Gluten Free Pink Lemonade Cupcakes Recipe
Updated Mar 27, 2020, Published Mar 09, 2011
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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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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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!
https://asgoodasgluten.blogspot.com/2011/03/versatile-blogger-award.html