Vegan Hummingbird Cupcakes with Pineapple Frosting
5 from 3 votes
That Vegan Nephew
A superb confluence of pineapple, banana and pecan, these individual vegan hummingbird cakes are quite possibly one of the most delicious hand-held bites of southern style confectionary that you'll ever have the pleasure of devouring. And when topped with a beautiful robin's egg blue swirl of creamy pineapple frosting, which is just sweet enough to compliment the cake itself without being overwhelming, these vegan hummingbird cupcakes truly shine for what they are: an amazingly eatable expression of a classic cake from the south, done vegan!
2 - 3cupspowdered sugar,or until the frosting holds its shape
2 - 3teaspoonslemon juice
2 - 3 teaspoonspineapple juice,from the same can as the crushed pineapple
2 - 4small dropsblue food coloring,(optional - for the robin's egg blue color)
Someground pecans,sprinkled atop as garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a 12-count muffin tin with cupcake papers.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt into a large mixing bowl, and then add the brown sugar.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, melted vegan butter, ground flaxseed, vanilla extract, mashed bananas, and crushed pineapple until relatively smooth.
Combine the wet ingredients with the dry, and fold them together just until no dry flour is leftover and everything is incorporated. Halfway through, fold in the chopped pecans, too.
Fill the cupcake wells ¾ of the way full with the hummingbird cupcake batter, and then bake the cupcakes for 25 - 28 minutes. They should be firm to the touch, slightly golden brown on top, and a toothpick inserted should come out relatively clean.
Let the cupcakes cool for at least 30 minutes (or more) before frosting. You need them completely cool, otherwise the frosting will melt off.
In a small bowl, combine the vegan butter, powdered sugar, and lemon and pineapple juice. Then, whisk until the frosting has a stiff peak. Add a bit more powdered sugar to help the frosting hold its shape, or a bit more lemon/pineapple juice to loosen the frosting until it's just right. Let the frosting chill in the freezer for about 10 minutes. This ensures a clean pipe.Optional: apply the two drops of blue food coloring the frosting for a robin's egg blue.
Choose a fancy nozzle for your piping bag (preferably one that is neither too small nor too big), roll the piping bag down about halfway, and then load the frosting into the piping bag with a spatula, attempting to get most of it near the nozzle.Then, applying even pressure on the posterior of bag, pipe a swirl pattern onto your cupcake without interruption, so that you get one beautiful, continuous pattern.
Sprinkle the frosting with ground pecans, and serve the cupcakes!