Easy vegan strawberry cupcakes with cake mix, and pistachios. These cupcakes are the perfect dessert to bake for the holiday season, Valentine’s Day, and special occasions. Even the most baking-challenged person can bake them without breaking a sweat.
Disclaimer – This post was sponsored by KitchenAid in 2016. I received no monetary compensation for this post after the original 2016 payment. All opinions are my own.
Once in a while, I take a shortcut during the cooking/baking process
Once in a while, it’s okay to take a shortcut, right?
Once in a while, it’s okay if you use a shortcut to bake a beautiful piece of cupcake.
Originally published on October 8th, 2016. Click here to see why this recipe was updated.
I am always hard on myself and insist I make everything from scratch.
Food tastes better to me when it’s made from scratch. I can taste every ingredient in it.
But, I have come to discover that I haven’t been blessed with the baking genes. So, I take shortcuts and make no apologies for it.
This time, my shortcut was using strawberry cake mix.
The Results?
Well, judge for yourself….
I got lucky because I found a cake mix with all vegan ingredients. To this cake mix, I added finely crushed pistachios and apple sauce.
That’s all! I didn’t have to figure out what type of flour or non-dairy product to use in the cupcake. I didn’t even have to worry about whether I needed baking soda or baking powder!
For baking-challenged people like me, this cake mix option makes baking fun. Trust me, I can’t bake a cookie without burning it. I can’t tell you how many tries it took to bake this blueberry crumble recipe.
Incidentally, I also made this easy strawberry cake using cake mix, which came out so good!
I have discovered that adding pistachios to desserts makes them even more tasty! These cupcakes and pistachio muffins are just two reasons to start adding it to all your desserts.
Answering common questions
Applesauce works like eggs. It helps bind the cupcake ingredients and gives them texture and structure. It also makes the strawberry cupcakes very moist and spongy. Instead of using store-bought, making your own Instant Pot Applesauce or this Red Hots Applesauce is much easier.
Depending on the icing sugar used, it can be vegan or not. Sugars are sometimes cut with bone char. This practice is slowly fading, but there are some on the market. Use Wholesome brand sugars, which are vegan-friendly. Make your cream frosting (I love vegan strawberry buttercream) or use store-bought icing.
Yes, you can put these cupcakes in the freezer. Freeze them without the frosting. In the freezer, they will be good for 3 months. If you put them in the fridge, use them up within 1 week. Reheat in a 300°F preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes.
– Coconut flakes
– Apple cider vinegar
– Vanilla extract
– Soy milk
– Protein powder
– Chocolate chips
Cake mixes are not gluten-free unless gf flour is specified on the package. Most cake mixes use wheat flour, plain flour, or all-purpose flour.
Making these strawberry cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer
- Stir in the apple sauce (or aquafaba), vegetable oil, and water. If it feels too dry, add 2 Tbsp of water.
- Add maple syrup and whisk everything.
- Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Fill up the cupcake liners with the strawberry mixture. I filled up about halfway.
- Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test.
- While the cupcakes are in the oven, prepare the frosting and put it into a piping bag.
- Let the cupcakes cool to room temperature on a wire rack before frosting them.
- Only frost these strawberry cupcakes when you are ready to serve.
I love getting a strawberry cupcake for special occasions. There is something so special about seeing a pink cupcake with a tall vegan strawberry frosting!
My frosting skills notwithstanding, I have to say that these strawberry cupcakes tasted so gooooood. I have been baking these cupcakes for years now, and they are always a huge hit.
I added finely diced strawberries to the batter. This made the cupcakes pop! I couldn’t get over how delicious the artificial strawberry flavor played with the real strawberries! So, if you have fresh strawberries lying around, I highly recommend adding them to the cupcakes. Or, use freeze-dried strawberries. You will not regret it.
What is your idea of THE perfect cupcake?
Sharing is caring
Don’t be shy, chime in below in the comments. Let me hear your opinion on this cupcake recipe. If you enjoyed this, please give it 5 stars and share it on Facebook, Pinterest, Flipboard, and Instagram.
Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe With Cake Mix
Ingredients
For The Strawberry Cupcakes
- 2 cups strawberry cake mix
- ½ cup pistachios unsalted, finely ground
- ½ cup applesauce
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup water + 2 Tbsp more
- 1 tsp maple syrup
For The Frosting
- 1 cup confectioners sugar I used vegan sugar
- 1 cup vegetable shortening
- 2 drops vanilla essence
- 1 Tbsp almond milk
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 2 strawberries finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place cake mix in a bowl and add the pistachios
- Add the apple sauce (or aquafaba), vegetable oil and water. If it feels too dry, add 2 Tbsp of water
- Add maple syrup and mix everything
- Line cupcake tray with cupcake liners. This will make about 20 cupcakes
- Fill up the cupcakes liners with the strawberry mixture. I filled up about half way
- Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until they past the knife test
- Remove from the oven and let them cool
- While the cupcakes are in the oven, prepare the frosting.
- I used my vegan buttercream frosting recipe. Instead of the food coloring, I put 2 tsp of pumpkin spice
- Only frost these strawberry cupcakes when you are ready to serve
Notes
Nutrition
Version 1
From time to time, I will go through old recipes to update the content. Sometimes, I update just the images, and sometimes, I give the recipe a complete makeover.
This time, I didn’t change this homemade strawberry cupcakes recipe at all because it’s so an easy and basic way of making cupcakes. What I changed was the text in the post, and I fixed the grammar errors! I swear I know the difference between “Its” and “it’s”, yet I keep incorrectly using them in posts!
Click here to see this post as it was originally posted, with grammar errors and all.
Oh girl, I am 100% with you on the lack of baking skills and in particular, my decorating skills. I can’t use a pastry bag to save my life. Love what did with a mix. And more importantly, what a fantastic cause. I’d get in the kitchen to bake and brave the pastry bag to help find a cure for cancer.
Thank you, Michelle. So happy to hear that. It is a great cause and I am glad to be helping it in my very small way. Can’t wait to see your cupcake recipe.