Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Buttercream

Another easy-to-make yet utterly delicious gluten-free cupcake recipe. This one again hails from my most beloved cookbook Gluten-Free Cupcakes by Elana Amsterdam. As usual, I did adapt it as I went along. Fact is, I prefer the sweetness and moisture honey brings to these baked goods far more than agave nectar. So I always swap out the agave for honey (1:1 ratio). I also LOVE vanilla. So instead of sticking to just vanilla extract, I added part extract and part vanilla bean paste. Worked like a charm to give these cupcakes a rich and sweet , bursting with vanilla, flavor.

Again, this recipe's key component is coconut flour. Keeping in mind that coconut flour acts like a sponge and can be drying if not balanced well with other ingredients, Elana adds plenty of "moisturizing" ingredients to this recipe. Though I did opt for honey, I stuck with her directions for adding grapeseed oil and plenty of eggs. 4 eggs for 8 cupcakes ( the recipe says 9 cupcakes but I only managed to get 8) is quite a significant amount ! All together, these ingredients work to bring you one lovely, moist and heavenly vanilla flavored baked goodie.

Of course, no cupcake is truly a cupcake without a kick-ass frosting. I, for one, really enjoy the combo of lemon and vanilla. So I figured why not enhance my usual buttercream with some added lemon curd. I did not make the lemon curd but if you want, go for it. I opted to purchase a top quality imported brand - quality counts here. Only 3 tablespoons is added to the frosting and that is all you need. If I do say so myself - PERFECTION.

So let's get baking, shall we?

RECIPE:
*adapted source recipe for cupcakes only: Vanilla Cupcakes, Gluten-Free Cupcakes..., Elana Amsterdam

MAKE IT

CUPCAKES

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 large eggs
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract paste

FROSTING
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups icing sugar, sifted
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons lemon curd

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
LINE 8 muffin cups with liners

CUPCAKES

IN LARGE BOWL, whisk together first 3 ingredients
IN SEPARATE BOWL, thoroughly whisk together remaining cupcake ingredients
FOLD wet ingredients into dry ingredients stirring to remove any large lumps
FILL liners 3/4 full with batter
BAKE 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
LET COOL in pan 5 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on cooling rack

FROSTING

IN BOWL OF STAND MIXER, fitted with paddle attachment, add butter.
CREAM on MED speed until smooth and somewhat fluffy
SLOWLY add in icing sugar and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream
INCREASE SPEED and beat on high 2-3 minutes
ADD lemon curd and continue to beat on high another 2-3 minutes
ADD more cream if you want a lighter consistency

PIPE frosting onto cooled cupcakes

ENJOY !

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