Mary Berry Vegan Cupcakes Recipe

These cupcakes do not taste like a health food. They taste like cupcakes — properly soft, properly fluffy vanilla sponge with a smooth, creamy buttercream swirled on top.

The fact that they contain no eggs, no dairy, and no animal products at all is simply a detail. The eating experience is the same.

I tested this recipe multiple times before I was happy with it. The first two versions were decent. This one is genuinely good. The oat milk and apple cider vinegar combination creates a vegan buttermilk effect that gives the sponge lift and tenderness.

The flax eggs bind everything together. And the dairy-free block butter — not a soft spread, never a soft spread — gives the buttercream its proper texture.

Make these for someone who eats vegan and watch them realise that vegan baking has come a long way.

What Makes These Vegan Cupcakes Actually Good?

Oat milk and apple cider vinegar together. Mixed and left for two minutes before using, these create a vegan buttermilk — slightly curdled, slightly acidic — that reacts with the raising agents to give the cupcakes their lightness. Do not skip this step or substitute it.

Dairy-free block butter for the buttercream. A soft spread makes runny, greasy buttercream. A dairy-free block butter — Flora Plant, Stork Plant — behaves like dairy butter and produces a proper, pipeable buttercream. This is non-negotiable.

Flax eggs for binding. One tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixed with three tablespoons of water, left for five minutes until gelled, binds the batter in place of a regular egg. It has no flavour and works reliably.

Ingredients for Mary Berry Vegan Cupcakes

For the Vegan Cupcakes (Makes 12)

• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 6 tbsp cold water
• 200ml oat milk
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 175g dairy-free block butter (Flora Plant or Stork Plant), softened
• 175g caster sugar (most UK caster sugar is vegan — check the label)
• 225g self-raising flour, sifted
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

For the Vegan Vanilla Buttercream

• 200g dairy-free block butter, softened
• 400g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2–3 tbsp oat milk, to loosen
• Food colouring (optional)

To Decorate

• Sprinkles, sugar flowers, or fresh berries

How to Make Mary Berry Vegan Cupcakes — Step by Step

Step 1 — Make the Flax Eggs and Vegan Buttermilk

In a small bowl, mix the ground flaxseed with the cold water. Stir and leave for five minutes until it forms a gel. Set aside.

In a jug, combine the oat milk and apple cider vinegar. Stir and leave for two minutes — it will curdle slightly and thicken. This is your vegan buttermilk. Set aside.

Step 2 — Preheat and Prepare

Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cupcake cases.

Step 3 — Make the Batter

Beat the softened dairy-free butter and caster sugar together with an electric hand whisk for three to four minutes until pale and fluffy. Dairy-free butter takes slightly longer to cream than regular butter — keep going until it is genuinely light.

Add the flax egg mixture and vanilla extract. Beat until incorporated.

Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt into the bowl. Add the vegan buttermilk. Fold gently with a spatula until just combined — stop the moment there are no dry streaks of flour. Do not overmix.

Step 4 — Fill and Bake

Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake cases — fill each one about two-thirds full. An ice cream scoop makes this easier and gives you consistent amounts.

Bake on the middle shelf for 18 to 20 minutes until the cupcakes are golden, well risen, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave in the tin for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.

Step 5 — Make the Vegan Buttercream

Beat the dairy-free butter alone for three to four minutes until very pale and fluffy. Add the sifted icing sugar in two batches, beating well after each. Add the vanilla extract and enough oat milk to bring it to a smooth, pipeable consistency.

If using food colouring, add a tiny amount of gel colouring now and beat until evenly coloured.

Step 6 — Frost and Decorate

Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe swirls onto the completely cooled cupcakes. Decorate with sprinkles, sugar flowers, or a fresh berry on top.

My Top Tips For Mary Berry Vegan Cupcakes

Never use a soft dairy-free spread for buttercream. Soft spreads have too much water and too little fat to make a stable buttercream. They produce something runny and greasy that will not pipe or hold its shape. Dairy-free block butter only.

Let the flax egg gel fully before using. Five full minutes. A flax mixture that has not gelled will not bind the batter effectively. Set a timer.

Do not overmix once the flour goes in. Mix until just combined. Overmixing develops gluten and makes the cupcakes tough. Stop at the last streak of flour.

