These Vegan Cardamom Rose Cupcakes are about to be your new favorite vegan cupcake flavor! Cardamom cupcakes are topped with a sweet and floral rose frosting for the perfect dairy-free & eggless cupcake recipe.
*Recipe originally shared February 2020 and updated May 2022*
This cardamom & rosewater cupcake recipe is adapted from my Vegan Vanilla Berry Cupcake recipe which truly is the best easy vanilla cupcake. Add a little cardamom into the mix and you have these perfectly sweet and slightly spicy cupcakes.
In addition to cardamom, this recipe brings vegan vanilla frosting to the next level by adding rose water. This rose-flavored frosting has a hint of rose that pairs perfectly with the cardamom and vanilla!
Ingredients:
Ingredient notes:
- Ground Cardamom: I used Simply Organic Cardamom. It's the same cardamom I use in my super popular Vegan Cardamom Orange Cookies.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: I always recommend using vanilla bean paste over vanilla extract as it's more flavorful. However, vanilla extract works as a 1:1 substitution.
- Rose Water: I recommend using Cortas Rose Water or Nielsen-Massey Rose Water. Start with ½ teaspoon and add more as desired as some brands can be stronger than others!
- Pastry flour: Using pastry flour makes these cupcakes super light and fluffy! If all you can find is all-purpose flour, I recommend substituting 2 Tablespoons of the flour with cornstarch for similar results.
How to make cardamom cupcakes
What I love most about making vegan cupcakes is that they are easy enough to be made in one bowl and can be baked in under 30 minutes. Plus they're seriously so moist, tender, and ridiculously fluffy without eggs or dairy.
Mix all the ingredients in one bowl:
I start off by adding the wet ingredients first. This includes plant-based milk, vegetable oil (I used olive oil), sugar, and vanilla bean paste/extract. Then, gently whisk them together.
After that, add the dry ingredients including the pastry flour, cardamom, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Then, gently whisk together until a smooth cupcake batter forms.
Also, do keep in mind that you really don't want to overmix cupcake batter so only mix until the batter just forms!
Add batter to cupcake tins:
For my cupcake recipes, I ALWAYS use If You Care cupcake liners since they are unbleached and compostable. I bake them in a standard 12-cup muffin tin as this recipe makes 9-10 cupcakes.
Bake the cardamom cupcakes:
These cupcakes just need 20-23 minutes of baking time at 350F (180C). After baking, remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool completely before frosting. (seriously, don't frost warm cupcakes!)
How to make rosewater frosting
One of the things that makes these fluffy vegan cupcakes so unique is the rose-flavored frosting on top. The frosting is adapted from the vanilla frosting recipe in my Vegan Lemon Cupcakes, but with a floral twist!
Steps to make the frosting:
First, add the vegan butter & vegan shortening to a bowl and whip together until creamed and fluffy. Then add in the vanilla bean paste/extract and rosewater. Whip together for about 30 more seconds to combine.
As a final step, turn down the speed and add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time. I used 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar, but feel free to use as much or as little as you want to sweeten this rose frosting!
After that, it's time to frost the cardamom cupcakes & top with dried rose petals!
Please note: If you don't like or can't find rosewater, these cupcakes are just as good with a vanilla-flavored frosting!
FAQ & Tips:
Can I make cardamom cupcakes gluten-free?
I haven't personally tried it, but if you do you'll need to use gluten-free all-purpose flour in place of pastry flour. Flour alternatives like coconut flour or almond flour will not work in this recipe.
How do I store cardamom rose cupcakes?
These rose petal cupcakes are truly best enjoyed within 48 hours of baking. However, I know it's completely realistic that you'll want to save and store extras for longer!
The best way to store frosted cupcakes is in a closed container in the freezer with parchment paper on top of them to prevent any frost. They can be stored this way for up to 1 month and easily defrosted at room temperature about 30 minutes- 1 hour before serving.
You can also store unfrosted cupcakes in a closed container at room temperature for 1-2 days. Just frost before serving!
I hope you love these Vegan Cardamom Rose Cupcakes! They're the perfect sweet treat for Valentine's Day or as a special dessert for friends. Enjoy!
-TSG
More vegan cupcake recipes you will love:
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Vegan Cardamom Rose Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cardamom Cupcakes
- ¾ cup oat/ almond milk
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil or any liquid oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup pastry flour *with all purpose flour use 1 cup+ 2 Tbsp all purpose flour and 2 Tbsp cornstarch for similar results
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Rose Frosting
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ¼ cup shortening
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon rosewater add more or less depending on preference
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar or more for sweeter cupcakes
- 2 Tablespoons dried rose petals optional, to top cupcakes
Instructions
Make the cardamom vanilla cupcakes:
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Fill a muffin tin with 9-10 cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the plant-based milk, sugar, olive oil, and vanilla and whisk to combine. Then, use a flour sifter to slowly add in the dry ingredients including the pastry flour, salt, cardamom, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk together until a smooth batter forms.
- Fill each cupcake liner ¾ of the way full with batter. Place the tin of cupcakes into the oven and bake for 20-23 minutes until cooked through.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let cool in the baking tray for 5 minutes before removing. Then, carefully remove the cupcakes and let cool completely before frosting.
Make the rose frosting:
- While the cupcakes are cooling, make your frosting. Add the vegan butte and shortening to a mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to be cream together until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Once whipped, add in the rose water and vanilla and whip about 30 more seconds to combine. As a last step, turn down the speed and slowly add the powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until a smooth frosting forms.
- Add the frosting to a piping bag and frost your cupcakes. Top with edible dried rose petals and enjoy!
Notes
- If eating cooked cupcakes within 1-2 days, store them in a closed container at room temperature and frost on the day you are ready to eat. Frosting cannot be stored at room temperature.
- I don't recommend refrigerating cupcakes or cakes as this dries them out.
- Frosted cupcakes can be stored in a closed container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Let the cupcakes defrost at room temperature for 30 minutes- 1 hour before enjoying.
- I recommend using Cortas Rose Water or Nielsen-Massey Rose Water. Start with ½ teaspoon and add more as desired as some brands can be stronger than others.
Sailusha says
Love the taste of these cupcakes! I followed the recipe exactly and my cupcakes stuck to the liner and were also super dense (not light and fluffy). Is that normal texture for vegan cupcakes (first time vegan baker here)?
Megan says
They definitely should be light & fluffy (not dense). You may want to double-check that your baking powder and baking soda are working and not old- as that is a likely culprit! The other reason cupcakes turn out dense is from over-mixing them and forming too much gluten- so I would highly recommend just mixing them until all the flour is incorporated and no longer. Hope that helps for next time!
Justine says
These cupcakes taste AMAZING but I’ve made the recipe twice to the same result: lumpy batter that turns into short, dense cupcakes. I thought at first it was my baking powder so this time I used a new one, but my cupcakes still barely rose. Not sure what I’m doing wrong, but like I said these taste great!
Micheline says
I made this recipe today for mother's day and it was not only super easy and quick to put together but it was also delicious! I used way more rose water in my frosting because maybe what I had wasn't that strong? Didn't affect the texture at all adding the extra liquid though. I also used margarine instead of vegan butter and shortening as that's what is most available here. Thanks for an awesome recipe.