Spring is in the air, and these gluten free pink lemonade cupcakes are positively scrumptious! If you have been on the hunt for a cupcake that is light, refreshing, and gorgeous, then these lemonade cupcakes are just what you need.
You can’t help but be impressed with how elegant and charming the gluten free pink cupcakes are.
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When my daughter told me she wanted to try to make lemonade cupcakes with white chocolate dragonflies, I was so excited (okay and intrigued!) She has been watching both Instagram cake decorating videos and the Great British Baking Show. See my post about these dragonflies to learn how to make these awesome White Chocolate Dragonflies.
My daughter plans to create a new Instagram account with all of the cakes she has decorated for me. (I will keep you posted!) If you love lemon, you will also wan to try these Easy Gluten Free Lemon Filled Cupcakes.
Anything with lemon is always a hit at our house, and they just taste like spring! Plus, it is a bonus that they are moist, flavorful, and easy to make. Our lemon tree is still bursting with lemons and these cupcakes will be a fun way to use up a couple of lemons.
One bite of these lemonade cupcakes with creamy pink lemonade buttercream, you can’t help but fall in love. The real star of the show is the white chocolate dragonfly on top.
If you prefer a classic cupcake, give this Easy Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes With Chocolate Frosting recipe a try!
These gluten free pink lemonade cupcakes are fantastic for dinner parties, barbecues, and when you want something sweet. One thing I am certain of if you serve these lemonade cupcakes your friends will go crazy for them!
Don't forget to check out all of my best gluten free cupcakes recipes! If you love colorful cupcakes, these Gluten Free Funfetti Cupcakes are sure to please!
How to make frosting flower petals
This is the Wilton frosting tip that my daughter used to make these cute little flower petals!! You will want to see my post on How to Make Frosting Flower Petals so you can see the video we made that will walk you through every step of the way. Soon you will be a flower frosting pro!!
Recipe step by step:
Step 1: Add your dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk to 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.
Step 2: Pour in the wet ingredients and then add the optional pink natural food coloring. I like to use the more natural food colorings when I need to add a splash of color. These are much better for the body than the artificial food dyes.
This is the consistency of the gluten free pink lemonade cupcake batter.
Step 3: Add the batter to a muffin pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
If you don't use liners, run a butter knife around the outer edge of each cupcake. You don’t have to do this, but it does give a little bit of extra insurance that they won’t stick to the pan.
Step 4: Mix up the frosting in a standing mixer.
You can use the natural food coloring to dye your whipped buttercream frosting too!
Frost your cupcakes any way you like. You can go here to see a video piping flower tutorial where I videotaped my daughter making these frosting flowers.
Recipe variations:
These cupcakes are amazing just the way the recipe is written, but if you like to make changes from time to time here are some ideas:
- Strawberries - Add some pureed strawberries to the batter to make the cupcakes pinker and add a great flavor too.
- Raspberries - They will go perfectly with the lemonade cupcakes! Add them in the batter and you won’t regret it.
- Sprinkles - Put on some of your favorite sprinkles. I would add some pink or white ones that will accent the chocolate dragonfly.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ:
My favorite way to know if cupcakes are baked throughout is to use the toothpick test. Insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake. If the toothpick comes back clean, without crumbs or batter, then the cupcakes are fully baked.
If you are frantically searching your kitchen for cupcake liners and coming up empty-handed, don’t worry! You can still make tasty cupcakes without liners. Just spray the muffin tin with cooking spray and sprinkle a little bit of powdered sugar or your favorite gluten free flour mixture in the bottom of the pan.
If you don’t use all the pink lemonade buttercream icing, then you can store the leftovers. I recommend placing it in an airtight container and putting it in the fridge for around a week. Take special care not to put it next to any foods that have a strong odor, or it may take on some of those flavors.
These cupcakes will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
If you are making a double batch of frosting to use at a later date, you can also put it in the freezer. It will last for approximately two months.
When you are ready to use it, place in the fridge the night before, and you can decorate cupcakes with it. (or just eat a spoonful)
If you love these gluten free pink cupcakes, you should take a look at some of my other scrumptious cupcake recipes:
- Hide some veggies in your dessert and give this healthier Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting a try!
- If you want even more lemon flavor this Easy Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes With Lemon Icing is special. It has a lemonade icing drizzled on top!
- If you are a chocoholic, these Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes are so good!
- My easy Gluten Free Churros Cupcakes are also fun!
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📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Pink Lemonade Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 2 ½ cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup lemon juice
- ¾ cup almond milk
- *optional pink food coloring
Frosting
- 1 ½ cups butter
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice you can also use water
- *optional pink food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a bowl, add the dry ingredients and whisk to blend. If your gluten free flour blend doesn't include xanthan gum, add 1 teaspoon.
- In a separate bowl, add the wet ingredients and mix well. Add food coloring if you prefer to use it.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers and fill each ¾ full with the batter.
- Bake for 18 minutes until done. Remove to a cooling rack and allow the cupcakes to cool.
- In a standing mixer, add the softened butter and whip. Slowly add the powdered sugar (so it doesn't explode everywhere) and the lemon juice. Add the optional food dye.
- Frost the cupcakes any way you like.
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.
- I used almond milk but other dairy-free kinds of milk will work but I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
- To keep your cupcakes light and fluffy, do not overmix your cupcake batter.
- 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.
- These cupcakes will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
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heather
gluten free? Oh my! I need these this week!
Sandi Gaertner
I am happy to share!!
Jade
Pink lemonade cupcakes are one of my favorite flavors. These are so good!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad...we love pink lemonade too!
Cindy
These were are tasty as they were lovely! Not brave enough to try the white dragonfly yet because I was in a hurry to make. Definitely next time though:)
Sandi Gaertner
You will be surprised how easy they are to make 🙂
Jaclyn Shimmel
I think these pink lemonade cupcakes are going to be a new family favorite!
Sandi Gaertner
Awesome Jaclyn...they are definitely worth it:-)