These Happy Birthday Cupcakes are a party in cake form! They are eggless vanilla cupcakes, loaded with rainbow sprinkles, filled with vegan chocolate pudding and topped with chocolate fudge frosting! If that wasn't enough, they're gluten free, nut free, eggless and easily dairy free (vegan)!
In a large bowl whisk together the gluten free flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk of choice, light brown sugar, vegetable oil, vinegar and the vanilla.
Slowly add the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk to combine. It if gets too thick, switch to a spatula but it should be fairly liquidy.
Using a spatula, stir in 1 cup of rainbow sprinkles until combined.
Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake tins ¾ way to the top. Smooth the tops with a small knife.
Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 28 minutes or until tops of the cupcakes are golden brown and spring back at you when carefully touched.
Let the cupcakes cool almost completely in the pan before trying to remove them.
Once the cupcakes have cooled completely, we are going to make the holes for the pudding filling.
If you have piping bags with tips, you can use that to make the holes.
If not, using a clean thumb, simply push down in the center of the cupcakes but not all the way to the bottom.
Fill the hole with the chocolate pudding, all the way to the top.
Easiest way to do this is to fill a piping bag with a tip with pudding and pipe it in.
If you don’t have a piping bag, fill a zip top bag with pudding and snip a small piece of the corner off.
After they’re filled with pudding, pop them uncovered in the fridge for at least 15 min.
This is to make the pudding a bit more solid. You don’t want it oozing everywhere as you try to frost.
Take the cupcakes out of the fridge. If you have piping bags, pipe the frosting on top of each cupcake.
If you don’t have piping bags, put a thin layer of frosting on top of each cupcake.
Pop the cupcakes back in the fridge for an additional 15 minutes to let that thin layer harden.
This is your crumb layer so that when you frost the tops of the cupcakes, the pudding doesn’t ooze out and get all over the place.
If you have a piping bag, you don’t need the crumb layer or this step.
Immediately after finishing frosting the cupcakes, add the rainbow sprinkles so they stick to the frosting.
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Notes
Storing: Store extra cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. When ready to eat, let the cupcake sit on the counter until room temperature and soft. Or, warm each cupcake in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Be careful not to burn your mouth on hot pudding inside the cupcakes.
Freezing- I do not recommend freezing the cupcakes once they are assembled. The pudding will be very wet as it defrosts, making the inside of the cupcakes a wet mess.