Gluten-free gingerbread cupcakes recipe – filled with oozing caramel and topped with a lightly spiced vanilla buttercream. It’s Coeliac-friendly, wheat-free and simple to make dairy-free too.
Gluten-free gingerbread cupcakes recipe, anyone? These filled cupcakes are guaranteed to be a hit with whoever eats them and nobody would know that they’re gluten-free. Super simple to make and 100% beginner-friendly!
As you might know already, ensuring that gluten-free people have choice during festive period is (more than) hugely important to me. That’s why I even wrote a gluten-free Christmas recipe book!
And that’s because I know exactly what it’s like to have Christmas roll around, then realise that you can’t eat anything thus leaving you feeling:
- a) like you’re ‘the odd one out’
- b) awkward
- c) hungry
- d) all of the above
For a long time after starting a gluten-free diet, Christmas always felt that way to me. And things stayed that way for as long as I didn’t make any action to change things; unfortunately, nobody will/can restore normality to Christmas apart from you. Not even Santa!
Realising that the only way I could restore normality back to my Christmas celebrations was to create recipes for all the things I’d always miss out on, I did exactly that. And whilst my gluten-free gingerbread cupcakes recipe wasn’t the first one I wrote, they remain a perfect example of what I thought a gluten-free Christmas could never be once upon a time: fun, festive, delicious and easy!
Gluten-free Gingerbread Cupcakes Recipe: What you’ll need…
- Butter: Salted or unsalted is totally fine (I use unsalted), but whichever you go for, make sure it’s softened first.
- Light brown sugar: Sugar isn’t just for sweetness and flavour – it helps to achieve a lovely crisp exterior and helps the cupcakes to form a perfect crumb.
- Golden syrup: Whilst not a common ingredient in cupcakes, the combo of this with black treacle is exactly what you’d use in a real gingerbread biscuit. So that’s exactly what I’m using here to emulate that classic gingerbread flavour!
- Black treacle: Again, the reasons for including this are as above!
- Eggs: I use medium eggs for this recipe, but large works fine too. If you can’t tolerate egg, check the vegan section of the FAQ for some simple swaps you can try.
- Milk: I use semi-skimmed but either skimmed, whole milk or even dairy-free milk work too.
- Gluten-free self-raising flour: I use a simple commercial blend from the free from aisle in the supermarket – my go to is FREEE. If you can’t find a blend like this where you live, you can always make your own using my gluten-free flour recipe.
- Xanthan gum: This helps to bind the cake crumb together so it doesn’t become crumbly, replacing the gluten that would otherwise do the same job. You’ll find this down the free from aisle.
- Ground ginger and cinnamon: Ginger for obvious reasons and cinnamon because that’s what I use in gingerbread biscuits too.
- Icing sugar: You’ll need this for the buttercream as caster sugar won’t work here.
- Vanilla extract: The better quality yours is, the better your buttercream and cupcakes will taste.
- Gluten-free mini gingerbread men: These have been a free from aisle staple ever since I first wrote this recipe back in 2020. I buy them from Tesco, Asda or Morrison’s.
- Store-bought caramel: I used Carnation caramel which you’ll easily find in supermarkets.
So what do my gluten-free gingerbread cupcakes taste like? The cupcakes themselves literally taste like the cake-version of a sticky, sweet gingerbread biscuit – slightly fiery, super soft and moist.
I also cored mine and filled them with caramel, for a sweet, gooey, surprise in the middle. Then, that buttercream adds both sweetness and a lovely ginger/cinnamon combo that I am now officially obsessed with.
Of course, I had to finish them with a mini gluten-free gingerbread man too!
(please don’t tell anyone that I had to break his legs off and eat them to make him fit on top)
Gluten-free Gingerbread Cupcakes Recipe: Frequently asked questions
Can I make this recipe gluten-free? Is it suitable for Coeliacs?
It is gluten-free, though nobody would know just by tasting it – trust me!
Bear in mind that minimising cross-contamination is hugely important if you’re Coeliac or making this for someone who is. Here’s some tips from Coeliac UK on minimising the risk of cross contamination.
