Vegan Percy Pig Cupcakes (Gluten-Free)

These Vegan Percy Pig Cupcakes have a delicious strawberry vanilla cupcake with a strawberry jam filling, a luscious berry buttercream all topped with a Percy Pig sweet.

If you haven’t heard of Percy Pig sweets, they are berry flavoured gummy sweets in the shape of a pigs face with coloured ears. They are sweet, delicious and such a nostalgic favourite. After a few years of offering a vegetarian version to the regular sweet, Marks and Spencer’s (where they are sold) have officially made all Percy Pigs fully vegan. And, to celebrate this, I wanted to make some fun cupcakes.

Why will I love these Vegan Percy Pig Cupcakes?

These cupcakes are so fun for all the family, they are:

• Light, fluffy and soft
• Packed with lovely vanilla and strawberry flavours
• Filled with a gooey berry jam middle
• Topped with the most delicious and fluffiest strawberry buttercream
• Decorated with strawberries and sweets
• Great to make with little ones
• A delicious and fun dessert or snack

If you already know you are going to love these cupcakes then skip ahead to the recipe card. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.

What ingredients do I need?

The base for the cupcakes is made from simple ingredients that come together in one bowl:

• Strawberries: fresh is best as frozen berries have a lot more liquid in them. Trim the strawberries then chop them into smaller pieces. Tossing the strawberries in flour makes them less likely to sink to the bottom of the cakes and to release too many extra juices.
• Thick dairy-free yoghurt: I always use coconut yoghurt for my baking as it’s really thick and creamy with minimal ingredients. Try using unsweetened/original or vanilla flavoured Cocos Organic.
• Plant-based milk: I like to use oat, almond or soya milk but coconut milk (from the carton) is great too.
• Olive or sunflower oil: these add a lovely texture to the batter even though we don’t use a lot. This adds moisture and air into the cupcakes so they are not dense. Either a light olive oil or sunflower oil are best but melted and cooled coconut oil will also be great.
• Caster sugar: for sweetness and texture. I like caster or coconut sugar here for the flavour.
• Lemon juice: when mixed with the plant-based milk this reacts to form a buttermilk which helps to bind the cake batter, like an egg would do.
• Vanilla essence: for flavour.
• Strawberry or raspberry essence: this is optional but I love the added berry flavour it gives the cupcakes without tasting artificial.
• Plain or GF plain flour: keeps these Vegan Percy Pig Cupcakes light and fluffy. When using gluten-free flour use a baking blend that you would normally use and that contains xanthan gum to prevent crumbly cupcakes.
• Ground almonds: this batter has plain flour and ground almonds as the “flours” and I love the slightly nutty taste and texture this adds. If avoiding nuts, use all plain flour or swap for ground sunflower seeds (simply blend sunflower seeds into a fine meal in your blender).
• Baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt: for rise and flavour.

Then, for the buttercream and for the filling we need:

• Vegan butter: this is the block butter for the best textured buttercream (my favourite brands are Naturli or Flora Plant-Based). Allow the butter to rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until softened slightly.
• Icing sugar: add this gradually while beating the buttercream.
• Aquafaba or plant-based milk: I love to use aquafaba to thin out the buttercream as it behaves similarly to egg whites and whips up really well meaning the buttercream is lighter and fluffier. Aquafaba is the water from a tin of chickpeas, so keep the water next time you use chickpeas and keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
• Vanilla essence: for flavour.
• Strawberry essence: or raspberry essence, which is optional, as above.
• Freeze-dried strawberry powder: this adds lovely fresh and real strawberry flavour and gorgeous specks of colour throughout the buttercream. I like the one from Artic Berries or you can buy freeze-dried berries and blend them yourself at home into a powder.
• Strawberry jam: for the middle of the cupcakes.
• Percy Pig sweets: these are the cherry on top of the cake and turn these delicious berry cupcakes into Vegan Percy Pig Cupcakes.

How do I make these cupcakes?

These are easy to make in one bowl and in a few steps:

• Chop the strawberries and toss with flour: leave to one side.
• Stir together the wet ingredients: till fully incorporated.
• Sift in the flour and add the other dry ingredients: and whisk to a thick, smooth batter.
• Fold in the strawberries: and prepare the muffin tray.
• Use an ice cream scoop or large spoons to fill the muffin cases: to about ¾ full.
• Bake until golden and risen: about 17-19 minutes then lift out the tray immediately to cool fully on a wire rack.
• Core the centre of the cupcakes: and fill with the strawberry jam.
• Make the strawberry buttercream: by beating together the ingredients till fluffy.
• Pipe on the buttercream in swirls: and top with a Percy Pig sweet and extra strawberries.

How long will these last?

Once made and decorated, these Vegan Percy Pig Cupcakes will keep for 2-3 days in a sealed container, in the fridge if it is warm but best eaten at room temperature. I tend to leave them out during the day and chill them in the fridge overnight, for example. Unfrosted cakes can be frozen for up to 1 month.

Are these gluten-free and nut-free?

To make these cupcakes gluten-free, make sure to use a 1:1 GF baking blend of flour. To make sure they are nut-free, swap the ground almonds for ground sunflower seeds.

Can I make these without the sweets?

Yes of course you can, and they will be deliciously vegan strawberry cupcakes instead. If you want to use other sweets, make sure they are vegan and you can use strawberry gummies, or other fruity gummy bears.

I love cupcakes, what else can I make?

I hope you are going to love these Vegan Percy Pig Cupcakes and for more ideas, how about my:

• Vegan Lemon Strawberry Cupcakes
• Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Cupcakes
• Raspberry Lemon Custard Muffins
• Easter Carrot Cake Butterscotch Cupcakes
• Vegan Champagne Cupcakes with White Chocolate Buttercream

I look forward to hearing what you think of these Vegan Percy Pig Cupcakes so please let me know in the comments below. If you do make these cupcakes, I’d love to see so please tag me, I am @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With Percy Pig love x