You are going to love these light and fluffy gluten free funfetti cupcakes. Use this funfetti cake batter to make cupcakes, a cake, or bake it in gluten free ice cream cones to make festive birthday cupcakes!
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My daughter is all about colorful rainbow sprinkles, aka funfetti. I have used funfetti in a few desserts like these gluten free funfetti cookies, but I needed a good cupcake to bring to a birthday.
You are going to love how easy this recipe is to make. I used my popular gluten free vanilla cupcakes recipe and added a bunch of colorful sprinkles. Note with sprinkles, some are made on shared equipment so check my list to know which sprinkles are gluten free.
Why these colorful cupcakes are great:
These rainbow cupcakes are great because you have so much flexibility depending on the occasion! You can make cupcakes like I did, either in cupcake papers or ice cream cones, or you can make a big cake.
Use any color combination of sprinkles for any holiday!
You can bake any of my flavored cupcakes batter recipes in ice cream cones. Ice cream cone cupcakes are all the rage for birthday parties and dessert buffets! Check out all of my delicious gluten free cupcake recipes!
Ingredient notes:
- Gluten free flour blend - I tested this recipe using Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- Xanthan gum - If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- Gluten free sprinkles - Make sure you use sprinkles that are gluten free. Some brands use shared equipment!
- Butter - To make this dairy-free, use vegan butter.
- Milk - If you are dairy-free, use non-dairy milk.
Recipe step by step directions:
Step 1: Add your dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to blend. Don't forget to add 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum if your gluten free flour blend doesn't contain it. This helps hold your cupcakes together.
Step 2: Add your wet ingredients to a smaller bowl and whisk to blend.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix. Do not over-mix the batter, mix it until it is just barely mixed. This will keep your cupcakes light and fluffy!
Step 4: Now you have two options. Add cupcake papers to a muffin tin. Pour your batter into the muffin tin cups. Fill until they are about ¾ full.
Step 5: You can also bake the cupcake batter in gluten free ice cream cones. The batter rises pretty high when baking so fill your cones about the same as I did.
Step 6: Bake the cupcakes at 350º F for 20-25 minutes. Baking time will vary whether you use a muffin tin or bake the cupcakes in cones.
Step 7: In a standing mixer or with an electric mixer. Mix up your frosting. I made a buttercream frosting so I used powdered sugar, softened butter, pure vanilla extract, and water.
Step 8: Add the frosting to a piping bag. Use any tip you like and add frosting to each cupcake. If you want to make flowers. I have a great video tutorial on how to pipe frosting flowers.
Step 9: Sprinkle with funfetti sprinkles and top with a maraschino cherry!
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
You can easily make this recipe dairy-free by using vegan butter and non-dairy milk.
These cupcakes will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer. To freeze, I recommend freezing without frosting.
To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the cupcakes need to bake longer.
Joy and Goldbaums both make great gluten free ice cream cones to use for these cupcakes. I recommend using this ice cream cone baking stand if you are using sugar cones. This ice cream cone stand is better for flat bottom cones.
The best way to keep your cupcakes fluffy is to not overmix the batter. Also, many gluten free flour blends are starchy. If you notice your batter is thick, add more liquid so it looks like my photo above.
You can flavor and color frosting easily too! Check out all of my easy Gluten Free Frosting Tips.
More gluten free cupcakes:
- Gluten Free Churros Cupcakes
- Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- Gluten Free Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
- Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Recipe
Gluten Free Funfetti Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter melted
- 2 eggs large
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk or non-dairy milk
- ½ cup sprinkles
Frosting:
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup butter softened
- ¼ cup milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- 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, sprinkles, and mix them gently. You want the batter to be smooth, but not too runny.
- Add parchment paper cupcake/muffin liners to a muffin tin. Fill each ¾ with the cupcake batter.
- Bake the cupcakes for 20-22 minutes until done.
- To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the cupcakes needs to bake longer.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and put each cupcake onto a cooling rack to cool for 30 minutes.
Frosting:
- 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!
- Sprinkle with more funfetti sprinkles!
To Bake In Ice Cream Cones:
- Use an ice cream cone bakin stand to hold up your ice cream cones.
- Fill each ⅔ with the funfetti batter. Don't overfill or the cake batter will explode over the top.
- Bake 20 minutes until done.
- Allow to cool and frost.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
- To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the cupcakes need to bake longer.
- I used almond milk but milk and other dairy-free kinds of milk will work but I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Lisalia
YUM! I love how you've made gluten free taste SO good. These cupcakes were perfect for our son's birthday. He's gluten free - but we were all able to enjoy. Thanks.
Sandi Gaertner
I am glad he loved them. Happy Birthday! 🙂
Wilhelmina
The flavor and texture of these cuppies was spot on! Delicious!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you loved them Wilhelmina 🙂