Preheat your oven to 375°F Line your cupcake pans with paper liners
Place half package (7oz) tofu in a food processor & process smooth~ it will resemble ricotta cheese
Combine the aquafaba & the plant milk together in a small bowl, reserve
Add the lemon juice, zest & vanilla extract to the tofu ricotta, reserve.
Cream the softened vegan butter with the sugar in your electric mixer with a paddle attachment on medium to high speed until light & fluffy. This took about 7 minutes
Sift the dry ingredients together including the egg replacer
Now add the plant milk/aquafaba mixture slowly to the creaming butter mixture on low speed until it is all incorporated then increase the speed to high to emulsify for 10 seconds
Add the sifted dry ingredients all at once, mixing just until combined
Add the tofu ricotta mixture next & mix to combine well.
Scoop the batter into the lined cupcake molds filling 3/4 way to the top, the batter will be very thick & not pour able~ this is correct.
Bake in the preheated oven at 375°F for 10 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 325°F to bake the rest of the way. Total bake time is approximately 25-30 min ~ best to check at 20 min to gauge time but they are done when you gently press the centers & they are springy OR when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool them in the pans then remove them and cool the rest of the way while you prepare the buttercream & custard recipes.
Follow the buttercream recipe for your favorite buttercream and at the last stage of mixing add a drop or two of violet gel paste color
For the lemon custard combine the sugar with the cornstarch & then add that to the water, plant milk & lemon juice along with the zest in a medium sauce pot
Over medium heat bring the mixture to a boil whisking constantly. Let it boil for about 5 seconds to activate the cornstarch then remove from the heat & transfer to a bowl to cool and set
Fill the cupcakes with the cooled custard then ice with lavender buttercream as shown in the video tutorial