Gluten Free Pink Lemonade Cupcakes Recipe
It is almost Spring Break time which means my normally sleepy little Florida beach town will get inundated with visitors – “spirited” college students will wander the streets, alabaster-skinned families from Minnesota will turn bright red on our beaches and most importantly, my g-kids arrive!
Whenever the g-kids come they always cook up ideas for money-making ventures and inevitably they want to have a lemonade stand. Unfortunately all attempts at selling glasses of freshly squeezed lemonade for 50 cents have been fiscal failures. What has been successful for them is baking gluten-free baked goods and selling them at business offices. So this year I thought of a way I could help them combine both – Gluten Free Pink Lemonade Cupcakes!
The cupcakes are light as air, the frosting sweet and pink and overall these gluten-free cupcakes are just as cute as could be – topped with a sugared lemon slice and a bright red maraschino cherry.
So, would you pay an adorable kid 50 cents for one of these treats?
Gluten Free Pink Lemonade Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large lemon
- ¾ cup sugar – use divided
- ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- 2/3 cup gluten-free flour
Frosting
- 1 lemon
- ¼ cup unsalted butter - at room temperature
- Small pinch of kosher or fine sea salt
- 3 cups powdered sugar - measured then sifted
- 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
Garnish
- 1 lemon
- ½ cup sugar plus more for coating the lemon slices
- ½ cup water
- 12 maraschino cherries with stems - patted dry
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners.
- Separate the egg whites from the yolks putting each into a large mixing bowl. Beat the egg yolks in a mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, on high speed for 5 minutes or until they are lemony yellow in color.
- Zest the lemon then squeeze the juice. You should have ¼ cup of lemon juice, if not add a little water to make ¼ cup total. Add the lemon zest, juice and salt to the egg yolks. Mix to combine. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add ½ cup of sugar. Beat the mixture on medium speed for 4 minutes or until the mixture has doubled in volume. Turn the mixer to low and gradually beat in the flour. Mix until just combined.
- Beat the egg whites on high speed with the whisk attachment until foamy. Gradually add in the remaining ¼ cup sugar. Continue to beat until glossy and stiff peaks form. Fold half of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture then fold in the remaining whites. Fold until the mixture is no longer streaky. Put the batter into the muffin cups. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned and spring back slightly when touched. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Frosting
- Zest and juice the lemon – you should have approximately ¼ cup of lemon juice.
- Beat the butter in a mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, until creamy. Add the lemon juice, salt, 1 cup of powdered sugar and the maraschino cherry juice. Beat until smooth. Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat until combined. Fold in the lemon zest.
Garnish
- Cut off a slice from each end of the lemon and slice into 6 thin slices. Combine ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water in a small sauce pan. Stir to combine and add the lemon slices. Bring mixture to a boil then lower the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour some sugar onto a plate. Drain the liquid off the lemon slices and gently lay the slices on the sugar with a fork or tongs. Cover with more sugar and let them cool. When cool, cut the lemon slices in half and toss them around to coat slices evenly with sugar.
- To assemble, frost the cupcakes and add a lemon half and a cherry on top of each cupcake.
Nutrition
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Have you tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and let us know your thoughts in the Ratings & Reviews section below.
You are amazing, Carol. These cupcakes look so, so cute, I’d gladly pay your g-kids quite a bit more than $0.50 for one. I still have lemons, and my one kiddo actually asks “Mom, do you have any home-baked goodies?”, so I think I will surprise her with these cupcakes after school. Thanks for the great recipe!
What a precious idea. I’m planning to feature this recipe, connected to you of course, as one of my favorites for March. You can view it the first of April.
Thanks Grace!
Mine aren’t as pretty as yours, but boy, they taste fantastic! The cupcake is so light, and there is so much lemon tanginess, YUM! Thanks again!
Yay! Glad you liked them – really light huh? And I am like you, love the tanginess. Thanks for letting me know!
Those look so pretty and amazing! I’d pay more than 50c for one of those! :)
The g-kids will be happy to know, maybe they will up the price :)
I had the same thought as Jeanine. I would pay a lot more than $0.50 for these!
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I think I’d pay $3 for these! What a steal :) You’re the best G-Ma ever! Have fun with the kiddies.
