These moist and tender Gluten Free Gingerbread Cupcakes are the perfect holiday treat! Full of festive holiday spices, topped with a fluffy cinnamon buttercream, and finished with adorable gingerbread man sprinkles. Serve at your next Christmas party!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Gluten free and dairy free: The cupcakes are both gluten and dairy free, and I've even included a dairy free frosting option.
- Full of festive flavor: The spiced gingerbread flavor is just so yummy and festive feeling.
- Easy to make: Everything can be made in one bowl with just a wooden spoon and a hand mixer
- Topped with a dreamy cinnamon buttercream: These spiced cupcakes are also topped with a simple cinnamon buttercream.
- Perfect for all your Christmas parties: The cute gingerbread decorations, festive flavor, and easy nature of this recipe make this a perfect holiday treat.
Ingredients Needed For Gluten Free Gingerbread Cupcakes
*for the full list of ingredients and measurements, see recipe card below*
- Oil: You'll need a neutral flavored oil to make the cake batter. I usually use avocado oil, but canola or vegetable work great!
- Sugar: For the cake batter, you'll need regular granulated sugar. Do not substitute with brown sugar or a sugar alternative.
- Egg: Take the egg out of the fridge 30-60 minutes before baking so it's room temperature.
- Vanilla: A little bit of vanilla extract adds a nice floral sweetness to round out the gingerbread flavor.
- Molasses: A little goes a long way, you don't need much. Also, make sure you're baking with regular molasses, as black strap molasses is too strong.
- Gluten free flour: I like to use Bob's Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour with xanthan gum. Make sure you use one that has xanthan gum so you get the right texture!
- Baking powder: Baking powder is used for the lift in the cupcakes so they're not too dense. Just make sure it isn't expired before using.
- Gingerbread spices: These cupcakes are spiced with cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, and clove for that classic gingerbread flavor.
- Almond milk: I used almond milk in the cupcake batter so they're both gluten and dairy free. You can substitute with regular milk if you're not dairy free.
- Butter: For the cinnamon buttercream, you need butter. I like salted best so it's not too sweet.
- Powdered sugar: Powdered sugar is best in buttercream because it dissolves easily and doesn't leave you with a grainy texture.
Step By Step Instructions
STEP ONE: In a large mixing bowl, stir together oil and sugar.
STEP TWO: To the oil/sugar mixture, add in the egg, vanilla, and molasses. Mix until well combined.
STEP THREE: Next, add in the dry ingredients, mix well, then pour in the almond milk and mix until a smooth batter is formed.
STEP FOUR: Set the cupcake batter aside to rest and hydrate the flour, and preheat the oven to 325°F and line a cupcake pan with 10 paper liners in the meantime
STEP FIVE: Once the oven is preheated, fill your paper liners ¾ of the way full with cupcake batter. bake for 17-19 minutes, or until the top of the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.
STEP SIX: Take the gluten free gingerbread cupcakes out of the oven and allow them to cool in the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
STEP SEVEN: When the cupcakes are cooled, you can make the cinnamon buttercream. Cream butter together in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer on high speed.
STEP EIGHT: To the creamed butter, add in powdered sugar, cinnamon, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk. Mix on low until the powdered sugar is combined, then turn the speed up to high and beat for 2 minutes.
STEP NINE: Transfer the cinnamon buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large tip, or use an offset spatula, and spread over the top of each cupcake. Decorate as desired, then serve and enjoy!
Expert Cupcake Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients: It's always best to make cakes, cookies, and other baked goods with room temperature ingredients. The batters/doughs come out smoother and they also bake more evenly.
- Measure with a scale: I know cup measurements are more common, but using a scale to weigh out ingredients is way more accurate.
- Gluten free flour with xanthan gum: Make sure your all purpose gluten free flour contains xanthan gum, otherwise the cupcakes will crumble apart.
- Let the batter rest: Allow the cupcake batter 10-15 minutes to rest before baking. This hydrates the gluten free flour and allows for a more tender cupcake.
- No blackstrap molasses: Make sure you bake with regular molasses, since blackstrap molasses is too strong.
- Bake at 325°: I like to bake gluten free desserts at 325°F because they take longer to bake, and the lower temperature allows for more even baking.
- Cool before frosting: Let the gluten free gingerbread cupcakes cool completely before frosting them with cinnamon buttercream.
Recipe Variations
Dairy free- The cupcakes themselves are already dairy free, but if you want, you can substitute the butter in the frosting with dairy free butter sticks. These are softer than normal butter, so keep the cupcakes in the fridge for best results.