Also, make sure that all ingredients used don’t have any gluten-containing ingredients. Then make sure that they also don’t have a ‘may contain’ warning for gluten, wheat, rye, barley, oats (which aren’t gf), spelt and khorasan wheat (aka Kamut).
Here’s some more info from Coeliac UK on identifying safe gluten free products.
Can I make your gluten-free gingerbread cupcake recipe dairy free?
Yep – it just involves a few simple swaps. Firstly:
- Use a dairy-free margarine for making the cupcakes. BUT you must use a hard dairy-free margarine for the buttercream – I’d recommend chilling it before piping as it’ll be a little softer.
- Use dairy-free milk in the cupcakes.
- Use any kind of dairy-free caramel. You can usually find it online or you can easily make your own.
- Ensure your mini gingerbread men (added as a decoration) are dairy-free too – the ones from Tesco and Asda are.
Can I make your gluten-free gingerbread cupcake recipe vegan?
Yep! If you follow the instructions above to make this recipe dairy free, then all you’ve got left to contend with is the eggs.
Here’s a few ideas you can use as egg replacements, so each of these = 1 egg.
- 3 tablespoons of aquafaba, whisked until frothy – water from a can of chickpeas. Keep the chickpeas for a future dinner!
- 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed and 3 tbsp of water
- Egg replacement powder – I’d recommend using Orgran as it’s gluten free.
- 1 tablespoon of chia/flax seeds mixed with 2 tablespoons of water and left for 10 minutes in the fridge.
- 3 tablespoons of applesauce.
I haven’t tested all of these egg alternatives so let me know how you get on!
Where do I buy the gluten-free gingerbread men for decoration?
You’ll find them in either Tesco, Asda or Morrison’s. Ideally go for the Tesco or Asda ones as the Morrison’s ones are coated in chocolate on the back and that flavour doesn’t really fit here – though if it sounds good to you then feel free to go for it!
What do you fill your gluten-free gingerbread cupcakes with?
I filled them with a nice, easy and quick option: Carnation caramel. You can easily find it in the supermarket!
Do I need any special equipment to bake your gluten-free gingerbread cupcakes?
Certainly not! You will need a good quality muffin tray, so here’s a link to the one I use.
Of course, you will need a piping nozzle and piping bags if you want to finish them like I have in the photos. I use the 1M star nozzle in this set to pipe cupcakes and piping bags like these.
Do I need weighing scales to bake your gluten-free gingerbread cupcakes?
In short… yes, yes and yes! And I wouldn’t advise attempting any of my recipes without them.
A lot of work went into fine tuning ratios and quantities and for me, baking is all about consistency and precision. I want you to make this recipe and for it to turn out EXACTLY like mine did.
Can I bake your gluten-free gingerbread cupcakes with less sugar?
I can definitely understand the need to reduce sugar in our foods, but this is one of the recipes where I wouldn’t advise removing it from the cake batter itself.
Of course, the sugar isn’t just for sweetness. It’s integral to the structure of the cake once baked and is sooo important.
However, if you want to reduce the overall sugar, you can always omit the caramel filling, or reduce the amount of buttercream on each cupcake.
Can I make this recipe without xanthan gum?
In some of my recipes, yes, but I wouldn’t recommend leaving xanthan gum out of this one. You’ll see xanthan gum in a lot of my recipes as it’s an essential ingredient in gluten-free baking.
Without gluten to bind the cake batter together, you can be left with a very loose and crumbly sponge texture which won’t work for this recipe.
Some people have asked if they can use psyllium husk powder instead of xanthan gum, but I’ve found that it definitely results in a denser sponge so I wouldn’t overly recommend it.
If you’re really against xanthan gum or you simply don’t have any, you can omit it if pushed. There’s a little in gluten-free self-raising flour anyway, so they should still turn out fine.
Can I make this recipe using other gluten-free flours like buckwheat flour or coconut flour?
There’s a big difference between ‘gluten-free plain/self-raising flour’ and a *singular* type gluten-free flour. When I say ‘gluten-free plain or self-raising flour’ in a recipe, I mean a BLEND of gluten-free flours, not just one, singular flour.