Fill cases exactly two-thirds full. Overfilled cases spread flat at the top rather than doming. Two-thirds full gives you a beautiful dome every time.

Cool completely before frosting. Even slightly warm cupcakes melt dairy-free buttercream faster than regular buttercream. Make sure they are completely cool — not just warm.

Check your caster sugar is vegan. Most UK caster sugar is vegan but some brands use bone char in processing. Brands like Tate and Lyle and Silver Spoon confirm their caster sugar is vegan-friendly.

Serving Suggestions

At a birthday party where someone eats vegan — they get to have the same cupcake as everyone else, which matters. As bake sale contributions marked clearly as vegan.

At an afternoon tea where you want to cater for different diets without making anyone feel like an afterthought.

How to Store Mary Berry Vegan Cupcakes

At room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Keep somewhere cool — dairy-free buttercream can soften in a warm kitchen.

In the freezer: Freeze unfrosted cupcakes for up to 3 months, wrapped individually in cling film. Defrost at room temperature. Make the buttercream fresh and frost once defrosted.

Mary Berry Vegan Cupcakes Recipe

Mary Berry inspired vegan cupcakes — soft, fluffy vanilla sponge with a silky dairy-free buttercream.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Cooling Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings: 12 Cupcakes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Calories: 430

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• Vegan Cupcakes:
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 6 tbsp cold water
• 200 ml oat milk
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 175 g dairy-free block butter softened
• 175 g caster sugar
• 225 g self-raising flour sifted
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• Vegan Vanilla Buttercream:
• 200 g dairy-free block butter softened
• 400 g icing sugar sifted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 –3 tbsp oat milk
• Decoration:
• Sprinkles sugar flowers, or fresh berries

CHECK THIS RECIPE  Mary Berry Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe

Method

 

1. Mix flaxseed and water in a small bowl. Leave 5 minutes until gelled.
2. Mix oat milk and apple cider vinegar in a jug. Leave 2 minutes to curdle.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.
4. Beat dairy-free butter and caster sugar for 3–4 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add flax egg mixture and vanilla. Beat to combine.
5. Sift in flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Add oat milk mixture. Fold gently until just combined — do not overmix.
6. Fill cupcake cases two-thirds full. Bake 18–20 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Cool in tin 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.
7. Beat dairy-free butter alone for 3–4 minutes until pale. Add icing sugar in two batches. Add vanilla and oat milk until smooth and pipeable.
8. Pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes. Decorate as desired.

Notes

Use dairy-free block butter — never a soft spread — for both the batter and buttercream.

Let flax egg gel for the full 5 minutes before using.

Let oat milk and vinegar curdle for 2 minutes before using.

Do not overmix once flour goes in.

Fill cases two-thirds full for a proper dome.

Cool completely before frosting — dairy-free buttercream melts faster than regular.

Stores in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Unfrosted cupcakes freeze for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different plant milk?

Yes — soya milk or almond milk both work well with the apple cider vinegar to create the vegan buttermilk effect. Oat milk gives the creamiest flavour. Avoid sweetened or flavoured versions.

Can I use chia seeds instead of flaxseed?

Yes — one tablespoon of chia seeds with three tablespoons of water works in exactly the same way as a flax egg. Leave for five minutes until gelled.

Why are my cupcakes dense?

Either the dairy-free butter was not creamed long enough, the flax egg had not fully gelled, or the vegan buttermilk was not left to curdle. All three steps need their full time to work properly.

Can I make these gluten-free as well?

Yes — substitute the self-raising flour with gluten-free self-raising flour (Doves Farm Freee) and check that your baking powder is certified gluten-free. The result is a cupcake that is both vegan and gluten-free.

Can I make chocolate vegan cupcakes with this recipe?

Yes — replace 30g of the flour with 30g of good quality cocoa powder and add a tablespoon of instant espresso powder to the batter. Make a chocolate buttercream by adding 40g of sifted cocoa powder to the icing with the icing sugar.

How do I get a smooth swirl when piping?

Start in the centre of the cupcake, apply steady pressure, and spiral outwards to the edge. Then spiral back inwards slightly and lift sharply for a peak. Consistent pressure throughout is the key — hesitation shows in the piping.