Buttercream: If you don't want a cinnamon buttercream, you could try vanilla, chocolate, or even cream cheese frosting.
FAQs
With gluten free baked goods, sometimes it's hard to tell when they're fully baked through. A toothpick may come out clean, but I like to lightly press my finger on the top and if the cake springs back I know it's done.
You *can* all you have to do it omit it from the recipe. However, to truly get that classic gingerbread taste, I recommend keeping it in!
Good question! And the answer is NO.
There's a huge difference between using gluten free all purpose flour with xanthan gum and just using any gluten free flour like almond, coconut, or buckwheat. The gluten free all purpose flour is specifically designed to replicate regular all purpose flour as closely as possible, while others are not and will mess up the texture.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
Storing-
Keep leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
These are best served at room temperature, so if you keep them in the fridge, take out 20-30 minutes before you plan on eating one.
Freezing-
If you'd like to freeze this recipe, I recommend baking and cooling the cupcake part and only freezing them. Wrap each individually in plastic wrap and place into a freezer safe bag.
Freeze for up to 2 months, then thaw to room temperature, whip up the frosting, decorate, and enjoy.
A quick note about baking in grams...
You may notice that my recipes are listed in grams instead of cups. That's because it's really the most accurate way to measure and bake exceptional treats every time with little room for error.
While the recipe card does have an option for you to switch from Metric measurements to US measurements, I personally have not tested the switch. I recommend purchasing a $10 scale from Amazon and simplifying your life!
More Gluten Free Holiday Recipes!
Did you make these gluten free gingerbread cupcakes? If so, I would appreciate you leaving a comment and star rating down below!
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PrintGluten Free Gingerbread Cupcakes
These moist and tender Gluten Free Gingerbread Cupcakes are the perfect holiday treat! Full of festive holiday spices, topped with a fluffy cinnamon buttercream, and finished with adorable gingerbread man sprinkles. Serve at your next Christmas party!
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 43 minutes
- Yield: 12 Cupcakes 1x
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For Cupcakes:
- 113g neutral flavored oil (canola, vegetable, avocado)
- 100g granulated sugar
- 55g brown sugar
- 1 large egg- room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 180g gluten free all purpose flour with xanthan gun ( I like Bob's Red Mill)
- 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 160g unsweetened almond milk- room temperature
For The Cinnamon Buttercream
- 12 tablespoons salted butter- room temperature
- 350g powdered sugar- sifted
- 1 ½ -2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (depending on your taste!)
- 2-3 tablespoons milk- room temperature
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, use a wooden spoon to stir together the oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
- To the oil/sugar mixture, add in the egg, vanilla, and molasses. and mix until well combined.
- Next, to the wet ingredients, add in the flour, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Mix well until no traces of flour remain.
- Finally, pour the almond milk into the mixing bowl, and stir until a smooth batter is formed.
- Set the cupcake batter aside to rest and give time to hydrate the flour. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 325°F and line a cupcake pan with 10 paper liners.
- When the oven is preheated, fill your paper liners ¾ of the way full with cupcake batter, and bake for 17-19 minutes, or until the top of the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.
-
Carefully take the gluten free gingerbread cupcakes out of the oven and allow them to cool in the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
-
When the cupcakes are cooled, you can make the cinnamon buttercream. Cream softened butter together in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer on high speed.
-
To the creamed butter, add in powdered sugar, cinnamon, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk. Mix on low speed until the powdered sugar is combined, then turn the speed up to high and beat for 2 minutes.
-
Transfer the cinnamon buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a large tip, or use an offset spatula, and spread over the top of each cupcake. Decorate as desired, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients: It's always best to make cakes, cookies, and other baked goods with room temperature ingredients. The batters/doughs come out smoother and they also bake more evenly.
- Measure with a scale: I know cup measurements are more common, but using a scale to weigh out ingredients is way more accurate.
- Gluten free flour with xanthan gum: Make sure your all purpose gluten free flour contains xanthan gum, otherwise the cupcakes will crumble apart.
- Let the batter rest: Allow the cupcake batter 10-15 minutes to rest before baking. This hydrates the gluten free flour and allows for a more tender cupcake.
- No blackstrap molasses: Make sure you bake with regular molasses, since blackstrap molasses is too strong.
- Bake at 325°: I like to bake gluten free desserts at 325°F because they take longer to bake, and the lower temperature allows for more even baking.
- Cool before frosting: Let the gluten free gingerbread cupcakes cool completely before frosting them with cinnamon buttercream.
- Storing: Keep leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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