Soft and full of vanilla flavor, these simple, but perfect gluten free vanilla cupcakes are just what we need in our baking arsenal.
I love cake. And when I say that, I mean I love ALL cake. I seriously cannot think of a flavor of cake or cupcakes I don't love. Chocolate is probably my absolute favorite, which is surprising because as a kid I didn't like chocolate cake. But as an adult, I grew into so many flavors of cake--carrot, pistachio, spice, pumpkin, caramel, etc, etc.
But whomever says vanilla is boring hasn't had a truly perfect vanilla cupcake. And these cupcakes here are the ultimate perfect vanilla cupcakes, gluten free or not! They're pillowy soft and FULL of vanilla bean flavor in both the cake and the buttercream. And what's great about these cupcakes is they can be a blank canvas for any combination of flavors and textures you can dream up!
UPDATE: When I first wrote and shared this post, I thought I had the best gluten free vanilla cupcakes out there. They were pretty special, at least to me and my family. But then I started getting comments from readers stating they were having some trouble with these cupcakes sinking. So I made another batch and I had the same exact problem and I couldn't figure out why. I had tested this recipe several times before posting it the first time and it worked beautifully. So the only thing I could think of was I must have put the wrong measurements down on the blog post, or I goofed up somehow in listing out the correct ingredients.
Either way, I couldn't leave the recipe as is. So I searched and searched and tried dozens of concoctions (again) for the best vanilla cupcakes, and I believe I finally have it right. These cupcakes have stood three trials without any problems, and I made sure I got the ingredients and measurements exactly as I made them each time. So I'm crossing my fingers no one will have any problems with this new recipe and will just be able to enjoy the fruit of their labors! Because we all need a little vanilla cake every now and then.
Ingredients for Perfect Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes
These cupcakes are so soft and moist, you'd never know they're gluten free. My family has been loving my cupcakes for years (before celiac) and when I had to change everything to gluten free, I really thought things were gonna go downhill. But I found a great recipe that I adapted to fit my gluten free needs, using my own gf flour blend and my own special touches.
Cake Ingredients
- Kim's all purpose gluten free flour blend--a store bought blend may be substituted (although the recipe hasn't been tested with anything other than my blend).
- Sour cream -- it's amazing what sour cream does to cake. It makes it so tender and soft.
- Vanilla bean seeds and extract--for maximum vanilla flavor, I use both the seeds from a vanilla bean AND extract.
- Almond extract -- just a very small amount of almond extract seems to enhance the vanilla flavor.
The Buttercream
You can play around with many different vanilla frosting ideas for these cupcakes. I've got plenty of options here on the blog (my signature French buttercream or a Swiss meringue buttercream to name a couple). But I thought for these cupcakes, because they're "simple and perfect," American buttercream all the way. Here's what you'll need for my American buttercream (3 simple ingredients):
- Butter
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla--because we're going with the whole "perfect vanilla" theme, of course I'm gonna use vanilla bean seeds AND extract for maximum vanilla flavor.
People often ask why there is no liquid in this recipe. I explain that it isn't necessary because of the amount of butter compared to the amount of powdered sugar. Most American buttercream recipes require a little milk or cream to thin them due to the heavy amount of powdered sugar, which makes them really thick. And really sweet. But not this American buttercream.
Vanilla Cupcakes Frosting and Decorating Ideas
These perfect gluten free vanilla cupcakes are just that--perfect as they are. But, if you want to use these as a stepping off point to something else, here are some ideas:
- Plain--plain is sometimes anything but. The simplicity of a vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream can be so satisfying.
- Chocolate--one of my favorites--vanilla cake with chocolate frosting. Try this fudge frosting.
- French buttercream--my signature frosting, French buttercream is the be all end all to buttercream frostings, in my opinion. And it can be flavored a million different ways.
- Coconut--use this recipe for a flour-based frosting (ermine), and then add shredded coconut.
- Sprinkles--I love sprinkles and there are so many kinds of sprinkles for every holiday you could ever want.
