Enjoy all the sweet breakfast goodness in these ultra cinnamony Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes. Tender cinnamon cakes filled with a buttery brown sugar filling and topped with a smooth cinnamon vanilla buttercream. Good morning!
ME BEFORE THE RECIPE…
We’re getting an impromptu spring break this week!!! Well, that’s my “glass half full” outlook on life after hearing that our school district’s teachers will be going on strike beginning this Thursday for an indefinite period of time.
And if you haven’t already put two and two together, that means my children will be home, asking every five seconds what they can do, for the next however long it takes to decently pay our teachers and appropriately fund our schools. Hey, I say more power to our teachers because they most definitely deserve more than they’ve been receiving for way too long.
I don’t know if you recall, but I was actually a high school teacher once upon a time for about 5 years. I taught everything from math and science to nutrition and life skills. And guess what? I wasn’t certified in any of it. Yep, that’s how broken our educational system in Arizona has become.
Okay, don’t get my wrong. I was a good teacher…or so I thought. But let’s be real, I was nowhere near qualified to be teaching any high school subject. However, because Arizona was in such dire need of teachers, and I was being employed by a charter school which requires different qualifications for their teachers, I was hired without a second thought. I did my best, and I left feeling proud of the differences I made in those students’ lives, but it also left me with a lack of faith in our school systems and the competency of our teachers.
Here’s the deal, if we expect qualified teachers in our schools, we need to PAY for qualified teachers in our schools. Basically, we need to invest in our future by investing in our children. The end.
So here we’ll be, sitting pretty for the next few days, twiddling our thumbs, wondering when school will be back in session. I foresee loads of crafts, hours of swimming, multiple trips back and forth to the park, and a handful of baking projects. We’ve already penciled in an outing to the science center and the water park later this week. Hmmm…maybe this teacher strike won’t be so bad after all…
HERE COMES THE RECIPE…
And speaking of baking projects, I’m thinking these Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes will be first on the list. I mean, cinnamon rolls plus cupcakes…that’s one equation I certainly know the answer to. And the answer is DELICIOUS!
These gluten free cinnamon roll cupcakes almost got lost in the dark abyss of recipe drafts that I never get around to posting. I was sorting through some old photos recently, deleting folders that I didn’t need anymore and cringing at the quality of some of my earlier photos, and then I stumbled upon these cupcakes. My jaw dropped and the drool immediately began to commence. How could I have forgotten about these?!
Not only do I remember these gluten free cinnamon roll cupcakes tasting amazing, I vividly recall making them more than a few times to share with neighbors and friends in Hawaii. Rarely do I make a recipe more than once or twice because I’d rather experiment with something new. So when I do choose to make a recipe over and over again, you know it’s gonna be fabulous.
LET’S TALK GLUTEN FREE CINNAMON ROLL CUPCAKES
Here’s the deal with these cupcakes. They’re made up of three epic parts:
- The cake: it’s perfectly moist and tender with a light fluffy crumb, bursting with the yummiest cinnamon and vanilla flavor. Using a pack of natural vanilla pudding mix helps the cake stay extra moist and sweet.
- The filling: think of the filling in an actual cinnamon roll and that is what’s shoved inside these cupcakes. The mixture of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon combine to make the most amazing filling that you’ll want to ration out with every bite of cake you’ll take.
- The frosting: just like the cake itself, this frosting has the perfect balance between cinnamon and vanilla. This buttercream is whipped until light and fluffy for the ideal piping consistency. Once you’re done licking the filling, you’ll definitely move on to licking this frosting.
Are you convinced yet??? Seriously, these gluten free cinnamon roll cupcakes are calling your name, and their cries can only be ignored for so long. I know this after being a mother. There’s only so many times you can ignore your children. Such is the same with your cravings. Eventually you must give in. And giving in never tasted so sweet.
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY…
- Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Muffins
- Gluten Free Cinnamon Maple Banana Bread
- Gluten Free Brown Sugar Cinnamon Banana Cake
- Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Strata
- Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats
- For the cupcake:
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 pack Simply Good Jell-O vanilla bean pudding
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum (only if your flour blend doesn't already contain a gum)
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 cups high quality gluten free all purpose flour or my preferred mix: ½ cup white rice flour, ½ cup brown rice flour, ½ cup potato starch, ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons sweet sorghum flour, and 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- ⅔ cup water
- For the filling:
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- For the frosting:
- 1 stick butter, room temperature
- 1-1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 2¾ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk or cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Dash of salt
- Begin making cupcakes by preheating oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. In a large bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until smooth. Add pudding mix and whisk until smooth.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together salt, baking powder, xanthan gum (only if your flour blend doesn't already contain a gum), cinnamon, and gluten free all purpose flour (or my preferred mix).
- Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until smooth. Slowly add in water and stir until batter is smooth. It will be runny, but this is normal. Let batter sit 10 mins. Stir until smooth.
- Fill liners ⅔ way full with batter and bake at 350 degrees for 22-24 minutes until tops spring back at touch of a finger and toothpick inserted into center of cupcakes comes out clean.
- While cupcakes are baking, make brown sugar filling. In a small microwave safe bowl, melt butter for 20 seconds. Add brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir until sugar has dissolved and mixture has thickened (about 1 minute). Set aside.
- Once cupcakes have completely cooled, cut out a small hole halfway deep into the center of the cupcake (I use an apple corer). Fill holes with filling and set aside.
- To make frosting, in a large mixing bowl, cream butter and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together. Add powdered sugar and mix with a handheld mixer until smooth. Add milk or cream, vanilla, and a dash of salt. Mix on low until smooth. Add more powdered sugar or milk to achieve desired consistency. Add additional cinnamon if desired.
- Fill piping bag with a star tip with frosting. Pipe frosting around edge of cupcake, leaving center of filling exposed. Serve room temperature.
- Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container in fridge for up to 5 days or in freezer for up to 3 months.
