These delicious gluten-free vanilla cupcakes are topped with a light and refreshing passion fruit buttercream, and finished with fresh passion fruit. They are perfect for any occasion.
This is my favourite gluten-free vanilla cake recipe which I have posted variations of in the past. I’ve done a coffee and chocolate cupcake recipe, but for some reason never shared the basic vanilla cupcake recipe. As usual, there are some baking notes.
Notes for the Cupcakes:
- This is a butter-based cupcake recipe involving the creaming method. To incorporate air and yield a light cake, it is important to cream the butter and sugar on high speed for at least five minutes. Do not rush this step. And I like to add a small amount oil to keep the cake tender.
- Since the butter is at room temperature, the eggs should also be at room temperature. If you forget to take your eggs out of the fridge, it is not a big deal – the cupcakes will turn out just as well. Room temperature ingredients mean the butter and eggs will properly emulsify and avoids curdling. I use extra large eggs that are around 60g each.
- This specific blend of flours is pivotal in achieving a light yet moist texture. It is very important for the white rice flour to be super fine. Some of the products sold in Australian supermarkets are not finely ground but course and gritty, so just be careful.
- The xanthan gum is also important for providing structure, which is lacking without the gluten.
- After the dry ingredients are added, the cupcake batter will appear quite thick. To loosen the batter, I prefer to use water instead of milk. When I was developing this recipe, I found that the water yielded a much better cake texture compared to the milk. Once the water is added, it is important to beat the batter on medium-low speed for about 20 seconds, as it will visibly become fluffier and lighten.
- Throughout the mixing process, it is important to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula often. This includes during the creaming of the butter and sugar, when adding the eggs and after the dry ingredients are added. If the batter is not properly incorporated and there are chunks of butter and sugar, I find that the cupcakes can develop a crispy edge around the top when baked.
This passion fruit buttercream is one of my favourite frostings. The tartness of the passion fruit balances out the sweetness from all the icing sugar. This is an American buttercream, which involves very few ingredients.
Notes for the Passion fruit Buttercream:
- The butter should be at room temperature, just softened but not melted. It is important to beat the butter on high speed for at least five minutes until it becomes pale yellow, almost white. This will incorporate air and yield a light and fluffy buttercream.
- The icing sugar is added in batches and mixed well in between each addition. This will further ensure that light texture.
- When fresh passion fruit is added to the buttercream, it can tend to make the frosting split and become grainy, and also lose its thickness. My trick to alleviate this is to pass the passion fruit pulp through a sieve, and separate the juice and seeds. The passion fruit juice will be added first, and then the seeds are incorporated at the end. The seeds are optional, but I like the crunch they provide. By separating the juice and seeds, rather than adding the pulp at once, I find that the texture of the frosting will be much smoother.
Substitutions:
- GF flour blends: I prefer to develop recipes with individual flours rather than using a store-bought GF flour blend. This is because each brand has a different mix of flours and may not necessarily work. However, if you have a store-bought GF flour that you know will work for cakes, simply replace the rice flour and starches with 90g of GF plain flour. Still add the 40g of almond meal, and xanthan gum if the blend does not contain it.
- Dairy-free cupcakes: To make this recipe dairy-free, simply use a dairy-free butter such as Nutellex or Earth balance.
- Normal cupcakes (not gluten-free): To make these cupcakes not gluten-free, simply replace the rice flour, starches, almond meal and xanthan gum with 115g of a normal plain flour.
So I hope you enjoy the recipe, and if you have any questions please let me know! I have also posted a reel on Instagram if you want to see how these cupcakes were decorated.
Gluten-free Vanilla Cupcakes with Passion fruit Buttercream
Makes 12-14 cupcakes.
Vanilla Cupcakes
- 115g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 115g caster sugar
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 40g almond meal
- 60g white rice flour
- 20g potato starch
- 10g tapioca starch
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tbsp water
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (or 160°C fan). Line a cupcake tray with cupcake liners.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar and oil on high speed until light and pale in colour, about 5 minutes. With a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl about halfway through mixing to ensure all the butter is creamed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each addition and scraping down the bowl. Add the vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, combine the almond meal, rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, baking powder and xanthan gum. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the water, and mix on medium-low speed until fluffy and a smooth batter has formed, about 20 seconds.
- Divide the batter evenly between cupcake liners, filling the liners until 3/4 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown and cupcakes lightly spring back when touched. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
Passion Fruit Buttercream
- 190g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 360g icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 passion fruits
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until light and pale in colour, about 5 minutes.
- Add the icing sugar gradually, about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well in between each addition. Add the vanilla extract.
- Strain the the pulp of 2 passion fruits through a fine-mesh sieve, separating the juice and seeds. Add a couple tablespoons of the passion fruit juice to the buttercream to reach the desired consistency (if the buttercream is too loose at this point, add a bit more icing sugar). Beat on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, and finally incorporate the passion fruit seeds.
- To decorate: transfer buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a plain round nozzle. Pipe a generous amount of frosting onto each cupcake, and spread lightly with an offset spatula to create a swirl. Decorate with remaining fresh passion fruit.
- Serve and enjoy, or store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.