Gluten-Free Lemon Cupcakes

I know, here we are again. Me and yet another cupcake recipe. I doubt you mind. I mean, who can get can enough of cupcakes? I can't. And I also cannot stop testing recipes from my recently purchased cookbook Gluten-Free Cupcakes by Elana Amsterdam.

I had been planning to make Elana's Lime Cupcakes for a few days now. I had even picked up several limes for the occasion on my last grocery outing. Or so I thought. Seems that I must have become distracted at the lime bin because they are not here. I have been guilty of this type of thing alot lately. Is this what comes with middle-age? I guess so. At least for me.

Now that all said, I did find nestled in my crisper a TON of lemons. So I decided to stick with her recipe for lime cupcakes but alter things a bit to turn them into lemon cupcakes instead. They turned out beautifully and I will definitely be making these again.

These cupcakes are INCREDIBLY moist. In fact I have not tasted many this moist in a long while, especially gluten-free cupcakes. The moisture is a result of the addition of 3 eggs, honey and grapeseed oil. This recipe only makes 8 cupcakes so as you can see, 3 eggs is quite a lot for such a small amount of cupcakes. They do the trick ! The flour combo of 1:1 coconut and almond flours also adds moisture and an incredibly rich crumb. DIVINE.

Her recipe recommends finishing them with a coconut frosting. I opted for a lemon buttercream with a hint of cream cheese instead. If you like the style of piping I used then use an open, large round piping tip. Play with your piping on waxed paper for awhile until you get the desired look then simply scrape the frosting back into your piping bag and start decorating the cupcakes!

Let's get started, shall we?


RECIPE:
*altered source recipe: Lime Cupcakes, Gluten-Free Cupcakes by Elana Amsterdam

WHAT YOU NEED

CUPCAKES
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup almond flour (remove any lumps by mashing together with your fingers)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs at room temperature
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup agave nectar (I used honey)
1/4 teaspoon pure lemon oil
zest from one large lemon

FROSTING
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/4 cup cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon pure lemon oil

MAKE IT

CUPCAKES
PREHEAT oven to 350F
LINE 8 muffin cups with paper liners (double the liners because these do tend to discolor as they bake due to the oil)
IN MEDIUM BOWL, whisk together first 4 cupcake ingredients
IN LARGE BOWL, whisk together remaining cupcake ingredients
WITH SPATULA OR SPOON, fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients stirring until combined
SCOOP 1/4 cup of batter into each muffin liner
BAKE 18-22 minutes until cupcakes are golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
LET cool in pan 5 minutes
TRANSFER cupcakes to cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting

FROSTING
IN BOWL OF STAND MIXER fitted with paddle attachment, whip butter and cream cheese on MED speed for 2 minutes
ADD sifted icing sugar combining first on slow speed then increasing to MED and mixing 4-5 minutes
ADD REMAINING ingredients and mix until fully incorporated and icing is smooth and creamy
PIPE FROSTING onto cupcakes

ENJOY !



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