Lemon and white chocolate makes for an amazing flavour combination. Just a couple of teaspoons of zest adds a wonderful depth of flavour to these cupcakes, which is complimented perfectly by the smooth and silky white chocolate. These cupcakes are not overly sweet and are wonderfully light and fluffy. They have a hint of lemon and delicious white chocolate morsels in almost every bite. Even on the second day, the cupcake still remains soft and light.

To give the frosting a pale yellow colour I used ground turmeric, I promise you won’t be able to taste it. Turmeric does stain, so you may want to use a disposable piping bag. I have also added some pure lemon extract to the frosting to give a pleasant and subtle lemony flavour.

I use the Sweet William brand of white chocolate. This product is free from gluten, dairy, nuts, GMO and it is also suitable for Vegans. However, it does contain soy.

Most citrus fruit are coated in a thin layer of wax, not unless you have bought organic/unwaxed fruit. Before zesting, the lemon will need to be scrubbed well in hot soapy water and then thoroughly rinsed; this will remove the majority of the wax. After rinsing make sure you dry the lemon well before zesting. The easiest way to remove the zest is with a microplane grater. When zesting you only need to remove the coloured zest, be careful not to grate into the white pith layer, because this has quite a bitter flavour.

For accurate cup measurements, I sift the potato starch and icing sugar before measuring, so that there are no lumps/clumps. All cup measurements are firmly packed. I broke off small individual pieces from my large block of chocolate and each small piece weighed 4 grams (0.1 ounce). When the pieces were placed into a measuring cup, it was approximately a scant ⅓ cup.

Makes 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients
Dry
50g (1.8 ounces or ½ cup minus 2 scant tablespoons) superfine white rice flour
39g (1.4 ounces or ⅓ cup) almond meal/flour
25g (0.9 ounces or 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon) potato starch
20g (0.7 ounces or 2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon) sorghum flour
10g (0.4 ounces or 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon) sweet rice flour
8g (0.3 ounces or 1 tablespoon) tapioca starch
1 teaspoon (5ml) baking powder
½ teaspoon (2.5ml) xanthan gum
¼ teaspoon (1.25ml) bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
⅛ teaspoon (0.625ml) salt
Wet
125g (4.4 ounces or ½ cup plus 1 scant tablespoon) gluten and dairy free butter
120g (4.2 ounces or ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons) golden/raw caster sugar
90ml (5 tablespoons) dairy free milk of choice, at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoon (10ml) finely grated lemon zest
Stir through
52g (1.8 ounces or a scant ⅓ cup) gluten and dairy free white chocolate (I use this brand)
Frosting
262g (9.2 ounces or 1¾ cups plus 1 tablespoon) soft icing sugar (I use this brand)
94g (3.3 ounces or ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon) gluten and dairy free butter
½ teaspoon (2.5ml) pure lemon extract
2 generous pinches of ground turmeric
Finely grated gluten and dairy free white chocolate to garnish

Preheat the oven to 160C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake liners.

First, chop the chocolate into small chunks.

Sift together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together with a handheld mixer or stand mixer, this will take a couple of minutes.

Next, add the egg and beat until light and fluffy,

before adding the lemon zest and mixing until combined.

Add half of the dry ingredients, then pour in half of the milk and mix on a low speed until combined. Now add the rest of the flour and milk before mixing again until thoroughly combined.

Use a spatula to gently fold through the chopped white chocolate.

Use a spoon and ¾ fill the cupcake liners and bake for approximately 20-22 minutes.

Once cooked, allow the cupcakes to cool in the tin for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, add the icing sugar, turmeric, butter and lemon extract to a bowl. Using a handheld mixer, start mixing on a low speed until combined and then turn up the speed and continue to beat until light and fluffy.

Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 2D nozzle. To start piping the rose, first hold the bag in a vertical position over your cupcake. Then applying a constant and even pressure, start by piping a small amount in the centre of the cupcake, and then lift up slightly and move in one fluid motion as you pipe in a circular motion. As you near the edge of the cupcake, release the pressure on the bag as you continue to go around the edge, and the frosting will naturally stop flowing.

Then all that is left to do is finely grate some white chocolate over the top and you’re done!!

Recipe by: The Gluten & Dairy Free Bakehouse

Note: all recipe oven temperatures shown are for a fan forced electric oven. Please refer to the below guide to help you adjust your oven accordingly. This recipe is shown in bold.

Oven Temperatures Chart
130C = 110C fan = 250F = Gas mark 1
150C = 130C fan = 300F = Gas mark 2
160C = 140C fan = 320F = Gas mark 3
180C = 160C fan = 350F = Gas mark 4
190C = 170C fan = 375F = Gas mark 5
200C = 180C fan = 400F = Gas mark 6
220C = 200C fan = 425F = Gas mark 7
230C = 210C fan = 450F = Gas mark 8