These paleo vanilla cupcakes are so light, fluffy, moist, and sweet that you’d never guess they’re gluten free, dairy free and paleo! The “buttercream” frosting is easy to whip up, and tastes just like the original even though it contains no refined sugar or dairy. Kid approved and perfect for birthdays, special events, or “just because”!
I’ve been holding onto this cupcake recipe for way too long. I got completely distracted with all the Springtime goodies like lemon bars, lemon cake, carrot cake, those homemade creme eggs, and, well, that sort of thing.
It just didn’t seem like the right time to share a “classic” recipe like vanilla cupcakes with all the focus on the new season.
It’s funny – as a regular (sort of regular) person I LOVE welcoming a new season (especially shopping for a new season!) but, as a food blogger new seasons drive me a little batty. Or a lot batty, especially fall with all the intense pumpkin love that time of year.
A new season means the pressure is on! I have to start thinking about grilling in April and Thanksgiving in August. My kids KNOW to expect pumpkin bread, pumpkin pies, and cakes as soon as we come back from our beach vacation.
Yes, it sort of sucks all the fun out of the actual holidays because by the time they roll around, I’m way over the sentiment.
In fact, in some ways the sentiment is taken away, because now, cooking is actual work, which I have to remind myself, is actually really flipping awesome!
So, I would say that’s the one “down” side to food blogging as a full time job. The perks far outweigh the downside – creating delicious healthy recipes and sharing them with all of you is a legit dream come true!
But anyway, back to our current situation – these vanilla cupcakes. No matter what time of year it is, I think we can all agree a classic vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream is a mighty special thing.
I totally associate them with birthdays – both my own from childhood and my kids’ – and that special feeling you get when you bake something homemade to share for a birthday. My kids will ALWAYS choose vanilla/vanilla cakes over chocolate cakes, and to be honest, I do too!
The “buttercream” frosting here has no dairy in it whatsoever and also no refined sugar, however, my son (who hates everything) loved it and said it tastes just like birthday cake.
And, I’ll add that he goes to parties and eats actual non-paleo cupcakes, so his opinion is legit.
I used a combination of palm oil shortening and refined coconut oil to create the base for the frosting. You’ll need to make sure your shortening is room temp and the coconut oil is soft but not at all melted.
Depending on the time of year that might mean actually chilling the coconut oil a bit before using it, since it melts around 75 degrees F.
The frosting is sweetened with honey and thickened with tapioca flour, although you can also use arrowroot for the same result. By the way, I used refined coconut oil only to avoid coconut flavor, but for texture, virgin will work well too.
The frosting comes together really quickly and can even be made the day before – it will harden a lot in the fridge due to the coconut oil – but all you need to do is re-whip it with your hand mixer and it’ll be perfect!
Also due to the coconut oil, it has a tendency to soften/melt above normal room temperature, so you can store it in the fridge until ready to frost, and then just re-whip once you’re ready to frost the cupcakes. For this reason, it’s also best to keep the cupcakes cool after frosting them, especially if it’s warm around you.
The cupcakes themselves are very similar to my strawberry shortcake cupcakes and they’re as good as paleo cupcakes get. Moist without being soggy or greasy, light in texture and perfectly domed, and with just the right amount of sweetness.
I hope you’re ready for for cake and company – these vanilla cupcakes are sure to please a crowd – let’s get started!
Vanilla Cupcakes with “Buttercream” Frosting {Paleo}
Paleo Vanilla Cupcakes with "Buttercream" Frosting
These paleo vanilla cupcakes are so light, fluffy, moist, and sweet that you'd never guess they're gluten free, dairy free and paleo! The "buttercream" frosting is easy to whip up, and tastes just like the original even though it contains no refined sugar or dairy. Kid approved and perfect for birthdays, special events, or "just because"!
Ingredients
Buttercream Frosting:
- 1/2 cup palm oil shortening room temp, soft
- 1/2 cup coconut oil softened but solid
- 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp tapioca flour
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp fine grain sea salt
Cupcakes:
- 4 eggs room temp
- 3 Tbsp coconut milk full fat, blended prior to adding
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted and cooled to almost room temp
- 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup pure maple sugar or coconut sugar*
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin/cupcake pan with parchment liners. In a mixing bowl, combine, the almond flour, tapioca, baking soda and salt, set aside.
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In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat together the eggs, coconut milk, coconut oil, lemon juice, vanilla, maple syrup and maple sugar until very smooth
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Add the dry ingredients gradually to the wet and mix on low speed for about a minute, until well combined.
