These gluten-free raspberry lemonade cupcakes are moist, fluffy and also dairy-free. Fresh raspberries, lemonade and lemon zest make these cupcakes the perfect sweet and tart treat.
More Gluten-Free Cupcake Recipes
Be sure to check out my gluten-free, dairy-free cupcake recipes including my lemon blueberry cupcakes and gluten-free vanilla cupcakes.
Ingredients
Gluten-free flour – I tested this recipe with King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure flour. This is their blend that includes xanthan gum so no need to worry about adding extra. Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend is similar and will work too. Cup4Cup which contains milk powder, is also similar but I do not use it since it contains dairy and is the most expensive of these three. All of these options are certified gluten-free.
My preference is to use my own DIY gluten-free flour blend. It is way easier on the budget and allows me to add more variety to a gluten-free diet. My favorite blend for baking includes sorghum, millet and brown rice flours. Here is more information on mixing up your own gluten-free flour and the best gluten-free flour for baking.
Frozen raspberries are too mushy and will make the cupcakes very soggy. Fresh raspberries are a must for these cupcakes. And here’s how I keep them from sinking and making the bottom soggy:
- break up the raspberries into 3 or 4 pieces by hand, a knife releases too much moisture
- do not mix them into the batter
- put a thin layer of batter in the cupcake liner, add a few pieces of raspberry
- add more batter and a couple more pieces of raspberry.
My all-time favorite cupcake tool is this Wilton Perfect Fill Batter tip. The tip fits into a piping bag and gets the batter into the paper liners quickly with no spills, glops or mess. It has a silicone tip that opens and closes as you press and release pressure on the piping bag. It is inexpensive and makes quick work of cupcake making.
Lemonade is an easy way to get lemon juice into the cupcakes. You can make your own or get it ready made.
Lemon zest also adds a stronger pop of lemon flavor. Use a microplane to zest the lemon. This will shred it super fine so that it disappears into the batter. And if you like a strong lemon flavor add 1/2 tsp of lemon extract too.
Baking the Cupcakes
I have found that gluten-free baked goods do best when baked in dark gray pans. They are notoriously pale especially when they are dairy-free too. You could add more sugar but I don’t like an overly sweet cupcake. Dark pans help with cooking and browning. This is the cupcake pan I use.
Cupcake Frosting
I love a basic vanilla buttercream frosting on my cupcakes, but here are a few more options. A tart pipeable cream cheese frosting is a perfect addition to the raspberry. Or make them more fruity with my strawberry buttercream frosting. For an extra pop of lemon, follow the lemon buttercream frosting recipe below.
Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes
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Ingredients
- Β½ c fresh raspberries organic preferred
- ΒΎ c sugar
- β c oil
- β c lemonade
- zest of one lemon
- 2 eggs room temperature
- Β½ tsp lemon extract optional
- 1 c gluten-free flour blend*
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ΒΌ tsp baking soda
- ΒΌ tsp salt
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
- 2 sticks unsalted butter 8 oz, room temperature (or vegan butter)
- 3 c powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes
- This batter is easily mixed by hand. Use a wire whisk for easy clean up.
- Preheat the oven to 350Β° and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
- If your eggs are cold, place them in a bowl of warm water while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Place the lemonade and oil in a glass measuring cup or microwave-safe bowl. Zest the lemon into the liquid using a microplane. Here is my quick tutorial on on how to zest a lemon.
- Heat the liquid in the microwave for 15 seconds to bring it to slightly warmer than room temperature. Set aside.
- Using your hands (not a knife) break up the raspberries into two or three pieces.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the flour baking powder and salt together.
- To the oil/lemonade mixture add the sugar, eggs and lemon extract (if using). Beat to combine.
- Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and stir until smooth.
- The raspberries will not be mixed into the batter. The method below keeps the bottom of the cupcakes from getting soggy with raspberry juice.
- Add a 1/2" layer of batter to each liner (1-2 Tbsp).
- Add 2-3 pieces of raspberry. Cover with more batter to fill about Β½ way. Top with the remaining raspberry pieces and top with remaining batter.
- Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until the top is set and bounces back from a gentle tap.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Top with your favorite frosting or this lemon buttercream frosting.Β Here are my frosting recipes.
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
- Beat the butter with an electric mixer until creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar and mix on low until the sugar is moistened.
- Add the lemon juice and mix on high until creamy. Do not over mix or you’ll have air pockets in your frosting.
My daughter and I made these for her birthday. We decided to add some sugar to the batter but otherwise stuck to the recipe. The family really enjoyed them. They make a refreshing summer dessert!!
Hi Lise! The recipe has been corrected to include sugar! It was accidentally left out. So glad you thought to add it in.