Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Step 2

In a small bowl, mix together the milk and vinegar to make your buttermilk and set it aside.

Step 3

Prepare your egg replacer according to package directions and set it aside to gel.

Step 4

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and sweetener.

Step 5

Add in 3/4 cup of buttermilk, the vegan egg, vanilla, oil, and red food dye. Mix together to form a smooth, slightly thick cupcake batter.

Step 6

Line or grease a standard cupcake pan for 10 cupcakes. Add about 3 tablespoons of the cupcake batter to each mold (about 3/4 of the way full).

Step 7

Bake the cupcakes in the oven for 15-17 minutes, until a toothpick comes mostly clean when inserted in the middle of a cupcake.

Step 8

Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool slightly before popping them out of the pan and transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Step 9

Combine the softened cream cheese, cubed stick of butter, vanilla, and powdered sweetener in a bowl and cream them together using a hand mixer or stand mixer.

Step 10

Chill the frosting until ready to use. When you are ready to frost the cooled cupcakes, add the finished frosting to a pastry decorator or pastry bag to frost the cupcakes to your liking.

Step 11

While the frosting is still wet, top the frosted cupcakes with red sparkling sugar or sprinkles if desired.