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If you want an easy bake which is sweet and tangy, these gluten free lemon drizzle cupcakes are perfect!
Delicious lemon cupcakes with a zesty syrup drizzle to keep them moist and a swirl of marbled, lemon buttercream.
These gluten free lemon drizzle cupcakes are a citrus-lovers dream and perfect for baking some sunshine into your life.
There’s a full recipe card down below to make these cupcakes, and the blog contains all the hints, tips and tricks you need.
What ingredients do I need for lemon drizzle cupcakes?
There’s a full printable recipe card below, but for the shopping list you’ll need the following ingredients to make these gluten free cupcakes:
For the cupcakes:
- 125 g caster sugar
- 125 g unsalted butter, (softened)
- 2 large eggs
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 125 g self raising gluten free flour
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp milk
For the drizzle:
- 1 lemon (juice only)
- 60g caster sugar
For the buttercream frosting:
- 175 g unsalted butter, (at room temperature)
- 350 g icing sugar
- 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
- Yellow food colouring (optional)
All of these ingredients are super easy to find in the supermarkets and a lot of them you’ll probably already have.
I always use a self-raising gluten free flour blend such as FREEE by Doves Farm or Asda’s own flour.
For the cake you’ll want to have softened butter to make it easier to mix – either give it a quick zap in the microwave or leave the butter out for a while before baking.
It’s really important the butter for the buttercream frosting is at room temperature.
I’d advise getting it out of the fridge a few hours before you want to use it to make sure it’s not too cold.
Making gluten free lemon cupcakes
The first part of this recipe is making the perfect gluten free lemon cupcakes.
I use the same base as my gluten free vanilla cupcakes recipe, except with a twist of lemon zest instead of vanilla extract.
It’s really that simple and honestly, this is as easy as gluten free baking gets.
Cream together your butter and sugar, add eggs and lemon zest and then beat in the flour before spooning into baking cases.
I used some funky yellow cake cases from a rainbow set to go with the theme of my bake, I think it makes them more lemony!
After baking the cupcakes, drizzle them with a quick and easy syrup made from sugar and lemon juice.
As the cakes cool this will keep them moist and add an extra zing – much like in my gluten free lemon drizzle cake.
Once these gluten free lemon drizzle cupcakes have cooled, it’s time to make the lemon buttercream.
How to make marbled buttercream
Making a lemon buttercream is really simple – but how do you get those dreamy swirls of cream and yellow together?
The answer is really very simple!
To make marbled buttercream, first make up your frosting, and then divide it between two bowls.
Mix yellow food colouring into one of the bowls – I like to use this gel food colouring by Wilton Foods.
Then, alternating between the two colours, place one spoonful at a time in random blobs in the piping bag until it’s full.
When you pipe the icing, it will swirl the two colours together and each cupcake will look individual and beautiful!
Of course, you don’t have to colour the icing at all but I just think it gives these gluten free lemon cupcakes an extra special touch.
Can I make dairy free lemon cupcakes?
Yes – these gluten free lemon drizzle cupcakes are really easy to make dairy free too!
Simply swap the butter in the recipe for Stork Baking Block or a similar dairy free butter alternative.
I always use the Stork block as it’s the best consistency, especially when it comes to making dairy free buttercream.
You’ll also want to sub out the milk for a dairy free milk too.
I’m still working on finding the perfect egg replacement, so at the moment I don’t have a vegan alternative to this recipe.
You can check out some of my vegan gluten free bakes here – and as soon as I perfect a vegan cupcake I will update this post!
My gluten free lemon drizzle cupcakes recipe
Here it is, my super zingy and delicious gluten free lemon drizzle cupcakes recipe.
These are a great bake if you’re new to gluten free baking and are also great fun to make with kids.
If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!
And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.
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Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes
Gluten free lemon drizzle cupcakes are perfectly tangy and sweet. Gluten free lemon cupcakes with a lemon drizzle and lemon buttercream. For a dairy free alternative, simply swap the butter for Stork Baking Block or similar dairy free alternative. Makes 12 cupcakes.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 125 g caster sugar
- 125 g unsalted butter, (softened)
- 2 large eggs
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 125 g self raising gluten free flour
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tbsp milk
For the drizzle:
- 1 lemon (juice only)
- 60g caster sugar
For the buttercream frosting:
- 175 g unsalted butter, (at room temperature)
- 350 g icing sugar
- 2-3 tbsp lemon juice
- Yellow food colouring (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180'C (170'C fan) / Gas 4. Fill a 12-hole baking tin with cupcake cases and set aside while you make the cake batter.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until pale and creamy. (TIP: If the butter is hard, zap it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds before adding it to the mixing bowl to make it easier!)
- Crack the eggs into the mixing bowl and add the lemon zest. Beat again for 30 seconds to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a spatula.
- Sift in the self-raising gluten free flour and xantham gum, add the milk, and then beat together with the electric whisk until everything is fully combined. You want a fairly thick batter which looks light and fluffy.
- Spoon the mixture evenly between the cupcake cases and then place in the centre of an oven and bake for 20-22 minutes. The cupcakes are done when they are well-risen, golden on top, and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Add the caster sugar and lemon juice for the drizzle into a saucepan and heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Spoon evenly over the warm cupcakes. Cool the cakes in the tray for 10 minutes before removing the cakes from the tray to cool completely.
To make the frosting:
- Add the butter, icing sugar and 2 tbsp lemon juice to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk on a low speed until it becomes a smooth, pale buttercream. (TIP: To avoid an icing-sugar dust cloud I tend to 'mash' the mixture with a fork until it starts to come together, then use the electric whisk).
- If the mixture is too thick, add a little extra lemon juice at a time - you should need no more than 3 tbsp which is approx one large lemon. To make marbled icing, spoon half of the icing into a separate bowl and mix with yellow food colouring. When adding to the piping bag, spoon the frosting in, alternating between the yellow and white icing.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cool, decorate them with a swirl of buttercream. Finish with some extra lemon zest.
Notes
- For the frosting, it's important to use room temperature butter to get the right consistency. If it becomes very soft once beaten (especially likely on a hot day) then place the buttercream in the piping bag and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes until it's an easy consistency to pipe.
- These cupcakes will keep for around 3 days in an air-tight container. You can also freeze the cakes BEFORE frosting and defrost and decorate as desired.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 cupcakeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 408Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 19mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 1gSugar: 44gProtein: 3g
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Need some more gluten free baking inspiration?
Want to have a go at some of the other gluten free baking recipes on the blog?
Give some of these other gluten free bakes a try and see what you think!
There are plenty to choose from – here are a couple of easy baking ideas to get you going:
- Christmas cake recipe
- Apple and blackberry crumble
- Gluten free tea loaf recipe
- Apple and salted caramel loaf cake
If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram.
And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!
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Like this Gluten Free Lemon Cupcakes recipe?
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If my Self Raising Flour already had Xanthan gum should i leave it out?