Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, so I think it’s just the right time to share this exclusive recipe for Gluten-Free Strawberry Cupcakes! The original recipe is from page 157 in my cookbook Celebrations and it’s intended for a cake. However, I experimented over the holidays and used the recipe for cupcakes! They are the perfect festive treat for Valentine’s Day, whether it’s for school lunches or as a little treat for yourself! We love celebrating holidays in this house, and Valentine’s Day is no different. I can fondly recall my mom making us heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast on this day. She would also always send us off to school with heart-shaped treats with plenty to share with friends. I love how I am still able to keep this tradition alive with my kids in a paleo-friendly way!
These Gluten-Free Strawberry Cupcakes are light and fruity mixed with fresh strawberries with hints of vanilla. I topped them with coconut whipped cream and dye-free sprinkles, but my dairy-free buttercream or cream cheese frosting from Celebrations are fantastic options as well!
The Sprinkles:
For this recipe, I use these dye-free sprinkles. While they do have cane sugar and other non-paleo-friendly ingredients, they are dyed naturally by using beets. If you are not able to tolerate some of the ingredients in these store-bought sprinkles or can’t do any type of cane sugar, I have a homemade recipe for sprinkles on page 304 in my cookbook Eat What You Love. They definitely take more time to make, but are completely free of refined sugars and artificial food dyes!
The Cake:
For the batter of these cupcakes, I use the strawberry cake recipe in Celebrations, but there’s a variety to choose from if you have the book! I have several different versions in Celebrations including a nut-free base. Feel free to get creative and use whatever flavor you prefer! And if you’d like to make this recipe into a cake, just follow the same steps below and bake for 30-35 minutes in a 6×3 inch pan.
The Whipped Cream:
My kids love whipped cream, especially when I use my whipped cream maker! I decided to use whipped cream as the topping instead of the usual dairy-free buttercream. It gives it a delicate and fruity texture, reminiscent of a strawberry shortcake. Plus, it makes for a beautiful cupcake. You can customize your festive treats by using either my buttercream or cream cheese frosting!
More Valentine’s Day Recipes:
I have a whole chapter with Valentine’s Day recipes and a dedicated chapter for Date Night in my cookbook Celebrations. From Cupid’s Arrow Pancakes, Lunchbox Love, Cabernet-Braised Short Ribs with Parsnip-Turnip Puree to a Salted Caramel Chocolate Panna Cotta;I have you covered for both your little ones and your partner! I also have some festive recipes on my blog including Gluten-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, Paleo Strawberry Donuts, or my Nut-Free Strawberry Cupcakes! You can also check out this Valentine’s Day blog roundup for more recipe inspiration!
Gluten-Free Strawberry Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1⁄3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 1⁄2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1⁄2 cup light-colored raw honey
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1⁄2 cup chopped strawberries
- 1⁄2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a 12 cavity muffin tin with parchment liners.
- Combine the coconut oil, eggs, almond flour, honey, lemon juice, and vanilla in a food processor. Process for 45 seconds, until smooth. If necessary, scrape down the sides and process again. Add the baking soda and salt and process for 15 seconds, to create a smooth batter. Fold in the strawberries and lemon zest. Pour batter into cupcake liners.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
1/28/22
Gluten-Free Strawberry Cupcakes
Hi
How do i make the strawberry cake recipe into cupcakes
What did you use for cupcake liners in the photo?
I would love to hear anyone’s recommendation for an egg replacement for this recipe. I can’t do eggs so baking is hard, and the ingredients are so expensive I get nervous to experiment! Would love to know what has worked for others who know egg replacements well!
ground flax seed and water. 1 TBSP and some water equal 1 egg
Bob’s Red Mills egg replacer. I use it all the time when baking gluten free /egg free. Has never failed me.
What if you don’t have a food processor?
Is a food processor necessary? I’m old school, handheld mixer, whisk, pastry blender. Hate to even bring out a blender!
This was one of the first recipes we fell in love with from Danielle.
Over the years it morphed a bit and now I always add extra strawberries and process them right into the batter!! Also couple Tbsp of freeze dried strawberries grounded into a powder and added really ups the anti for strawberry flavour!! These cupcakes taste “fresh and real”. I’ve never liked that fake strawberry flavour. These are amazing! And go over well in a crowd!!
Loved this! Have tried a lot of the recipes in Celebrations and haven’t had one fail yet. This one was a big hit even with my friends who don’t have allergy/gluten issues. Delicious!!!
I can’t wait to make these. Would you mind providing nutritional info?
These look so yummy!! Do you think substituting flax eggs would work since I cannot have eggs right?
Thanks!
My daughter is allergic to that flour. Any other suggestions?
Made these this morning! They are fabulous. Will post pictures later today after coconut whipped cream is made
These are phenomenal!
These turned out amazing!
My son has Crohn’s and loved these. I have so little time to cook that I batch make things and freeze them. What are the storage options for these cakes? Can they be frozen? Many thanks.
Hi! Yes – you can freeze these; they thaw out well!
What is the frosting?
Hi Lynn! You can use whipped cream or any of my frosting recipes from my Celebrations cookbook will work here!
I have made the cupcakes and they are a favorite!! I made the cake for the first time in 6 inch pans and they sunk after removing from the oven. I baked at 325, maybe bake a little longer? Any tips? I’m going to try it again!!
Hi! One of the most typical reasons cakes sink in the middle is if you take your cake out of the oven before the centre is done, it will sink as it cools. On the other hand, if the cake isn’t fully baked through, the centre doesn’t have a chance to set, and it will sink also.
Do you happen to have a time / size conversion to make these as a cake? The cupcakes were so good but I want to make a cake for a birthday girl.
Hi! You can use the strawberry cake recipe from my Celebrations cookbook, page 157. Enjoy!!
Could a GF flour be substituted for almond flour? Thanks for all you do!
I haven’t attempted this recipe with a gluten-free flour. Let us know if you try it out and how you modified it – another reader might have the same question!
These cupcakes are fantastic as written! The kids devoured them. They have a nice texture. Next time I will try blending in more strawberries like a review mentioned, but even without that extra strawberry punch they are still amazing!
I made these and they are absolutely delicious. I didn’t put amy frosting just had the cake and it was well worth the effort.
So glad they turned out delicious for you, Ronda!
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for sharing!