Who's ready for spring? Can you believe it's only a week away? I'm welcoming spring with these amazing Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake Cupcakes. This recipe has been tested and perfected to taste just like the lemon pound cake I grew up on. Seriously, these cupcakes are so moist and delicious that you'll never believe they're gluten free! Keep reading for the secret ingredient!
RELATED: Easy Gluten Free German Chocolate Cake, Gluten Free Double Chocolate Orange Cream Cheese Brownies with Fresh Raspberry Sauce
My all-time favorite cake is Lemon Pound Cake. Specifically, lemon pound cake made with a Duncan Hines Lemon cake mix and a box of lemon pudding mix. Did anyone else grow up on that cake? I know most people probably ask for chocolate cake on their birthday, but for me (and a couple of my kids), it's all about the lemon.
When we started eating gluten free, we said goodbye to our favorite cake. Fortunately, Grandma had other ideas, and she's been experimenting for years. She has finally developed the perfect recipe. It tastes just like the cake we grew up on! (Grandmas are the BEST!) The one exception is that it works best as cupcakes instead of cake, but that's no problem. They store perfectly in the freezer, so we can pop one out whenever we need a lemon fix! (And the secret ingredient? Lemon pudding, of course! Yum!)
Ready for the recipe? I'm going to give you two. One's a quick version--made with a boxed gluten free cake mix, and the other is totally from scratch. Both are delicious, but the scratch version is the best.
Be sure to stick around after the recipe, and I'll tell you where to get the adorable spring printable cupcake toppers that I created to go with these cupcakes.
Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake Cupcakes
Quick version
Ingredients:
- 1 Betty Crocker gluten free yellow cake mix
- 1 small package Instant Lemon Pudding and Pie Filling
- Juice and zest from one lemon (Use a microplane to get up to 2 T of zest. If you don't have a microplane, you will need zest from a few lemons.)
- ½ cup canola oil, vegetable oil, or melted butter
- ½ cup water
- 3 large eggs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put cake mix, pudding, lemon juice and zest, oil, and water in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine. Add eggs, then blend on medium high until well mixed, about one minute. Let mixture stand for ten minutes. Fill cupcake paper-lined muffin tins ⅔ full. (Using a cookie or ice cream scoop makes equal sized cupcakes.) Bake 18-22 minutes. Yield: 18-22 cupcakes
Frost with your choice of frosting. We like a simple lemon flavored glaze the best, but lemon or vanilla butter cream frosting is tasty, too.
Scratch Version
To save about $3.50 on the boxed cake mix, and for even better flavor, substitute the dry ingredients in Carla's Copycat Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix for the boxed cake mix. (You can leave out the turmeric, which was just for color. The pudding gives a nice yellow color by itself.)
Prepare the cake exactly as for the quick version. Carla is brilliant because her mix tastes even better than the boxed mix! Bet you won't be able to eat just one!
These cupcakes turned out so well that I decided to dress them up to welcome spring! I'm guest posting today on Pretty Providence and sharing my Welcome Spring free printable cupcake toppers. Head on over for the full post and to find out how to download!
Thanks for stopping by today! While you're here, check out some more ideas for Spring. Images below are linked to posts. Click on the image to visit the post.
I link my gluten-free posts to these awesome parties: Poor and Gluten Free (Waste Not, Want Not Wednesdays), The Tasty Alternative (Allergy-Free Wednesday), Vegetarian Momma (Gluten-Free Friday)
Krista
These look delicious! I've used pudding in cake before but never thought of using lemon!
Heidi Fowler
Thanks, Krista. These are so yummy! I can't eat just one!
Marilyn
WOW, these looks absolutely delicious. My daughter LOVE lemon flavored goodies so she will LOVE these cupcakes!
Heidi Fowler
Thanks, Marilyn. They're my favorite. I have to hide them, or I'd eat them all in one sitting!
Carla @ Gluten Free Recipe Box
Thanks so much, Heidi. You rock! I love your site!!!
Julia @ Swirls and Spice
Thanks for sharing the link to the scratch version. I could definitely use a lemon fix!
