Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes (Wheat, Nut and Fish-Free, Can Be Milk, Egg and Soy-Free)

My daughter and husband both have birthdays in July, and they both adore strawberries (and most other berries).  In honor of them, I have decided to share a recipe for cupcakes I made for my husband's birthday (and if memory serves, I also made it for my daughter's birthday, too) a few years ago.  The cupcake portion of this recipe I got from King Arthur Flour, but the rest of the recipe is my own.  Anyway, it is a gluten-free vanilla cupcake with strawberry filling and sweetened whipped cream on top that tastes a lot like strawberry shortcake.  It is super simple to make, delicious, and allergy-friendly to boot!  It is wheat, nut and fish-free (if all of your ingredients are) and can be milk, egg and soy-free (see variations).   

Note: The gluten-free baking mix I recommend does not technically contain soy, but it does contain xanthan gum (see "Soy-Free" under variations for more details) which can cause issues for people with soy sensitivities or allergies, and that is why I will not claim that this recipe is soy-free.

Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

For the Cupcake:

1/2 Cup softened full-fat, salted butter

1 Cup white sugar

3 eggs

1/2 Cup milk

2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract

1 3/4 Cup gluten-free baking mix 

(I recommend King Arthur Flour's Gluten-Free Baking Mix, and yes, it has to be a baking mix, NOT a gluten-free flour or the recipe will not turn out right)

For the Filling:
gluten-free strawberry jam or perserves
(I recommend Smucker's Natural Strawberry Fruit Spread)

For the Topping:
Sweetened Whipped Cream

whole strawberries for garnish (if desired)

1. Preheat oven to 350^oF.
     
2. Prepare muffin tins with 12-18 paper cups.
      
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until well blended and the butter is somewhat lighter in color.
     
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until just incorporated between each addition.
     
5. In a separate bowl or large liquid measuring cup, combine the milk and vanilla.
     
6. Alternate adding the gluten-free baking mix and the vanilla milk, about 1/3 of each at a time, to the butter mixture until all ingredients are added.  (Note: Make sure the ingredients are just mixed in after each addition like you did with the eggs.  You want the ingredients evenly distributed, but not over-beaten.)
     
7. Evenly distribute the muffin mixture between the 12-18 muffin cups. (Note: You'll want the paper cups filled between 1/2 and 2/3 full.  Depending which amount you go with will determine how many cupcakes you get.)
     
8. Bake the muffins for about 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
     
9. Let the muffins sit in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing them from the pan and allowing them to finish cooling on the counter or a wire rack.
     
10. Once the muffins have cooled completely, you can fill the cupcake the way you normally do with the jelly filling.  How I do it is to take a sharp knife, insert it a little way from the edge and down about 1/2 way into the cupcake, and cut circular portion out of the top of the cupcake.  I then remove the cake, place a dollop of jam in the hole and replace the piece of cake.  Not quite as professional as filling with a piping bag, but easier for me, and it ensures you get a lot of filling.  If you want tips on how to fill a cupcake, go here.
      
11. Once the cupcakes are filled, top them with sweetened whipped cream (amount is up to you) and a strawberry, if desired.

Makes 12 to 18 cupcakes.

Variations (Please keep your individual dietary needs in mind when using variations):

• Milk-Free: Use non-dairy milk (such as So Delicious) and non-dairy butter (such as Earth Balance or Melt) of your choice in place of the milk and butter, and use a non-dairy whipped topping that fits your allergen needs (So Delicious makes one) or make your own.  For some more options for dairy-free whipped cream, go here.
    
• Egg-Free: Use an egg replacer in place of the eggs.  For ideas on what to use in place of the eggs, check out my ingredient substitutions page.  The flax seed "egg" or applesauce replacement would be a good fit with these cupcakes.
   
• Soy-Free: King Arthur Flour's Gluten-Free Baking Mix does not claim to contain soy, but it does contain xanthan gum, which can cause issues with people who have soy sensitivities and allergies, and hence the reason I won't claim this recipe is soy-free already.  You can use another soy-free baking mix (if you can have wheat/gluten) or soy-free, gluten-free baking mix of your choice.  Keep in mind that if your baking mix doesn't contain guar gum or xanthan gum, you may need to add between 3/4 to 3 teaspoons of ground flax seed, guar gum or xanthan gum to help with textural issues, too.  You'll have to make sure all your ingredients are soy-free, too.
    
• Super Easy Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes: Use a gluten-free vanilla cake mix of choice to make the cupcakes with (I recommend King Arthur Flour's Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix).  Just make the cupcakes according to the box directions, and fill them when they are completely cool.  You can top them with a ready-made gluten-free whipped topping of choice vs. making your own, and then garnish with a strawberry, if so desired.  Easy peasy!
    
• Gluten-Free Red, White and Blue Cupcakes:  Make the cupcakes according to the recipe, but garnish with blueberries instead of a strawberry, or you can fill them with blueberry jam/preserves vs. strawberry jam/preserves and garnish with a strawberry.  You could also alternate between cupcakes, too.  You could even do both fillings and garnishes per cupcake, if you wish.  You could even fill with whipped cream and just garnish with blueberries and strawberries.  Whatever you decide, it will be quite festive for a patriotic day! :)
           
  
• Different Flavors: If you are a fan of chocolate chip cupcakes, you can add 1 Cup of chocolate chips to the batter and bake, fill and garnish as directed and as desired.  If you are not a strawberry fan, you can substitute cherry, blueberry, raspberry or another fruit spread of choice for the strawberry jam, and garnish with a like fruit, if desired.  You can even fill with chocolate ganache, pudding, whipped cream, caramel, pie filling, peanut butter or any other type of filling that sounds good to you that fits your allergen needs.  You can even use a chocolate cupcake vs. a vanilla cupcake, use frosting vs. whipped cream, use multiple types of fillings, garnish with nuts or peanuts, etc.  The possibilities are endless!

Aren't they cute and festive?

I promise they are yummy, too!