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Transfer batter using a ladle or spoon to the prepared cupcake pan, filling 3/4 of the way up to make about 12-14 cupcakes. You can bake in batches if you make more than 12.
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Bake 16-18 mins until tops are domed and toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool a few minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Once cooled to room temp, frost as desired with buttercream and serve. Cupcakes should be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
For the Frosting:
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Using an electric hand mixer, beat the shortening and coconut oil until smooth and fluffy. Add in the honey and beat on low until combined, then add tapioca, vanilla and sea salt and beat until creamy.
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Frost cupcakes immediately, OR store frosting in the refrigerator until ready to use. Frosting will harden in the fridge, but you can let it sit for 5 minutes at room temp, then re-beat before frosting the cupcakes. Frosting can also be made ahead of time following this method.
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Frost cupcakes using a piping bag or with an offset spatula. Store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator after the first day for up to 4 days. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Coconut sugar will work for this recipe, but, the cupcakes will appear significantly darker due to the brown color of coconut sugar.
Nutrition
What I Used To Make My Vanilla Cupcakes:
Want More Paleo Cakes and Cupcake Recipes? Try One of These!
Chocolate Cupcakes with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Lemon Crumb Cake with Lemon Curd
Chocolate Chip Cookie Vanilla Cheesecake {Vegan}
Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate Frosted Chocolate Donuts {Nut Free}
Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting {Nut Free}
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WOW really impressed! My 12 year old son made these and I was concerned about the texture. We are grain free and have had issues in the past with grain free recipes. Both the frosting and cake were great! I think next time I’ll use coconut cream instead of coconut oil in the frosting, and add a bit more vanilla and tapioca flour for the texture/ flavor combo I’m looking for.
I’m on a low fodmap diet. Anyway I can replicate without maple syrup or honey? I’m limited to Stevia for sweeteners
Palm shortening is not a very sustainable ingredient. It contributes to the deforestation of a very sensitive habitat for endangered species. I guess as long as people get cupcakes though, right?
In this case, you’re mistaken. Nutiva, Spectrum and Tropical Traditions all sell palm shortening that does not negatively affect the environment or animal habitats. It’s a common misunderstanding. These products are from Sth America, not Asia.
Hello, your recipe looks great, but I will not make it as given because of the palm oil. Palm oil production is a huge environmental problem and it causes a lot of suffering and destruction, and death. What could I replace the palm oil shortening with? Thank you in advance.
In this case, you’re mistaken. Nutiva, Spectrum and Tropical Traditions all sell palm shortening that does not negatively affect the environment or animal habitats. It’s a common misunderstanding. These products are from Sth America, not Asia.
Sorry for the negative review… I followed the recipe exactly, using coconut sugar and lemon. They were gooey, not fluffy as other paleo cupcakes. And the frosting tasted like the shortening which was not a good flavor. A nice texture but also completely oily which was odd to me
I’m not sure why as I’ve never had these come out gooey. Maybe the almond flour wasn’t fine enough? I honestly have no idea. Sorry they didn’t work out for you.
Holy moly are these good! Another stellar recipe!
Just made these, and they came out great! I would add a tip to the frosting technique though: turn off your mixer before adding in the tapioca flour, and start to fold it in with a spoon until it’s somewhat mixed, or it might just poof up all over your face and your kitchen!
Also, because I didn’t want to buy palm shortening, I used all coconut oil for the frosting. It came out just fine, though next time I might add in some creamed coconut and/or some cocoa butter for a slightly different texture and more varied flavor. Just for fun, too, I added in a couple teaspoons of beet powder, to give it a nice purple color. Thanks for the great recipe!
Did you mean baking powder instead of baking soda? They taste a bit like baking soda. Does the frosting really need the tapioca? It made it a bit chalky. Tapioca only thickens with heat? Overall the taste was nice and will make again. I might try baking powder instead of baking soda as gf baked goods can usually benefit from baking powder. Thank You!! I do love all your recipes. You are awesome.
Michelle, I want you to adopt me and cook for me. All of your recipes look amazing! I decided yesterday to whip up some frosting for some Simple Mills pumpkin muffins I had made. I remembered the icing from this recipe and I had all the ingredients. Well first off, yummy! I get to have icing on Paleo! My only regret is using a strong honey, it’s overwhelming the flavor- but aside from that the texture is spot on and it’s just like buttercream. I’ll learn from my mistake and next time try and find a more neutral honey or even use a little less. Thanks for all the delicious recipes!
Can I use normal granulated sugar instead of maple sugar?