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A pink strawberry cupcake with cream cheese frosting and a fresh strawberry on top.
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5 from 2 votes

Strawberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (Gluten Free)

Real, fresh strawberries make these cupcakes delicious and flavorful with easy to find ingre
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Chill Time for Frosting20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Low Salt, Vegetarian
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 306kcal
Author: Alicia

Ingredients

For gluten free flour mixture

  • ¾ cup brown rice flour
  • ½ cup potato starch
  • ¼ cup tapioca starch
  • ¼ cup oat flour
  • ¾ teaspoon psyllium husk powder

For the strawberry cupcakes

  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • ½ cup strawberry puree at room temperature *approximately 1 ½ cups whole strawberries blended. You will need about 2-3 cups of strawberries total for this recipe
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • cups gluten free flour mixture or all purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

For the cream cheese frosting

  • 4 oz block cream cheese at room temperature
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons (or more) strawberry puree
  • 2-3 cups powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  • It is necessary for the butter, eggs, cream cheese, and strawberry puree to be at room temperature. Wash and dry the whole strawberries (about 2-3 cups total), trim the green tops, and place the in a high speed blender or food processor. Puree till completely smooth then set aside. 
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine milk with vinegar in a small bowl and allow to sit for at least 5 minutes. This creates homemade buttermilk.
  • In a large bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, blend the butter and sugar together on medium high speed until fluffy and creamy - roughly 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed, and beat until just combined and smooth.
  • In a medium bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet in 3 parts, beating on low speed after each addition till just combined. Add the milk mixture and strawberry puree on low speed, or stirring by hand, till just combined. Do not overmix! 
  • Spoon batter evenly into 12 cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes (17-18 for all purpose flour) at 350F degrees until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops are firm to touch. Allow to cool at room temperature before frosting.
  • Meanwhile, in a stand mixer or with a handheld, beat together the room temperature cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and strawberry puree. The puree tends to clump up the cream cheese and butter at first - don't worry, this will all smooth out as you continue mixing. A whisk attachment helps!
  • Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until desired thickness and sweetness is reached. Taste and add more strawberry puree if needed for color and flavor, keeping in mind this will thin it out and more powdered sugar may be necessary. It should be a very light pink color. Fold a piping bag over a tall cup and fill it with the frosting. Transfer to the refrigerator for 10-30 minutes to get the frosting to firm up slightly. Frost right before serving!

Notes

  • If using all purpose flour, these cook faster than gluten free. Plan to check at 17-18 min. 
  • Troubleshooting tips- if the frosting is too sweet, add a pinch of salt. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add more strawberry puree. Make sure to frost them right before eating. The frosting gets a little melty in the heat. 
  • I used a piping bag, but you could also spoon the frosting into a ziplock bag and trim off the end for a cheap, quick piping bag. 
  • If the frosting has been in the fridge for over 30 minutes, give it some time to soften at room temperature before piping on to the cupcakes. 
  • When making the gluten free flour blend, psyllium husk powder binds the batter, however these still crumble fairly easily. The frosting is important as it also helps binds everything together.
  • If you have no xanthan gum sensitivity - feel free to substitute the flours and psyllium husk powder for regular 1-1 gluten free flour. Or regular all purpose flour. 
  • Cupcakes and frosting can be frozen 1-2 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 142mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 355IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1mg