comment much without giving it another shot. I just tried it once and got it absolutely perfect. So let me try it once again and get back to you. Mine was almost pale white.
Angel says
I have tried this recipe 4 or 5 times now, which is why I am remaining relatively faithful to this recipe. The first 2 times the cupcakes came out almost flawlessly.
The first two times, PERFECT fluffy texture, rise and everything. I overbaked slightly, but it didn't affect the texture, the tops were just slightly browned. HOWEVER, it tasted like flour. and was very thick and dense despite having fine crumb and being somewhat fluffy.
The third time I tested this out, I made a small batch by cutting recipe in half, and used half butter half canola oil. The result: PERFECT, less heavy, fluffy white cupcakes. I did not overbake so the color was light, pale white like yours.
The fourth time i struggled. I followed your recipe exactly, however, somewhere along the line I messed up, so I threw out the batch. Because the consistence of the batter was soooo runny, like there was at least half a cup or more too much of liquid.
Which leads to the 5th time I backed these cupcakes. I took care this time to be extra careful when measuring, and too these extra steps I did not follow before:
-I used 2% milk, and the last 1/4 and a bit of the milk portion I substituted for TABLE CREAM...
-3 parts butter to 1 part oil
-the 1/2 cup of water I substituted milk
-had to add 1/2 cup or so more of FLOUR and eyeballed extra baking powder so it would be appropriately leavened.
The result: TASTE was incredible! All traces of flour-y, pancake like taste were GONE. My advice: USE HIGHER FAT MILK, adds richness and erases flour/starchy taste.
But the texture was tough and dry. My guess is that when I got to the point where I realized I had done everything right but needed to add more flour, I may have overmixed to compensate the extra flour I added.
The batter was not as runny, it was definitely thicker and seemed more correct in terms of consistence. The dryness I would not attribute to the extra flour, it needed to be there. DEFINITELY didnt need all that liquid, may decide to cut down.
Angel says
Madhuram, is it possible that I may have to add in one more TBP of egg replacer powder?
From what I know about egg replacers, 1 TSP and the water it requires equals 1 egg.
So, to my knowledge, we have here in this recipe 2 eggs. If I added 1 more TSP of egg replacer and 1 TBP of water, aded a bit more flour to make up for the thin consistency I had
gotten. Also, aside from being tough and dry, the cupcakes were crumbly. Would I also add a bit more butter/oil to compensate?
I have read somewhere that it is not advisable to use more than 2 TSP of egg replacer, or to replace more than 2 eggs in a cake recipe with the egg replacer.
Madhuram says
I definitely have to try this recipe as it is once again to tell you if your observation is right.
Madhuram says
Thank you so much for you detailed feedback, Angel. Your review and many others' experience makes me want to try this recipe again to see how it turns out the 2nd time around.