- Whipped cream and raspberry jam--or strawberry. Or fresh fruit.
gluten free vanilla cupcakes frequently asked questions
Yes, it should bake up just fine in cake pans, but of course you'll need to adjust the baking time accordingly, depending on the size of your cake pans.
They will stay fresh in a sealed container at room temperature for 3-4 days. They can also be frozen if wrapped well in plastic wrap.
You can try a dairy-free sour cream or yogurt in place of the sour cream and a dairy-free butter alternative in place of the butter.
more gluten free cupcake recipes
- Pumpkin cupcakes with maple swiss meringue buttercream
- Coconut cupcakes
- Mexican chocolate cupcakes
- Hostess with the mostest cupcakes
- Witch's hat cupcakes
- Red, white, and blueberry cupcakes
- Lemon drop cupcakes
- Triple chocolate cupcakes
- Churro cupcakes
- Carrot cupcakes
These perfect gluten free vanilla cupcakes are the ultimate in real vanilla flavor and will put store bought cupcakes to shame!
Perfect Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170g) butter, at room temperature
- 1½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract, or the seeds from one vanilla bean
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1¼ cups (300g) sour cream
- 2 cups (280g) Kim's all purpose gluten free flour blend (a store bought blend may be substituted, but hasn't been tested)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Vanilla Buttercream
- 3 cups (6 sticks or 680 g) butter, at room temperature
- 6 cups (680 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract, or the seeds from one vanilla bean
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line muffin tins with paper liners. The recipe makes about 20 cupcakes, depending on how full you fill the liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract, beating just until combined.
- Reduce the speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients, a little at a time, until all of it has been added, stopping the mixer right after adding the last amount. Fold in any unmixed flour by hand.
- Scoop the batter into cupcake liners and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a handheld mixer), beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar in increments with the mixer on low (so it doesn't fly out of the mixer). Add the vanilla. Turn the mixer up to medium and beat for about 5-6 minutes, or until lighter in color and texture (this extra mixing is crucial to the texture of the buttercream).
- Frost cupcakes as desired.
Notes
Adapted from Chef Lindsey Farr's Sprinkles Copycat Vanilla Cupcakes
MamaChan
OMG..... Ok, so I found a different GF Vanilla cup cake recipe, made it and it went strait in the composting..... Then found your recipe! Unreal! My son, *33* who was visiting, lick the spatula, just like if he was 5 again and return to the bowl with a full spoon to just eat the dough non cook as it was soooo good! Once bake, WOW!! These cup cakes taste like Angel Food Cake! Sooo fluffy, tasty and amazing for a GF cup cake! They did fall a little but with the icing on top it didn't show tooo much! Keeping this recipe for all my birthday cake wish!
Thank you
Kim
Awe, so glad you liked them!!!!
LUCY
These taste fantastic, but I've made them twice and they've fallen both times. I weighed everything, even the butter and sour cream. I used your flour recipe. I really creamed the butter and sugar, and barely mixed in the flour. Not sure why they keep falling. The taste is so good, I'll keep trying and frost away the issue.
Kim
Fallen cupcakes are usually the result of underbaking. I would suggest adding a little more time to the bake, maybe 2-4 minutes.
Sonu
Hi Kim,
I just wanted to let you know that when you change the quantity of the cupcakes, the metric written version of the recipe doesn't get recalculated (eg. For 20 cupcakes
it says 1½ cups (300g) granulated sugar". However, when you change this to 30 cupcakes, it says "2.25 cups (300g) granulated sugar").
Can you please advise? I'm trying to make 24 cupcakes and I try to weigh everything.
Kim
I'm sorry, Sonu. Because my flour blend is a different weight from what is typical, I haven't found a way to include both metric and volume measurements and have the servings slider work properly. I would have to either offer only metric or only volume and there are so many people resistant to metric that it makes it difficult. I'm working on an alternative, but until then unfortunately the only thing I can think of is to use good 'ole math. I apologize for this inconvenience.