Fluffy grain-free SunButter cupcakes filled with berry jam and swirled with vegan SunButter buttercream. A sandwich-inspired sweet treat!

SunButter & Jelly Cupcakes (vegan + grain-free)

How To Make SunButter & Jelly Cupcakes

There are so many yummy things happening in these little sandwich cakes, lets start with ingredients and then we’ll get to jam and frosting and all those enticing things…

Grain-Free SunButter Cupcake Recipe

I’ve used SunButter in a number of different cupcake batters because I am simply obsessed with the stuff, but this is the first cupcake with SunButter as the key flavor, and let me just tell you I am in love. The ingredient list looks a little something like:

Almond milk + lemon juice. Similar to the almond milk + apple cider vinegar “vegan buttermilk” trick, but with lemon juice instead for a couple of reasons: 1) it offsets the green affect that can sometimes happen with SunButter baking better than vinegar in my experience and 2) I personally like the flavor better. Fresh squeezed works best!
Maple syrup + coconut sugar. Yes we are being a tad high maintenance and using two different sweeteners, but I promise it’s worth it for moisture and flavor. You can sub in brown sugar or cane sugar for the coconut sugar, or agave for the maple syrup.
Creamy Sunbutter. The star of this nut-free PB&J-inspired dessert! I used their classic creamy jar, but any of their non-crunchy varieties will work in this recipe.
Coconut oil. I tried making these oil-free and the tops got too dry/cracked, so a little coconut oil is best. You can sub melted vegan butter.
Vanilla extract. For flavor, of course.
Cassava flour + coconut flour. Mostly cassava, just a little bit of coconut to get the crumb just right. This is one of my favorite grain-free flour combinations, comes out so tender and fluffy.
Baking powder + baking soda. Yes we are being high maintenance again with two leavening agents, but again I promise the science is worth it for the fluffiest possible cupcakes.
Salt. For flavor balance, of course.
Jam of choice. For filling the cupcakes after they bake. I used seedless blackberry preserves, but use whatever kind you like. I do find a berry jam of some kind to work best.

Dairy-Free SunButter Frosting

Similar to making a classic buttercream, but sub Creamy SunButter for half of the vegan butter and change the ratios slightly. The flavor is SO good – subtly SunButter-y but still sweet and rich like any cupcake frosting should be. I piped a single layer of frosting on each with a star tip just for a little pizzaz, but you can simple spread with a spatula too.

For the jam dollop on top, I blended mine with a little maple syrup (or even water would work) to thin it out and make it almost drizzle-able.

Tips for Perfect SB&J Cupcakes

Use an electric mixer. This batter really will bake up better if you whip it instead of just stirring by hand, especially the wet ingredients. Get a little air in the mix before adding the dry ingredients, then turn the power down and just barely mix in the flours and milk.
Let the cupcakes cool COMPLETELY. This is always important, but especially important when you are hollowing out the middles – they have to be totally cooled otherwise they will be too fragile and collapse. I actually chilled mine before coring.
Don’t skimp on the jam. That jammy core is my favorite part, you want plenty of sweet fruity flavor packed inside.
Chill the frosting briefly after mixing. Vegan butter softens faster than regular butter when whipping, so your frosting may be a little thin right after you make it. Chill for 30 minutes or so to make it easier to pipe.

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