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STOP! Before you hit ‘Jump to Recipe’ check ‘Skip to the Good Bit‘ below. I may answer a query you have about this recipe.
These Dairy Free Fudge Cupcakes are so moist and delicious, if you have the time I’d strongly recommend making the caramel sauce to drizzle over the tops too.

Skip to the good bit
- Where can I get dairy free fudge?
- Can I make my own fudge for this recipe?
- What milk alternative can I use for these fudge cupcakes?
- How to make a dairy free caramel
- Can I buy ready made vegan caramel?
- How to make Dairy Free Fudge Cupcakes
- Other dairy free bakes to inspire you
- Dairy Free Fudge Cupcakes Recipe
Where can I get dairy free fudge?
If you’re not keen on the idea of making your own dairy free fudge from scratch then you can buy it. I do have a recipe for homemade dairy free fudge below for those of you with a love for fudge.
I have bought dairy free fudge both in store and online. It all depends on where you are in the world and what your budget is really.
There are very few mainstream dairy free fudges on the market. If you head over to Yumbles you can find many indie producers which is just fine but can work out a bit costly. Fabulously Freefrom Factory have two types of fudge on the market and the original, non-coated one can be found in supermarkets in the UK such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s.


Can I make my own fudge for this recipe?
I have made my own dairy free fudge and it’s surprisingly simple. You do need the strength of a gladiator in your arm to make it without the help from an electrical whisk or mixer though so be warned!


What milk alternative can I use for these fudge cupcakes?
To make these Dairy Free Fudge Cupcakes you will need to use a dairy free alternative for the butter and a milk free alternative for the milk. That’s it, two simple swaps.
I personally use soya milk or gluten free oat milk so know both of these work just fine. I also swear by Flora Plant Butter and always have a few of the salted and unsalted blocks in the fridge.
How to make a dairy free caramel
The recipe I use for my Dairy Free Fudge Cupcakes uses a caramel that’s more like a pouring sauce you can make it thicker or thinner by adding more or less ‘milk’. The key to a good dairy free caramel is time and patience, in this case making sure you cool it long enough.
I’ll admit that I was running out of daylight to take these photos so the caramel was still blood temperature.
You need to condense the liquids to the point that the caramel goes through a bizarre metamorphous of colours from light, to dark and back to light again. It’s truly fascinating alchemy in the kitchen.
- light brown sugar
- golden syrup
- unsalted butter or dairy free alternative
- cream or plant based alternative
- salt to taste
The process is simple. Add all the ingredients to a pan then stir on a medium to high heat until everything has melted. Turn the temperature up or down to achieve a rolling boil (where the bubbles roll out towards the edges of the saucepan). Stir every so often and check to make sure the sugar and fats are not burning.



Trouble Shooting – my caramel has split
If something has split it means the fats have separated from the rest of the ingredients. Do not panic, this is quite likely to happen when making dairy free caramel. It’s all part of the process. Take the pan off the heat and beat like a woman or man possessed. The fats and sugars will merge back together as they cool and I promise you will end up with the thick caramel in the third picture below.
Trouble Shooting – my caramel’s too thick to drizzle
In the development stage of making this recipe I did almost end up with more fudge. That’s what can happen if you take your eye off the melting pan. If you find your caramel is too thick (remember it will thicken more when cooling to room temperature), then you can simply add a little more dairy free milk to loosen it. You’re aiming for a caramel that slides easily off the spoon to drizzle over your finished cupcakes.

Can I buy ready made vegan caramel?
Once again, I’m all for making life easier. So if you wanted to buy a dairy free caramel sauce to make this Apple Caramel Squares recipe then here are some great options for you to try. There’s the Nature’s Charm Salted Caramel or Joe & Steph’s Salted Caramel. If you do make this recipe with these alternative I’d love to know how you got and and what you thought.


