This recipe is for my cupcake fans. Wait until you take a bite of these gluten free vanilla cupcakes. They have a surprise inside! Top these with a creamy homemade chocolate frosting and you have a dessert that is sure to please everyone!
For the best gluten free cupcake recipes, check out my Gluten Free Cupcakes resource guide!!
Click for Table of Contents:
Cupcakes have been one of our favorite ways to enjoy dessert. I like them because they allow me to control the portion of sweets a little more. Put a big cake in front of me and I will eat way more than a cupcake amount!!
Do you ever feel this way? I seem to have no self-control when desserts are involved. Just take this Gluten Free Lemon Layer Cake recipe or this Gluten Free Carrot Cake recipe. I would want to cut my self a giant slice! And if you want to try something cool and different...give these Gluten Free Black Velvet Cupcakes a try!!
These cupcakes are made with simple ingredients, most of which you already have in your gluten free pantry.
If you truly love vanilla, you MUST give this Gluten Free Vanilla Cake a try. It makes a great birthday cake or even a wedding cake! Or, if you also love chocolate, you can also make these delicious Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes and serve both flavors!!
If you are a coconut fanatic like me, you may also want to try making this easy Gluten Free Coconut Cupcakes recipe too!
This stuffed cupcakes recipe comes with three recipe variations. Gluten free, gluten free dairy free, and you can even make them refined sugar-free. Note if you use coconut sugar, these cupcakes will be golden if you use gold coconut sugar, or more brownish if you use regular coconut sugar!
Instructions:
It is really easy to make cupcake frosting from scratch! The secret is to make sure your butter is softened to room temperature so that your frosting turns out smooth.
Step 1: Add your dry ingredients to a bowl and whisk to blend.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients to a bowl and whisk to mix them up.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is "just barely mixed." If you overmix the batter, your cupcakes will turn out dense.
Your batter should have a smooth consistency like in this photo.
Step 4: Line a muffin tin with parchment paper liners and fill each 3/4 full with the cake batter.
Step 5: Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.
Step 7: Decorate with sprinkles. Check out my guide to all of the safe gluten free sprinkles brands!
Recipe FAQ:
The best way to test to see if your cupcakes are baked is to insert a toothpick into the middle of a cupcake. If the toothpick comes back clean, they are finished baking. If you see batter or crumbs, they need to bake a little longer.
When your cupcakes turn out dense, it is because you over mixed your batter. This can be a huge issue in gluten free baking. Mix your ingredients until they are just barely mixed.
Optional:
Another fun idea is to fill these cupcakes. The secret is in this little middle scooper. That is probably not the real name of this handy $4 gadget, but what an awesomely fun way to fill your cupcakes!
Grab chocolate, pudding, sprinkles, M&Ms, or your favorite jam! I scooped out the middles of these cupcakes and added a seedless raspberry jam.
Filling ideas:
You can fill these gluten free vanilla cupcakes with jam, frosting, Nutella, whipped cream, or stick a fresh strawberry inside! You can fill these with M&Ms or sprinkles to make a piñata cupcake…which is fun for birthday celebrations.
This gluten free cupcake batter can also make a sheet cake, or layer cake...it is very versatile! All you need are a few simple ingredients!
More delicious gluten free cake recipes to try:
- The ultimate cake, we made this Gluten Free Chocolate Cake with Raspberries for Mr. Fearless Dining's birthday!
- I love the added almond flour in this Gluten Free Orange Almond Cake because it adds a small protein boost.
- One of the best cake recipes, this Gluten Free Lemon Bundt Cake is perfect for a party.
- A popular recipe on my blog, this Gluten Free Creamy Apple Cake is completely fool proof.
Tools:
- One of these gluten free flour blends: Bob's or Authentic Foods. (Both include Xanthan Gum, if your gluten free flour blend doesn't, add 1 teaspoon.)
- A muffin pan to bake your cupcakes in.
📋 Recipe
Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes
Moist, light vanilla cupcakes with a homemade chocolate buttercream frosting.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups gluten free flour blend, (*add 1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum if your blend doesn't contain it.)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter , (or coconut oil)
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cups non-dairy milk, You may need to add 1-2 tablespoons depending on the gluten free flour blend you use.
- Optional filling like jam, Nutella, etc.
- For Frosting
- 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 12 tablespoons softened butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons milk, You may need to add 1 tablespoon if your frosting is too thick.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk to blend.
- In a larger bowl, add the dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix. You want the batter to be smooth, but not too runny.
- Add parchment paper cupcake/muffin liners to a muffin tin. Fill each 3/4 with the cupcake batter.
- Bake the cupcakes for 20-22 minutes until done.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and put each cupcake onto a cooling rack to cool for 30 minutes.
- Take the middle scooper if you want to fill your cupcakes and remove the middle of each cupcake.
- Fill each cupcake with your preferred topping. (There is a list in the post, but ideas include jam, Nutella, M&Ms, etc).
- In a mixer, add frosting ingredients and whip until thick and creamy.
- Put the filling into a frosting pastry bag. Make sure to put the frosting tip in! Add frosting, including over the hole with the stuffing.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Note, if your gluten free flour blend doesn't contain Xanthan Gum, add 1 teaspoon.
Be very careful not to overmix the batter. Overmixing will make your cupcakes turn out heavy and dense.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 376Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 240mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 2gSugar: 43gProtein: 4g
Please note this nutrition information is calculated by a recipe plugin and is an estimate based on the ingredients used in this recipe.
April
Made these for our daughters 7th birthday party, they were perfect!!!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you liked them!!!
Alli
Does the butter for the cupcake part need to be softened or melted??
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Alli, I usually melt the butter for baking. Thanks for reaching out :-).
Clara
This looks like a good recipe to use, and I was wondering, is a flour blend the same as just flour? Thanks!?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Clara, a gluten free blend includes several gluten free flours, starch, and a gum for binding. One single gluten free flour will not work in recipes very well. I tend to use King Arthur, Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF Blend and Authentic Foods MultiBlend mixes mostly