LEMON BURST CUPCAKES- Vegan, Gluten-Free & Refined Sugar-Free

I’m not going to lie, I can get pretty miserable during the summer. Humidity makes me lazy and I don’t just get lazy, I get lazy AND cranky. So when our air conditioner wasn’t working and temperatures and humidity were high…let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. To make matters worse, my go-to feel good activity (baking) was definitely not an option.

Thankfully our air conditioner was fixed and don’t you know it, I headed straight for the kitchen. Although I can feel pretty miserable in the heat, the fresh flavours of summer never fail to cheer me right up. Especially when we’re talking lemon!

These cupcakes are an extra special treat because I learned how to make “butter-cream” frosting without the powdered sugar thanks to The Healthy Maven and her fantastic vanilla “butter-cream” frosting.  I added a lemon twist to the frosting recipe, slathered it on top of moist lemon cupcakes and called it a good day. And a great day after I ate one, or two…who’s counting anyway?

Sometimes I find lemon treats either too sweet or too tart. These cupcakes hit the perfect balance, however, if you prefer a very sweet cupcake you might want to add a little stevia extract to sweeten it up some more.

Healthy Lemon Burst Cupcakes

The perfect summer indulgence- moist lemon cupcakes topped with buttery, lemon kissed frosting.

Serves 10-12

Ingredients:

Cupcakes-

• 3/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup potato starch
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup non-dairy yogurt (I used plain, but lemon flavour would be fantastic to use!!!)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened non-dairy milk

Frosting- 

• 1/2 cup Earth Balance (or other butter substitute)
• 1 cup potato starch
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp lemon extract
• 5 drops liquid stevia
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.
2. In a small bowl mix together brown rice flour, starches, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a larger bowl cream together the remaining cupcake ingredients.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.
5. Portion the batter evenly into lined muffin tin.
6. Bake cupcakes for 25-30 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
7. While the cupcakes bake and cool, cream together Earth Balance, lemon juice, zest and extract with hand mixer.
8. Slowly add the potato starch, followed by the liquid stevia and maple syrup. If you prefer a sweeter icing, add more liquid stevia (add slowly though, stevia is very, VERY sweet).
9. Once cupcakes have completely cool, frost them and serve!

xoxo Erin

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UPDATE! This recipe has been submitted to Healthy Vegan Fridays and Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

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