Gluten Free Strawberry Cupcakes

These Gluten Free Strawberry Cupcakes are super easy and fun to make! They only require 15 minutes of hands-on time and are perfect for strawberry season. The moist and fluffy grain free cupcakes combined with the silky dairy free frosting is delightful. 

What Makes This Recipe So Good?

• These cupcakes are super easy to make and require minimal hands on time. 
• This recipe is naturally grain free, gluten free, and dairy free. 
• It contains my favorite spring fruit, strawberries! 
• If you are a big strawberry dessert fan like me, you will also LOVE my Gluten Free Strawberry Pretzel Cake. 
• The fluffy, soft and moist vanilla cupcake combined with the creamy, silky, fruity frosting is so darn good!
• You can prepare these homemade cupcakes in advance which makes them a great option for parties and family gatherings.
• The cupcake itself freezes super well which means you can make the cupcakes a week in advance and just prepare the frosting when you are ready to serve them!

Ingredients: 

For the cupcake-

• Eggs– This is the binder for this recipe and a must. Do not substitute with a flax egg as it will not work. 
• Coconut milk-To keep the cupcakes nice and moist. You can also use almond milk!
• Vanilla extract-For flavor. 
• Maple syrup-To sweeten the cupcakes. You can also use honey but note it will not be as sweet. 
• Coconut sugar-My favorite healthier option to sweeten my treats. You can also use ground maple sugar here too. 
• Almond flour-The main flour base. I like to get almond flour from Costco. They have the best bang for your buck there!
• Tapioca flour-This helps bind everything together with the eggs. You can use tapioca flour and arrowroot flour interchangeably in this recipe. 

For the strawberry frosting-

• Palm oil shortening-This is the base of the frosting. Palm oil shortening is palm oil without all of the fat. When you remove some of the fat, it makes this silky and smooth texture which is the key for frosting.
• Coconut oil-To keep the frosting nice and silky. 
• Tapioca flour-This is to keep the frosting held together. 
• Honey or maple syrup-To sweeten the frosting. I like maple syrup!
• Strawberries-To make these cupcakes strawberry flavored!

How To Make:

• First, preheat the oven to 350. 
• Next, mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.

• Now, mix all of the wet ingredients in a bowl and combine the two. 

• Add the cupcake liners into the cupcake pan and divide up the batter between the cupcakes. 

• Bake for 15-20 minutes. 

• While the cupcakes are baking, place the strawberries into the food processor and blend until really smooth. 

• Then, add the strawberry mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil so a syrup forms. 

• Place the syrup and all other ingredients in a bowl and whip with a hand held food mixer. Place the frosting in the fridge to set until the cupcakes are cold and ready to frost.
  
• Once the cupcakes come out, allow them to cool for 10 minutes, then frost them. 
• Sprinkle optional nuts on top and top with an optional fresh strawberry. 

 Why Do I Need To Allow The Frosting To Set?

• The strawberry puree adds some liquid to it and by placing it in the fridge it allows it to set.

Can I Use Freeze Dried Strawberries? 

• Yes! You sure can freeze dried strawberries. 

How Long Do These Last?

• I suggest keeping the cupcakes in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week. 

Can I Freeze The Cupcakes?

• Yes! However, wait to frost them. If you are freezing your cupcakes, be sure to remove the liner as the liner will get funky in the freezer. The cupcakes will last for a month in the freezer. You can also use silicone muffin liners so they cupcakes pop right out. I love them! They clean up so much easier. 

Chefs Tips:

• If your frosting appears to be too runny to frost the cupcakes, place the frosting back in the fridge to allow it to harden up. 
• Do not fill the cupcake liners up past ¾ of the cup to help prevent the cupcakes from overflowing. 

If you like this recipe, you will LOVE my other strawberry recipes on the blog:

• Strawberry Banana Smoothie
• Strawberry Peach Smoothie
• Basil Strawberry Mocktail
• Strawberry Poppyseed Salad
• Vegan Chocolate Covered Strawberries

If you enjoyed this recipe it would mean the world to me if you rated it and left a comment below. It helps others find it on google.xoxo-Allianna