Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes

Light and fluffy Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes filled with bright and tangy lemon curd and topped with a delicious cream cheese frosting. The lemon cupcakes are a simple adaptation of everyone's favorite one bowl gluten free vanilla cupcakes. Their texture is just out of this world and everyone will question if these cupcakes are really gluten-free. Yes, they are this good. Then let's not forget my delicious homemade lemon curd for the filling and a thick (and not too sweet) cream cheese frosting to bring it all together.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: I have tested this recipe for Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes with Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 and King Arthur Measure for Measure. Both flours produced a beautiful, light crumb. The only main difference was the fact that the cupcakes made with King Arthur stayed moist longer. I have not tested this recipe with Cup4Cup but it should not be an issue at all. If you make this recipe with Cup4Cup please substitute the 15 grams of cornstarch with Cup4Cup. Every gluten-free flour blend used to test this recipe is considered multi-purpose blend and does contain xanthan gum.

Neutral Oil: the tenderness of these gluten lemon cupcakes comes from the vegetable oil since it stays liquid even after cooling. Cake recipes using butter normally should come to room temperature before serving. I use grapeseed oil in my baking but a neutral oil such as vegetable oil will work just fine. I do not recommend using coconut oil since it will overpower the lemon flavor.

Lemon Zest: Adding lemon zest to the lemon cake batter gives the cakes a delicious, subtle lemon flavor. Most of the flavor of lemons comes from its zest. Make sure to give the lemons a good wash before zesting them.

Milk: This recipe can be made with any milk you have on hand (not buttermilk due to the lack of baking soda in this recipe). Don't be surprised to find cupcakes made with a nondairy alternative on the paler side. The casein found in cow's milk contributes to the browning of the cake.

Cream Cheese: I use a full-fat block/brick of cream cheese. My brand of choice if Philadelphia which is gluten-free according to the Kraft-Heinz website. I always recommend checking the packaging or the manufacturer’s website to ensure the products used are celiac safe. I have not tested any of my cheesecake recipes with fat-free or non-dairy cream cheese.

Lemon Curd: the homemade lemoncurd is the star of these gluten free lemon curd cupcakes. Can you use storebought lemon curd? Of course, but one you made your own lemon curd with fresh eggs and fresh lemon juice, you will never go back to the storebought version. If you don't have lemon curd already made, I recommend making this first thing so it has plenty of time to cool.

How to make Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes

This delicious gluten-free lemon cupcakes recipe comes together in no time. Make sure the eggs and the milk are at room temperature. While you measure out all the ingredients needed, place the eggs in a bowl with warm water. By the time you need them, they will be at room temperature.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350F and line a standard cupcake tin (or muffin tin) with cupcake liners. Set aside.

Step 2: In a small bowl sift or whisk together the gluten-free flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and kosher salt and set aside.

Step 3: In a medium combine the granulated white sugar and the zest of 1-2 lemons. The amount depends on personal preference and how big the lemons are. With your clean fingers, work the lemon zest into the sugar to release it's flavor and aromas.

Step 4: Add the room temperature eggs, oil and vanilla extract to the lemon sugar. Whisk until the mixture is light and no visible lumps of sugar remain. Whisking the eggs, oil and sugar helps to create light and fluffy cupcakes.

Step 5: Add half of the dry ingredients and half of your milk of choice to the oil mixture and whisk together. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Adding the liquid and dry ingredients alternately to the batter helps to reduce the amount of mixing needed to make a smooth batter. Many recipes call for adding all the wet ingredients to dry ingredients at once which often can cause lumps of flour in the batter.

Step 6: Using a large cookie scoop equally divide the gluten-free cupcake batter. Make sure to only fill each cavity ¾ full. I use a #20 cookie scoop (ice cream scoop) for this recipe.

Step 7: Bake the cupcakes at 350F for 20-22 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Make sure not to overbake your cupcakes since overbaking will try them out.

Step 8: Remove the gluten-free cupcakes from the oven and allow for them to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to cooling rack to cool completely before filling and frosting.

