Description
These gluten free cupcakes are so moist and bouncy that you would never even know they’re gluten free! They’re also baked with a tablespoon of vanilla for extra flavor and topped with a smooth chocolate buttercream.
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
- 1/4 cup (50g) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (195g) gluten free baking flour*
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (190ml) buttermilk**
Chocolate Frosting *see notes for vanilla option
- 1 cup (220g) unsalted butter, room temp
- 1/2 cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder (regular or dutch process)
- 3 cups (330g) powdered sugar
- 2–3 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- Rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line one cupcake tin with 12 liners an another with 3 liners. This recipe makes 15 cupcakes total.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl using a hand or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Mix on medium-high speed until smooth, light, and fluffy.
- Mix in the remaining sugar and vegetable oil until smooth, followed by the eggs and vanilla.
- Dump in half of the dry ingredients and mix. With some flour still showing, pour in the buttermilk and mix again.
- Dump in the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Scoop the batter into the liners, filling each about halfway.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. The cupcakes bake pretty flat, so it’s normal to not see rounded tops.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. You can pop them in the refrigerator to speed this up.
Chocolate Frosting
- In a bowl using a hand or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the butter and cocoa powder and mix until smooth.
- Scrape down the bowl and begin to mix in the powdered sugar one cup at a time.
- Between each cup, mix in a tablespoon of milk, along with the vanilla and salt.
- In the end, the frosting should be thick but smooth and glossy. If it’s TOO thick, mix in another tablespoon of two of milk.
- Pipe the frosting on the cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles. Enjoy!
Notes
*GLUTEN FREE FLOUR – Make sure to use a cup for cup gluten free baking flour blend, one with xanthan gum in the mix. I used both Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 and King Arthur Measure for Measure flour and they worked the exact same! Also, when measuring, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a flat edge. Don’t scoop directly into the flour or shake the flour down into the cup. We want a light and fluffy cup of flour.
**BUTTERMILK – You can also make your own buttermilk. Pour 3/4 cup of milk and remove a scant tablespoon. Then replace with a scant tablespoon of vinegar. Mix and let it sit for about 10 minutes to curdle before use.
VANILLA BUTTERCREAM – If you prefer vanilla frosting for these cupcakes, use the frosting recipe I used for my perfect vanilla cupcakes. My cream cheese frosting recipe is another good option!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cooling Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
