Gluten Free Honey Orange Cupcakes Recipe
I used to think it was weird that citrus fruit came into season in the winter. Oranges, lemons, grapefruit – they all seem summery to me. And then I realized that it is simply nature’s way of providing us with big doses of vitamin C just when we need it most.
I am not saying that these gluten, dairy and grain free cupcakes are the cure for the common cold but with their bright burst of orange, they sure will help you feel better.
Refined sugar free, these cupcakes are sweetened with honey and made with almond flour. Did you know that honey is a great immune system builder as well as being a natural remedy for many ailments? And that almonds are a super food that are often used as a natural solution for relief of coughing?
Hmm, maybe these Gluten Free Honey Orange Cupcakes are indeed the cure for the common cold after all!
Recipe notes: I used Honeyville blanched almond flour. If you use Bob’s Red Mill, the cupcakes may be wetter inside. To create more of a cupcake texture than a muffin texture, I separated the eggs, whipped the whites and folded them into the batter. It is just a fact of life that grain free baked goods will be denser than those made with gluten free flour but that doesn’t mean the cupcakes aren’t delish. For the frosting I used organic, all vegetable non-hydrogenated, vegetable shortening from Spectrum and Organic Raw Honey from Wholesome Sweeteners, the combination gives you a thick, fluffy, spreadable frosting. If you use a runny honey, the texture may not be the same but I am sure it will still taste wonderful.
Oh, and if you are wondering about the gluten free cupcake liners, I came up with a whole cupcake gift set which includes a cupcake book, gift box, gluten free pick, cupcake liners, and more. You can check it out here.
Gluten Free Honey Orange Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- Gluten free non-stick cooking spray
- 3 large eggs separated
- 2½ cups finely ground blanched almond flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- 4 tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup grapeseed or other neutral tasting oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Frosting
- 2/3 cup pure vegetable shortening
- 4 tablespoons Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Raw Honey
- 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoon orange zest finely grated
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Insert cupcake liners into a 12 cup standard muffin pan or 24 cup mini muffin pan.
- Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks.
- In another mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, almond flour, baking soda, salt, honey, oil, vanilla, and orange juice. Beat with a mixer until smooth and fully combined. Fold the beaten egg whites into the mixture until the batter is no longer streaky. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin tins and bake 20 – 22 minutes for large cupcakes or 10-12 for minis or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Frosting
- Combine the shortening, honey, orange juice and zest in a medium mixing bowl and beat with a hand beater until smooth and fluffy. Your mixture may become curdled looking, if so just keep beating until it is smooth. Frost cooled cupcakes.
Nutrition
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What beautiful cupcakes!!! I’m posting these to pinterest :)
xo,
Cassidy
Thank you so much Cassidy!
Carol: They sound yummy and so healthy with oj. Problem is I can’t eat eggs and I use ground flax seed meal in their place. Is there anything else I could add to bring about the consistency since I can’t add whipped egg whites? Thanks and have a great Thanksgiving.
Hi Lynne,
The reason I whip the egg whites is just to give the cupcakes less of a muffin texture. I am just shooting from the hip here but what I would do is replace 2 of the eggs the way you already do and replace 1 with 3 tablespoons of applesauce mixed with 1 teaspoon of baking powder for a lighter texture. If you do it, let me know what happens!
posting this to our site as a favorite. Thanks so sharing
Thank you so much!
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Instead of vegetable shortening, can you used coconut oil (in its firm state)?
Yes but not as much. I find coconut oil is much greaser than shortening and I don’t always have perfect results in baking. I would try cutting it by 1/3
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