Gluten-Free White Cupcakes

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Why do people love cupcakes? They’re easy to transport, no slicing, no mess, and they’re easy to share—or eat by yourself. With this recipe you can bake a cassava flour cupcake that is gluten-free and suitable for many diet restrictions. This versatile dessert is perfect for parties, wedding receptions, office recognitions, and most any celebration. You can add any color of sprinkles or frosting to work for any theme!

How to make cassava flour cupcakes

Ingredients

• 245 grams Otto’s Naturals – Cassava Flour
• 30 grams arrowroot
• 4 teaspoons Otto's Naturals Grain-Free Baking Powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 4 egg whites
• 1 ½ cups (305 grams) white sugar, divided
• ¾ cup butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Combine Otto’s Naturals – Cassava Flour, arrowroot, baking powder and salt. Sift together three times. (Note: Yes, you must sift all three times. This is not a step to skip!)
3. In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add ½ cup sugar gradually and continue beating only until meringue will hold up in soft peaks.
4. In a separate bowl, beat butter until smooth.
5. Gradually add remaining 1 cup sugar, and cream together until light and fluffy.
6. Add sifted ingredients alternately with milk a small amount at a time, beating after each addition until smooth.
7. Mix in vanilla extract and almond extract. Add meringue and mix gently but thoroughly into batter.
8. Add batter evenly to cupcake liners and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Once the cupcakes have cooled you can add the frosting or another topping of your choice. Try topping them with fruit or white chocolate shavings.

How do you make gluten-free chocolate cupcakes?

Are chocolate cupcakes more your thing? We’ve got a recipe for that too.

How to get the perfect cupcake texture

Want to make your cupcakes a moist, fluffy, and overall the perfect texture? One of the easiest tricks is to be sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. Set all of your refrigerated ingredients, such as eggs, butter, milk, out prior to starting your cake batter. For best results take them out at least 15-20 minutes prior to adding them. Another important trick is to mix the ingredients at a low speed gently and don’t over mix. When everything is combined it's time to stop. This will help create air bubbles in the batter. Once in the oven they will expand to make your cupcakes light and airy.

Once the batter is all mixed be sure to only fill the cupcake liners ⅔ to ¾ of the way full. This will produce a batch of fluffy and flawlessly domed cupcakes.

Who invented cupcakes?

The history of the cupcake isn’t clear. Most recipes were likely developed at home and passed down from generation to generation. Some speculate that it was created because reducing the size of the cake reduced the amount of heat required, which could potentially reduce the cost of making a cake. Another speculation is that, like the pound cake, the name came from the measurement of volume not from it being baked in small cups.

The first ever cupcake bakery was opened in America. Shortly thereafter cupcakes made their way to London. Today they are baked and sold in many flavors with a variety of frostings and glazes. With Otto’s Naturals Cassava Flour you can have cupcakes that are extravagant and delicious without sacrificing taste.

What are the benefits of using arrowroot in baking?

Arrowroot is frequently used in gluten-free, paleo cooking and baking. It is extracted from the root of a tropical plant. It is oblong in shape like most tubers. The powder is extracted using traditional methods that do not require high heat or harsh chemicals. It is sold as arrowroot powder or arrowroot flour but they are basically the same thing. It is naturally gluten-free, grain-free, vegan, and paleo-friendly.

Arrowroot can be used to replace cornstarch as a thickener. We use it here in this recipe combined with cassava flour as a way to hack the lightness of cake flour. It can also be used to make your fries crisper, coating your chicken before frying and in other ways. But it doesn’t usually follow a 1:1 ratio of replacement like cassava flour does. So read up, use tested recipes or experiment to find the right touch.

What does arrowroot taste like?

While cornstarch has a slight flavor, arrowroot does not. It also does not add much opaqueness to desserts so it’s perfect to use if you’re looking for something that turns clear when baked.

Why add vanilla in baking?

Vanilla is widely popular as a flavor. Its name comes from the Spanish word vainilla which when translated means little pod. In 1837, an attempt to artificially pollinate and commercially profit from the production of vanilla was not a financial success. But by 1841, a 12 year old discovered the plant could be hand-pollinated and commercial applications became successful.

Today, the majority of the world’s vanilla comes from Madagascar and Indonesia and is known as Bourbon vanilla or Madagascar vanilla. It remains an expensive plant to grow. Harvesting the vanilla pods is as labor-intensive as pollinating the blossoms. And each fruit ripens on its own time so harvesting must be done daily. Judging a bean’s maturity is difficult as they reach full size quickly. Beans left on the vine until they split will have lower quality. Pickers attempt to get them just as they begin to split on the end. This complicated harvest process causes vanilla to be one of the most expensive spices only exceeded by saffron.

The beans are dried traditionally under intermittent shade and sunlight. This is done to prevent rotting and lock in the aroma. The pods are then stored in closed boxes for five to six months to further develop the fragrance. Vanilla is used widely in not just foods, but beverages, cosmetics, and aromas. Over 7500 tons are produced each year.