Light & Buttery Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes
yields: 15 cupcakes
The perfect light and fluffy gluten-free vanilla cupcakes. Top these super moist tender cupcakes with classic American buttercream or cream cheese and your favorite sprinkles for the ultimate birthday cupcake. This is my go-to recipe for gluten-free vanilla cupcakes!
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes
- 72 g (½ cup + 1 tablespoon) Bob’s Red Mill sorghum flour
- 70 g (¼ cup + 3 tablespoons) sweet rice flour, also called mochiko; do not substitute white or brown rice flour
- 56 g (½ cup) Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
- 46 g (¼ cup + 1 tablespoons) Bob’s Red Mill millet flour
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 220 g (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon almond extract, or more vanilla extract for nut-free version
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (150 g) whole milk, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (80 g) sour cream, room temperature
Vanilla Buttercream for cupcakes
- 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened slightly above room temperature
- 450 g (3¾ cups) powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ whole vanilla bean, seeds only, or ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1-3 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
- Optional: a few drops gel food coloring, sprinkles
INSTRUCTIONS
Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two muffin tins with 15 cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the sorghum flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca starch, millet flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar over medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, mixing and scraping down the sides after each one.
- Add the vanilla and almond extracts, mixing until just combined.
- Keeping the speed on low, slowly add the dry ingredients in three batches, adding the sour cream and milk in between, mixing until just combined.
- Fill the cupcake liners ⅔ full. I recommend using a ¼-cup ice cream scoop for even cupcakes. Bake for 25-28 minutes until the cupcakes spring back when gently pressed in the middle and a toothpick comes out dry or with a few moist crumbs. These cupcakes will seem light and airy in texture when gently pressed, so take care not to overbake them.
- Remove from oven. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream Frosting Option
- Once cool, make the buttercream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter over medium speed. With the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar to the butter, in 4 batches, beating until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix until smooth. Add the milk or cream, starting with just 2 tablespoons and adding additional milk or cream as needed, until frosting is smooth and spreadable. Fold in a few drops of gel food coloring, if desired.
- Frost the cupcakes. Pipe or spread frosting on the cupcakes using a ½-inch closed star piping tip or offset spatula. Top with sprinkles.
Video
Notes
If you want another delicious frosting option, my Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting pipes beautifully and is a perfect pairing to the vanilla cupcakes.
Store any leftover cupcakes in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Because this is a butter-based cupcake recipe, it's best served at room temperature. Additionally, when stored in the fridge, the crumb is much more prone to drying out.
Flour substitutions: I have tested these cupcakes with Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 baking flour blend with success, so if you'd rather use an all-purpose flour, I recommend substituting all of the flours by weight with Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 baking flour.
