These are adapted from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero’s Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World which, I can’t say enough, is such an AWESOME book. 

I added a few things and a few steps to make these really dreamcicle-like, subtly orange and vanilla flavored, and I think they turned out pretty tasty.

For the cupcakes you will need:

• 1 cup soymilk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbs cornstarch
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp pure orange extract or orange oil (oil is going to bring a stronger orange flavor)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla

Then you:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with papers. I used orange papers from Confectionery House.
2. Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar and set aside until it curdles.
3. Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and mix.
4. In a separate large bowl, beat together the margarine and sugar for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy, be careful not to over-beat or the margarine will melt. Beat in orange and vanilla extracts, then alternate between flour mixture and soy ilk mixture, beating until no large lumps remain.
5. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 20-22 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched.
6. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

The recipe for fluffy vegan buttercream can be found here.
I set aside about 1 cup of the frosting, because this recipe makes about 4 cups, and added to it a few drops of orange oil and some orange food coloring. Then I filled each cupcake with some orange frosting, using a pastry bag fitted with a straight tip. Reserve the rest for decoration. Frost the cupcakes with the buttercream however you like, with a spatula or by piping and then decorate with the orange frosting, which will not only look cute, but will add a pop of orange flavor to each bite.

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase I might earn a small commission.