Whoa! $3.00, they wouldn’t know what to do with all that money – well actually they would figure it out :) They are little mogals in the making!
Where do you live? I’ll be by to buy some from the g-kids. They look fantastic. Actually I live in Kansas now but I grew up on the Gulf Coast.
On the Florida side of the gulf – that’s kind of a long trek from Kansas for a cupcapke :) Where did you grown up?
Before I started school we lived in a little town near Bay St Louis, MS. Then when I was in 2nd grade we moved to New Orleans. I miss the beach and the water but not the hurricanes although here we have tornadoes.
I am with you, love the beach not crazy about the hurricanes. After helping out in the aftermath of Katrina I have new found respect for what a hurricane can do.
Made these just because today is Friday! They are delicious and a great little taste of spring/summer!
Yay! Isn’t it great how lemons are available in the winter but bring such sunshine to your food?
I admire your blog and love your recipes (including this one – can’t wait to try), so I nominated you for a blog award – Versatile Blogger Award!
http://asgoodasgluten.blogspot.com/2011/03/versatile-blogger-award.html
Carol, just beautiful! What a perfect springtime treat! And as usual, the photos of these are unbelievable! Another one to add to my must-try list! Missed you this weekend! But cannot wait to see you at the end of April!
xo
k
Oh my gosh, these look delicious!!
I’m new to your blog (I discovered you through a pin on Pinterest), and boy am I ever glad to have found you! My daughter was recently diagnosed with Celiac and I just know these scrumptious little cupcakes will perk her right up. Being fairly new to gluten-free cooking…I’m wondering if you have a gf baking mix that you can recommend (which one did you use for these cuties)? Thank you so much for sharing your recipe…and yes, I’d absolutely pay more than .50! xo Ez
Oh gosh…feeling absolutely ridiculous that I didn’t notice the link to your flour before posting my previous comment. Sorry about that.
These are absolutely adorable! Also very easy to make and not too many ingredients as some gluten free cupcakes have! Trying this soon and linking it back to you!
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Love these! Question: How do you gt your icing to look like that? Thanks!
Well actually Alyssa I had piped the icing on (not my strong suit anyway) and it was pretty warm so it just kind of started to melt a little :) I decided I liked the way it didn’t look too “done”
im going to try this but with limo cello! I’ve been looking for a good recipe to use it!
Yum ,that sounds amazing!
Carol, These cup cakes are amazing. Love the color and the marachino cherry is a great touch. I’m sure children will love these too. I would pay $2 – $3 for these! You can’t even get a regular cup cake for under $0.75 in the grocery store.
Hello! I’ve been reading your site for a long time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Dallas Texas! Just wanted to tell you keep up the excellent work!
Thanks for the shout out!
This was my first Gluten Free recipe Ive ever made and it turned out!!!!! I was so impressed!! Everyone loves them!
A Million Thanks!!!!!
YAY! Good for you :)
Thank you for the recipe. I don’t see any butter or shortening in the cupcake ingredients. Am I missing something? thank you for sharing your talents.
You’re welcome and no, you are not missing anything – the cupcakes themselves have no butter, etc. They are light little sponge cakes. There is butter (or butter sub) in the frosting. Enjoy!
I answered my own question, this is more of an angel food cake, but then I question, no levening?
Nope, the beaten egg whites are all the leavening you need!
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They looks so yummy, I will definitively try to make them :-) I love cupcakes
Thanks Vanessa! Enjoy.
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These look delicious! Any good ideas as to rendering these lactose free? Thanks.
Sure that’s easy! Just substitue either dairy free butter (Earth Blance) or all vegetable shortening (like Spectrum) for the butter in the frosting. It will be delicious!
Thank you so much!
My pleasure!
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I have! All I can say is to be diligent nad make make sure all your security measues are in place. It is difficult, but there is technolgly to keep you ahead of the game!
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Hi Carol. I just baked these cupcakes and I don’t know what happened but the cupcakes stuck to the paper, maybe I should have added some oil to the mix? This is my first attempt at gluten free baking and I also noticed that the cakes didn’t rise or make it to the top of the liners. Was it supposed to be this way? I failed at this for sure, but i followed your recipe carefully. Any pointers?
Hi there!
Has anyone tried to do these egg free? If so, how?