These gluten free lemon cupcakes have a tender crumb and are full of bright lemon flavor. Bonus – they’re really easy to make, no stand mixer required!
This post is brought to you in partnership with Rodelle Vanilla and contains affiliate links for products and ingredients used to make this recipe. Thank you for supporting What The Fork Food Blog ♥
Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes
It’s my birthday again! This year, instead of a cake, I decided to celebrate with these gluten free lemon cupcakes. These cupcakes are so bright and fresh – perfect for birthdays!
In the past, I’ve really done it up with birthday cakes. Last year, I made a gluten free coconut cake which was a big hit. The gluten free funfetti cake that I made the year before that was also a reader favorite.
So why cupcakes this year instead of another gorgeous layer cake?
Because I’m lazy!
No really, though… I’ve been working HARD and I just did NOT want to make a big, beautiful (read: time consuming) layer cake. And I’m not saying that making a cake is hard, it’s a little work. But when you’re recipe testing, it’s a lot. Several rounds of testing, plus making and styling it for photos AND making an extra one for videos – it’s just SO much cake.
This recipe is one I’ve been working on since May when Kelsey wanted lemon cupcakes to bring to school for her birthday – she’s a fruit dessert kinda girl. So naturally, I always use school functions for a round of recipe testing #foodbloggertruth
Basically, any get tother and any time I have to make or bring a dessert, I use that as an opportunity to test a recipe out. For this recipe, I was pretty happy with the way they came out the first time – plus I made them mini, which you could do here if you want.
I only had to tweak a few things and BOOM: the best gluten free lemon cupcakes, ever!
Since I happen to love fruity desserts too (sorry Adam), I thought this would be the perfect time to get this recipe down. And that I did – I don’t want to pay myself on the back but I’ll just go ahead and do that and say that I nailed it here. So much lemon flavor and the cupcakes have such a great texture. Lemon perfection!
These lemon cupcakes get their bright lemon flavor from THREE sources of lemon flavor – fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and a little bit of lemon extract (I use Rodelle lemon extract). That lemon extract gives these that little extra lemon flavor that you can’t get from just the juice and zest alone. It’s what truly makes these seem like a bakery-style cupcakes.
If you REALLY want to up that lemon factor, you can scoop out some of the top of the cupcake and fill it with some of my paleo lemon curd. If I had some on hand, I probably would have done that!
Since it’s my birthday, I teamed up with Rodelle to bring you guys another great giveaway! I can’t have a birthday and without having a little giveaway, right?!
This time, we’re giving one of you a fun little sampler prize pack that includes some vanilla extract, lemon extract, almond extract, vanilla paste, and their gourmet baking cocoa. You can enter the giveaway via the giveaway form at the end of the post. Good Luck!
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Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Rodelle Lemon Extract
- 1 teaspoon Rodelle Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 cup whole milk see notes for dairy free
- 1/3 cup avocado oil
- 5-8 drops yellow food coloring optional
For the frosting
- 8 oz. cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and muffin tins with 15 cupcake liners or spray well with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon extract, vanilla extract, milk, and avocado oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared muffin tins and fill each one 2/3 of the way with batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 17-19 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Mine take 18 minutes)
- Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
For the frosting:
- Add the cream cheese and butter to a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat together until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the powdered sugar and mix on the lowest speed until the sugar is incorporated. Add the vanilla and lemon juice and mix an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired and store in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving. Cupcakes are best if eaten within 2-3 days. These cupcakes also freeze well.
Video
Notes
- I use my Nightshade-Free Flour Blend for this recipe. I also tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour with great results.
- For dairy free cupcakes, use unsweetened coconut milk in place of the whole milk and use the dairy free cream cheese frosting recipe found here.
- I used an Ateco 829 Open Star Tip to frost these cupcakes. If you use a large piping tip to frost the cupcakes, you may need to make an extra 1/2 batch of frosting.
Nutrition Information
Disclaimers
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Facts are estimated and aren't always accurate. Please consult a doctor or nutritionist if you have special dietary needs.
