I stumbled upon a tease photo of a bakery in Detroit making Vernor's Ginger Ale cupcakes, and though I have no idea what they were made with, they looked AMAZING and made me want to come up with my own vegan recipe! You can of course use whatever ginger ale you prefer, but my personal favorite is Vernor's since it has a super unique sweet flavor with notes of vanilla and caramel, and is a nostalgic midwestern staple. (It was created in the mid 1800s by a Detroit pharmacist, making it the oldest surviving ginger ale brand in the United States!) These are by far the BEST vegan cupcakes I've ever had, and topped with the vanilla bean buttercream, the overall flavor palette is reminiscent of a creamy ginger ale ice cream float.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups vegan butter
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
1/2 cup vegan sour cream (I used Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup ginger ale
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 vanilla bean (seeds only)
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups vegan butter
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
1/2 cup vegan sour cream (I used Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup ginger ale
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 vanilla bean (seeds only)
3-4 cups powdered sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix together the wet ingredients (1/2 cup v butter, 1 cup sugar, aquafaba and 1 teaspoon vanilla) until fluffy and thoroughly incorporated. In another bowl, mix together the ginger ale mixture (v sour cream and ginger ale) until fizzily combined. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredient mixture (flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground ginger and salt). Gradually alternate adding the ginger ale and dry ingredient mixtures into the wet until combined. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into each cupcake liner and bake for about 22 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. The kitchen should smell like a deliciously fluffy cake batter cloud while they are baking.
In another bowl, cream 1 cup v butter on low speed and gradually add in 3-4 cups powdered sugar, remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and and vanilla bean seeds until smooth and creamy. It is so magical watching the vanilla bean seeds perfectly disperse themselves throughout the frosting. If the texture is too thick, add a tablespoon or so of non-dairy milk (or ginger ale if you're feeling adventurous) until it reaches your desired consistency. If you plan on piping on huge bakery-style frosting mounds as pictured, you may want to consider doubling the frosting quantity. When I'm not decorating my cupcakes for pretentious photographs, I honestly prefer just a little frosting schmeared on top.
Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, then simply spread frosting on with a knife or fancily pipe on frosting with piping bag and large star tip. Enjoy!
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix together the wet ingredients (1/2 cup v butter, 1 cup sugar, aquafaba and 1 teaspoon vanilla) until fluffy and thoroughly incorporated. In another bowl, mix together the ginger ale mixture (v sour cream and ginger ale) until fizzily combined. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredient mixture (flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground ginger and salt). Gradually alternate adding the ginger ale and dry ingredient mixtures into the wet until combined. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into each cupcake liner and bake for about 22 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. The kitchen should smell like a deliciously fluffy cake batter cloud while they are baking.
In another bowl, cream 1 cup v butter on low speed and gradually add in 3-4 cups powdered sugar, remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and and vanilla bean seeds until smooth and creamy. It is so magical watching the vanilla bean seeds perfectly disperse themselves throughout the frosting. If the texture is too thick, add a tablespoon or so of non-dairy milk (or ginger ale if you're feeling adventurous) until it reaches your desired consistency. If you plan on piping on huge bakery-style frosting mounds as pictured, you may want to consider doubling the frosting quantity. When I'm not decorating my cupcakes for pretentious photographs, I honestly prefer just a little frosting schmeared on top.
Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, then simply spread frosting on with a knife or fancily pipe on frosting with piping bag and large star tip. Enjoy!