Topped with a simple lemon buttercream frosting and made with just 11 ingredients these cupcakes are oozing with lemon flavor that comes from using fresh lemon zest, fresh lemon juice and an optional lemon extract.
Preheat oven to 400°
Combine the almond milk and apple cider vinegar to create vegan buttermilk. Set aside.
Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest to a large mixing bowl and whisk them together.
Add the melted vegan butter, vegan buttermilk mixture, vanilla extract, lemon extract (optional) and unsweetened applesauce to the same bowl. Whisk to combine until batter is mostly smooth (will still have some lumps due to the lemon zest).
Disperse the batter evenly among a standard sized muffin pan lined with baking cups (if not using baking cups, spray the pan generously with neutral cooking oil or vegan butter).
Transfer to the oven and bake for 18 minutes.
While the cupcakes are baking, place all of the frosting ingredients in a large bowl and use a hand mixer to combine. Set aside.
Once the cupcakes are finished baking, set them aside and allow to cool completely.
Apply the frosting overtop of each cupcake and garnish with fresh lemon zest (optional). Enjoy!
