Easy Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes With Lemon Curd Filling
Easy Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes with lemon curd filling, doesn’t that sound dreamy? I admit it’s a nice twist on the regular vanilla cupcake. I first made these vanilla cupcakes filled with lemon curd for my sister’s birthday. She’s a cupcake lover and I make her a different one every year. This was the winning cupcake this year.
These are basically just a simple vanilla cupcake, so you can just make them without the filling. and they will still be yummy.  However, I love the kiss of lemon curd in the cupcake. It’s a nice change especially during the cold winter months, when there is snow on the ground and your longing for summer. They are easy to make and fill. I used a marscapone frosting but a regular buttercream frosting works just as well here.
These cupcakes are perfect for:
Birthdays
Valentine’s Day
Entertaining friends and family
The Cupcake & The Lemon Curd Filling
The cupcake recipe is really easy to make using simple ingredients normally found in your home. I have made these using regular and gluten-free flour and the recipe works well with both types of flours. For the lemon curd filling you can either make your own or purchase ready made at the store. I personally have done both but for convenience I usually use store bought. My two favorite brands are Dickinson and Wilkin & Sons, but you can use your favorite.
How to Fill The Cupcakes
There are several ways to fill the cupcakes. You can use an apple corer if you have one or my preferred method which is either using a knife or a frosting tip if you happen to have one. Either way works just as well. The key is to make sure you don’t cut all the way through the cupcake, so just a small amount is removed.
You basically cut a small circle into the middle of the cupcake, making sure you don’t go all the way through. Remove the bit of cupcake, set it aside, and fill the hole with the lemon curd. Once that is completed you just put the piece of cupcake you removed back on top of the cupcake, press it gently down. Once you frost the cupcakes you won’t see any of the cut circle.
The Frosting
The frosting is a nice light frosting, not to sweet but just the right for these cupcakes. I used Life, Love and Sugar’s recipe where she has different variations if your interested in that. You can find that recipe and info here Marscapone Whipped Cream Frosting.
Easy Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Curd Filling
Materials
For The Cupcake Batter
- 1 1/4 cups Gluten-Free Flour
- 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum if GF flour doesn't have it in the mix
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 6 tbsp Unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 large Egg plus one large egg white, at room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup Milk of choice I use almond milk
- cup Lemon Curd
For The Mascarpone Frosting
- 1 1/4 cups Heavy Whipping Cream, cold
- 3/4 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 8 oz Mascarpone Cheese, chilled but still softened
Instructions
Make The Cupcake
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- In a seperate bowl using a stand or hand held mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the egg and egg white one at a time to the butter/sugar mixture, beating well after ech addition.
- Add the vanilla extract.
- Using a low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk, starting and ending with flour. Scrape down bowl as needed.
- Beat on high speed until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds. Do not overbeat.
- Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin cups, filing each about 3/4 full.
- Bake until lightly golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean 18-20 min.
- Let cupcakes cool in muffin pan for 5 min, then remove them to a cooling rack and let them cool completely. About an hour.
- When your ready to fill the cupcakes take out the Marscapone Cheese to soften a bit.
- Once cooled, using a knife or a frosting tip, gently remove a circle part of the center of the cupcake, making sure you do not go all the way through to the bottom. Set removed part aside.
- Fill cupcake with about 1/4 tsp of lemon curd
- Add the removed cupcake top back onto the cupcake, pressing gently.
Make the Mascarpone Frosting
Recipe from Life, Love & Sugar
- Add the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl and whisk on high speed unil soft peaks form
- Add the mascarpone cheese and whip until stiff peaks form.
- Pipe or frost your cupcakes.