How to make thick Cream Cheese Frosting

A lot of times cream cheese frosting is too soft and not thick enough to be used to frost cupcakes. And let's not forget those recipes also often call for a lot of powdered sugar. By reversing the mixing order and creaming the butter with the sugar first, the frosting will be thick and pipeable.

Make sure the unsalted butter and the cream cheese are at room temperature. Especially the cream cheese or you will end up with lumps of cream cheese in the frosting.

Step 1: In the bowl of the stand mixer or a large mixing bowl combine the unsalted butter, powdered sugarand a pinch of kosher salt and mix for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Make sure to start the mixer at a low speed or there will be powdered sugar coating your kitchen counter.

Step 2: Add the room temperature cream cheese and vanilla extract and beat until you have a smooth, creamy thick cream cheese frosting. Don't forget to scrape the sides of the bowl with a flexible spatula to make sure there are no pockets of sugar or butter on the bottoms of the bowl.

Step 3: Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a standard piping tip to decorate the lemon curd cupcakes.

How to assamble Gluten Free Lemon Curd Cupcakes

To assamble the gluten free lemon cupcakes, you will need fully cooled lemon cupcakes, lemon curd and cream cheese frosting in two seperate piping bags and a melon baller. While the frosting should be in a piping bag with a pastry tip, the lemon curd can be just in a ziplock bag with one corner cut off.

Step 1: With the melon baller (or a small pairing knife) carefully remove the center of the cupcakes. Go around ¼-inch deep.

Step 2: Pipe a tall ring of cream cheese frosting around the edges of the lemon cupcakes. Make sure to press the frosting evenly and leave the center unfrosted.

Step 3: Fill the center with lemon curd which kinda makes them look like sunny side up eggs. Makes them the perfect Dessert for Easter Sunday.

Storage & Freezing

Since these gluten free lemon cupcakes with lemon curd and cream cheese frosting contain a lot of dairy, I recommend keeping them in the fridge. If you plan on serving them right away, they can stay room temperature up to 4 hours. I recommend eating them within 3 days of making them.

As for freezing, the plain lemon cupcakes can be frozen (once fully cooled) up to 2 months. Thaw them at room temperature or in the fridge overnight.

To freeze the fully decorated cupcakes, place them on a sheet tray or plate and place them in the freezer. Once fully frozen transfer them to an airtight container that is deep and big enough to hold the frosted cupcakes without smashing them down. One can keep them in the freezer for up to 4-6 weeks. If stored longer they tend to become dry and lose their flavor. To thaw frozen cupcakes, leave them at room temperature for a couple of hours or thaw in the fridge.

FAQ about Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes

Note about Salt in my Recipes

I use Diamond Kosher Crystal Salt in all of my recipes unless otherwise stated. If use use a different brand or kind of salt in your kitchen please adjust accordingly since some salts can be saltier. If you use Morton’s Kosher Salt please be aware that their salt granules are smaller in size, denser, and crunchier and twice as salty.

Baking in grams

I share my recipes in grams and by weight since baking by weight is the most accurate way to bake. Digital Scales are very affordable and easy to use. You can purchase them on Amazon for less than a set of measuring cups. For small amounts under 10 grams, I like to use this Precision Pocket Scale. Measuring cups are very inaccurate which can cause significant errors when it comes to gluten-free baking or baking in general. Especially since I bake with gluten-free flours which weigh differently than “regular” flours. I do provide some ingredients like spices and leavening agents in measuring spoons. To learn more about Baking with a digital scale, make sure to check out my post about Baking by weight.

Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures

All my recipes are tested and developed with a conventional oven. I always bake my baked goods on the rack placed in the MIDDLE of my oven. This way the heat coming from the bottom will not burn my baked goods.

If you are baking with convection (fan-forced), please adjust the recipes accordingly. Convection oven can cause baked goods to dry out quickly and still be raw inside. Since takes at least 15-20 minutes for a standard American Oven to be fully preheated. I highly recommend investing in an Oven Thermometer.

Substitutions and Modifications

Any dietary or ingredient modifications/substitutions to this recipe may alter the end result in appearance and taste. I test my recipes several times as published in this post and The Gluten Free Austrian Blog is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you find on our website.