The most versatile cupcake in all the land, the vanilla cupcake is the true universal cupcake base. You can pretty much do anything you want with this cupcake and it will taste amazing. Top it with any of the frostings in this book and enjoy all the different flavours of the cupcake spectrum! You can add flavour extracts or fillings if you wish (see the instructions for filling cupcakes in the Caramel Cupcakes recipe, page 159). That said, in my opinion, nothing is better than a fresh vanilla cupcake frosted with creamy vanilla buttercream. It’s total perfection in its simplicity.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups Bob’s Red Mill garbanzo and fava flour
- ¾ cup potato starch
- 0.33 cup + 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup agave nectar
- ¾ cup rice milk
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 batch vanilla buttercream frosting (2 batches if using a piping bag for big swirls of frosting)
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 18 muffin cups (you’ll need two 12-cup muffin pans) with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, both starches, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, and baking soda. Whisk to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the agave nectar, milk, applesauce, oil, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, thoroughly mix the batter, then let it sit for about 10 minutes to rise.
- Pour batter into each liner to about two-thirds full. Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, until a knife or toothpick inserted in the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. The cupcakes will be lightly golden on top.
- Cool completely at room temperature before frosting with vanilla buttercream.