Equipment you will need
Cups, Ounces, Grams … Kitchen Scales!
I cannot for the life of me understand why people on a restricted diet would not use kitchen scales.
I develop these recipes to within an inch (or a pinch) of an ingredient and a little too much of this or too little of that makes a BIG deal in gluten free baking.
So if in doubt – weight it out Kitchen Scales on Amazon*
How to make Dairy Free Fudge Cupcakes







Other dairy free bakes to inspire you
I have many, many delicious free from cake and bake recipes here on Glutarama so please feel free to stick around and browse! If you click the images below you’ll be taken to another delicious gluten free recipe many with dairy and egg free options too.




Dairy Free Fudge Cupcakes Recipe
If you make it and like the recipe I would be eternally grateful if you popped back and commented leaving a star rating as this will tell search engines that this recipe is worth checking out and others will get to find it in searches.

Dairy Free Fudge Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Fudge Cupcake
- 180 g gluten free self raising flour
- 125 g caster sugar
- 40 ml oil I use vegetable or sunflower I use vegetable or sunflower
- 80 ml dairy free milk I use soya milk
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice optional but does add extra rise
- ½ tsp psyllium husk powder optional optional but does help bind
- 50 g dairy free fudge chopped, plus extra to decorate
For the Vanilla Buttercream
- 35 g butter or butter alternative I use Flora plant butter I use Pure blocks of ‘butter’
- 2 tbsp dairy free milk
- 200 g icing/confectioners sugar confectioners sugar
For the Caramel Sauce
- 50 g light brown sugar
- 50 g golden syrup corn syrup
- 50 g unsalted butter or dairy free alternative I use Flora plant butter
- 80 ml dairy free milk I use soya milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
To make your Fudge Cupcakes
- Preheated your oven to 200°C | 180°C Fan | 400°F | Gas 6
- In a large bowl or mixer, beat together the oil, dairy free milk, sugar and cider vinegar (if using) until light in colour.
- Now add the dry ingredients. The flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and psyllium husk powder (if using) and beat again to a silky smooth batter that drops off the spoon easily.NOTE: don't worry, it will look rather sloppy.
- Add 6 cupcake cases to your cupcake/muffin tin (I actually double up my cases as this looks nice and helps to insulate). Spoon half the the batter evenly into each case.
- Next add half your chopped fudge pieces. Doing it this way will prevent fudge sinking to the bottom of each cupcake.
- Add the remaining cupcake mixture and top with the remaining fudge pieces.
- Pop into the oven and bake for 20mins.
- TOP TIP: as these cupcakes rise like mini souffles I stick a cocktail stick into the sides to check they're cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and once cool enough take the cupcakes out of the tin and transfer to a cooling rack, allow to cool completely.
To make the Caramel Sauce
- In a non stick saucepan, add all the ingredients and begin to stir on a medium to high heat until all the ingredients have melted.TOP TIP: use a big pan, the large surface area will reduce the time it takes to make the caramel sauce.
- Next, adjust the hob heat until you have a rolling boil. This step will only take 5 minutes so stir continuously to prevent any sticking to the bottom of the pan.NOTE: a rolling boil is when the liquid bubbles in the centre and forces the bubbles to the edge in a continuous rolling-outwards motion.
- Once you have a light coloured caramel sauce you can stop. As the caramel cools it will thicken (any splitting of the fats and sugars will be rectified by this beating motion).
- Pour into a glass jug or bowl, cool to room temperature ready to use later.
To make the Vanilla Buttercream
- Cream together the ingredients until you have a manageable light coloured buttercream.
- Scoop your buttercream into a piping bag with a nozzle of your choice and pipe liberally onto each cupcake.
- Finally decorate with fudge pieces and then drizzle the dairy free caramel sauce liberally over the top.
Nutrition
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For full transparency, in 2020 I made my first £25, and in 2022 I reached my next £25 (Amazon don’t transfer the money until you reach £25). Recently I got paid a whopping £27.10 for 2023.
So to date I have made £78.58 since I first started the scheme in 2017. It won’t pay the bills, that’s for sure but it does help to pay for ingredients or little treats to cheer me up!
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