Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes (Dairy-Free)
Moist, tender gluten-free and dairy-free red velvet cupcakes with optional caramel filling and a stable cream-cheese-style frosting.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ¾ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour Measure-for-Measure works great
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum omit if your flour includes it
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ⅓ cup sunflower oil
- 1 large egg beaten
- ½ cup dairy-free buttermilk almond or soy milk + ½ tsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp red food coloring gluten-free
Optional Filling
- 4 Tbsp dairy-free caramel sauce
Frosting
- 1 cup dairy-free cream cheese
- ⅔ cup dairy-free whipping cream
- 3 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 360°F and line 10 cupcake wells with liners.
- Whisk dry: flour, xanthan, cocoa, sugar, baking powder.
- Whisk wet: oil, egg, buttermilk, food coloring.
- Combine until just mixed.
- Fill liners about ¾ full and bake about 20 minutes. Cool.
- Optional: core a small hole and pipe in caramel.
- For the frosting, beat cream cheese, whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until thick. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.
Notes
Chill the frosting bowl 20 minutes for best piping. Skip the caramel if you like. Make-ahead: bake and freeze cupcakes unfrosted; frost fresh. Budget swap: use jam instead of caramel.