2017 Birthday Giveaway
Light, fluffy and delicious! When I tasted the batter (yes, I’m a rebel and will taste raw batter – lol) I thought there was too much lemon extract which can give your baked goods a weird taste. But once baked it was clear it was not too much and the taste was perfect! I did add twice as much lemon zest for a big burst of lemon flavor, but beyond that the recipe was followed to the letter. Absolutely delicious and even my non gf family loved these and couldn’t tell they were gf. Thanks for this great recipe!!!
Thank you for sharing your love for these cupcakes, Elle!
Namaste Shay,
I have not yet made the recipe 🥰 I have questions about converting it to a Vegan recipe. Do you know if it will work with Flax eggs (1 Tbsp Flax + 1 Tbsp Water for each egg).
My daughter has requested Gluten -free Lemon cupcake with Cream Cheese frosting for her birthday (she is turning 31! LOL) and I’m Vegan, and try to offer Vegan to others when I have the opportunity.
Your feedback is greatly appreciated. I’m not confident with Baking, but I am willing to try!
Thank you so much! 🙏🏼
blessings to you,
Durga Devi
Hi Durga! I haven’t tried this recipe with an egg replacer but if you do, let me know how it turns out for you!
When you used 1:1 flour did you remove the Xanthan gum? Thanks.
Yes, omit it if your flour blend contains it 🙂
These lemon cupcakes are delicious! Super flavorful but at the same time not overpowering. They are just right! I can’t wait to make them again!! 🫶🏼🤩
Thanks so much, Yesenia!
If I use the Bob’s Red Mill 1-for-1 flour, do I still need to add the xanthan gum? I made these with the Bob’s Red Mill flour then continued with the recipe…they were horrible. Thanks!
No, if the flour blend you use contains xanthan gum (like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1), omit the xanthan gum called for in the recipe. Too much xanthan gum will make these super gummy/rubbery.
Hi Shay! If Your nightshade free flour blend is used as the base, should the xanthum gum be added in the recipe or no?
AND… if making this recipe as a larger round or sheet cake instead of cupcakes, are there specific modifications that need to be made to the recipe ingredients to keep a moist and full consistency, or is the baking time all that needs to be changed?
Thanks!
Hi Aletha! Yes, still add the xanthan gum because my nightshade free blend doesn’t have it already in it. I haven’t personally tried this as a cake yet but Sarah (above) has. She doubled hers but you probably don’t need to and bake it in 2 8-inch pans – I can’t tell you for certain though without actually trying it myself.
Oh my goodness! I made these yesterday and they were AMAZING!!! I didn’t try the sheet cake yesterday but I will soon! Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s a life-saver for family gatherings 🙂
I’m so glad that you enjoyed these! Thank you for your feedback on these too. It’s always so nice to hear when people make these recipes!
I doubled the recipe and turned it into a cake for Easter and it was SO GOOD. My mother in law keeps raving about it and based on the number of slices my father in has gone through I think it’s safe to say that he’s also a fan 🙂 Thanks Sharon!
So glad you all enjoyed it Sarah! I was planning on turning this into a cake soon, so thanks for letting me know it works well 🙂
Hi Sharon! I made these twice this last weekend. The first I followed all the ingredients, except the Xanthum Gum because my Cup4Cup had it. I subbed avocado oil for coconut oil but otherwise, followed the recipe and mine also came out very dense. Everyone loved them, except me. So, I tried it again, thought maybe if I used a different one to one, beat them longer to get more air into them, I used Bob’s this time, got the same exact dense result…any suggestions?
Hi Janene, for starters, I wouldn’t over mix the batter. I’d also recommend making sure you’re measuring your flour correctly. Start by stirring your flour, then use a spoon to scoop it into your measuring cup and then level it off with a straight edge. Using even a little too much flour can make dense/drier gluten free baked goods.
I just made these cupcakes – used all the ingredients you listed except the xantham gum because it was already in the Bob Red Mill’s 1:1 GF Baking Flour, and I used coconut sugar. The taste is great! But they were dense and didn’t rise much. Is there a way to make them more light and fluffy? Suggestions?
Hi April, I think the coconut sugar may have been the culprit here. When I use it, I’ve noticed that I have to use more liquid (kind of like baking with coconut flour but not as much) or else the end result will be a little drier.
Can you substitute a different oil for the avocado oil?
You can use vegetable oil or canola oil. I haven’t tried this with melted coconut oil.