Most gluten-free flour you buy in the supermarket typically contains a blend of rice flour, potato flour, maize flour, tapioca flour AND buckwheat flour. That’s a lot of different flours!
In gluten-free self-raising flour, there’s usually even a little baking powder and xanthan gum in it too which always helps.
So to replace it with just one specific type of flour… that’s not going to cut it at all. Definitely go for a gluten-free flour blend.
How long can I keep your gluten-free gingerbread cupcakes for?
I usually find that my cupcakes last for around 3-5 days in an airtight container. They’re usually eaten by that point, but I wouldn’t recommend keeping them for longer than that unless you’re freezing them.
Can I freeze your gluten-free gingerbread cupcakes?
Of course! I’ve frozen them for up to a month and after allowing them to fully thaw, you’d never know they were frozen. Simply leave each cupcake out at room temperature for 4-5 hours to defrost.
How can I tell when my gluten-free gingerbread cupcakes are done?
Grab a skewer and give one a poke in the centre. If it comes out clean, then it’s done! But if the skewer comes out moist and cake-like, it’s best to pop them back in for a bit longer.
Gluten-free Gingerbread Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 150 g butter softened
- 150 g light brown sugar
- 175 g golden syrup
- 50 g black treacle
- 3 large eggs
- 180 ml milk
- 300 g gluten-free self-raising flour
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1.5 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the buttercream:
- 225 g butter softened
- 450 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon optional – or use an extra 1/2 tsp of ginger instead
For decorating:
- 12-16 store-bought gluten-free gingerbread men linked in FAQ section
- store-bought caramel (I used Carnation) optional filling for the cupcakes
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Preheat your oven to 160C Fan / 180C and prepare your cupcake tin.
- Melt together your sugar, golden syrup, butter and black treacle. Put to one side to cool a little.
- In a bowl mix together your eggs and milk until well combined.
- Slowly add your slightly cooled syrup mixture to your bowl with your eggs and milk in it. Ensure you do this slowly and are constantly mixing as you do.
- In a large bowl place your gluten free self raising flour, xanthan gum, ginger and cinnamon. Mix these together.
- Then gradually add your wet mixture into your flour, mixing all the time once more until smooth and combined.
- Pour or spoon your mixture evenly between your cupcake tins, mine were about 2/3 – 3/4 full. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes (I always do about 22 minutes) until cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool briefly in the tin before transferring to a cooling rack.
For the buttercream:
- For the buttercream, ensure your butter is soft and at room temperature. I find it takes a good hour out of the fridge to soften, but never let it go too soft! Place your butter into your mixer and mix on a medium speed for about 5 minutes until the butter has gone a lot more pale in colour.
- Add your icing sugar gradually. I add it in 2-3 stages and beat for about 3 minutes between each addition. Start your mixer slowly but then increase the speed to medium / high for each of your 3 minutes.
- Add your vanilla extract, ginger plus optionally cinnamon and mix once more – it should now be done. Ensure it’s the right thickness – it should be if you’ve beaten it for long enough. However, if it’s too thick you can add a tiny amount of milk. And if too thin, add in a little extra icing sugar – this might be the case for dairy free buttercream using hard margarine.
For the assemly of the cupcakes:
- If you want to fill your cupcakes, core the centre of each. I use one of my piping nozzles to gently push into the centre of the cupcake and remove a bit. You could use a knife and remove a little too. Just make sure you don’t go too deep as you need some of the cake beneath to hold the filling!
- Spoon some caramel sauce into the hole you’ve made in each cupcake.
- Spoon your buttercream into a piping bag with a large star nozzle. Then pipe your buttercream on top. If you don’t want to pipe it, you can spoon it on top too!
- Finish with either a shop bought or homemade gingerbread man! Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Thanks for reading how to make my gluten-free gingerbread cupcakes recipe! If you make them, I’d love to see how they turned out so don’t forget to take a snap of your bakes and tag me on Instagram!
Any questions about the recipe? Please do let me know by following me on Instagram and leaving me a comment on a recent photo.
If you want to send me a photo of how your bake turned out, you can request to join my Facebook group and post it there. Myself and everyone else would love to see it!
Thanks for reading,
Becky xxx
Oh and don’t forget to pin this for later!
