Gluten Free Lemon Drop Cupcakes
These gluten free lemon drop cupcakes are PACKED with real lemon flavor and topped with crushed lemon drop candies. Perfect for summertime!!
Ingredients
- 3 cups (420 g) Kim's gluten free flour blend (or any flour blend with xanthan gum)
- ½ cup (55 g) cornstarch
- 2 medium lemons
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) buttermilk
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 ¼ cups (450 g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream
- 1 recipe French buttercream (with recommendations for citrus fruit with 1 tbsp lemon zest)
- 1 small bag lemon drops candies (gluten free) (Walmart's Great Value brand are gluten free)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners and set aside.
- Zest the two lemons. Measure 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp and set aside. Juice lemons to extract ¼ cup (60 ml) and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Combine buttermilk and lemon juice and set aside.
- In bowl of stand mixer (or handheld mixer) beat butter with lemon zest and sugar on low until combined, about one minute. Increase speed to medium low and continue to beat for another minute. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Add sour cream.
- With mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the wet ingredients in two parts. Keep the mixer at the lowest speed and mix just until each addition is combined. When everything has been added, scrape the sides of the bowl and mix on low for about 10-20 seconds until batter is smooth. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes and stir gently before using.
- Fill the cupcake liners ¾ full and bake until the cupcakes bounce back when pressed lightly, or when a toothpick inserted into center comes out with just a few crumbs or fairly clean, about 27-30 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool for 5 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.
- While cupcakes are baking, add lemon drops to bowl of food processor and pulse until crushed into somewhat of a powder. Pour into small bowl and set aside.
- Make buttercream as per recipe instructions and frost each cupcake as described above.
Notes
*Once the crushed lemon drops are on the cupcakes, they will begin to weep after a few days. If you want to make the cupcakes ahead of time, refrigerate the cupcakes and buttercream separately without the crushed candy. When you're ready to serve them, let the buttercream come to room temperature and re-whip. Dip them in the crushed lemon drops right before serving.
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