Heidi Fowler
They're so good, Julia! I hope you love them. (I can never get enough lemon desserts!)
Jen Cooper
Oh my goodness these look so good! So perfect for Easter brunches and lunches... and when ever! I haven't made a ton of gluten free baking products but I am going to try this one!
Thanks for sharing... Coming to you from : http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net/2015/03/one-project-at-a-time-31715.html
Heidi Fowler
I hope you love it as much as I do, Jen! Thanks for stopping by.
Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
Wow, the color of those cupcakes is so lovely -- beautiful pound cake recipe! And definitely makes me think of spring :)
Heidi Fowler
Thanks, Audrey. The pudding in the mix gives it the pretty color.
Lynn@RiggstownRoad
These sound so good! Always trying to add to our list of gluten-free-goodie recipes..thanks! :)
Heidi Fowler
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Lynn. I hope you love the recipe!
jade anderson
These look great and not too complicated for a starter baker like myself! Thanks for sharing
Heidi Fowler
Sometimes starting with a box mix when you're new to gluten free can be helpful. I hope you love it, Jade!
Jenn
Hi, what are the frosting recipes you talk about? A lemon buttercream, and lemon glaze?
Thanks
Heidi Fowler
For this post, I just used a canned frosting. I prefer lemon glaze, though. It does not look pretty, but it's yummy! Would you like me to send you the recipe?
Heather
Hi Heidi,
Just wondering, when you say a "small" box of lemon pudding mix, how many grams / ounces would that be? I don't recall seeing different sizes of lemon pudding at my grocery store, so I just want to make sure I'm using the right amount in your lovely recipe.
Thanks! Happy Spring!
Heidi Fowler
It's the 3.4 oz box. (Some stores carry a larger box.) I hope you love the recipe, Heather!
Heather
Wonderful! Thank you so much for the quick reply :)
Brianna @Flippin' Delicious
These are perfect for spring, they look so fresh!
I'm featuring you this week on Savoring Saturdays, can't wait to see what you share!
Heidi Fowler
Thanks so much, Brianna! You totally made my night. I'm off to check out the party.
Linda
These cupcakes look beautiful, and we love lemon around here. Thanks for sharing at Gluten-Free Wednesdays. Please remember to leave a link back. :)
Heidi Fowler
Thanks, Linda. I used to have a party page linked on my site, and I can't find a place to fit it on my menu. The page is there, I just have to figure out where to put it so it can be found. Thanks for the reminder!
Sarah
So excited to try these! Have you tried this recipe as an actual cake? Wondering if you would recommend any changes other than to cooking time. Also, my apologies if I missed it, but in the ingredient list you mention pie filling but I didn't see this used in the direction.
Thanks!
Heidi Fowler
They're delicious, Sarah. I would not, however, recommend trying this recipe as a cake. My sister tried it, and she couldn't get it to cook through the middle. Gluten free cakes are tricky. I think adding the pudding and pie filling mix makes it too dense for a full cake. The pudding and pie filling is one ingredient. It will actually say "Pudding and pie filling" on the box. I hope you love these!
Maryellen
Dumb question, so I apologize, but do I prepare the lemon pudding or just add the dry powder to the mix? Thanks!
Heidi
Not a dumb question at all, Maryellen. You just add the dry powder to the mix. Enjoy!
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I had no idea there was such a thing as a lemon-pound-cake. This looks nice!
Heidi
You definitely need to try it. You've been missing out if you've never tasted lemon pound cake!
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This is my kind of cake. I haven’t been baking for a while but I would totally love to make something like this soon!
Lynne vork
Can you make these into a loaf cake instead of cupcakes
Heidi
Hi, Lynne. Unfortunately, if you put the batter in a loaf pan, it will turn out doughy in the middle. This recipe will only work for cupcakes. You could try it in small loaf pans, but I have not tried that. Since writing this post several years ago, I have seen some gf pound cake recipes from scratch (not with a cake mix) that work in a loaf pan. I always like the flavor of this recipe the best, though.