Gluten-Free Almond Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting from Chef Virginia Willis
These delightful cupcakes, created by James Beard award-wining Chef Virginia Willis, are perfect for anyone seeking a gluten-free option without sacrificing flavor. Made with almond flour and infused with fresh lemon’s bright zest and juice, they offer a moist and tender crumb. Topped with a creamy, tangy lemon frosting, they’re a refreshing burst of citrus paired with a nutty almond base. Whether for a special occasion or an everyday indulgence, these cupcakes will satisfy all your sweet cravings!
For the cupcakes:
2 cups almond flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
12 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons low-fat plain Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
Heat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Combine almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until ingredients are well combined.
Whisk together in a large bowl the eggs, sugar, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla extract. Add to the dry ingredients and whisk until completely incorporated.
Divide batter evenly between the muffin liners. Each should be about ¾ full of 3 heaping tablespoons of batter in each.
Bake for 18 minutes, until the internal temperature registers 203–205°F.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.
Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese, sugar, yogurt, vanilla, and lemon extract in a mixing bowl until smooth.
Place about 2 tablespoons of frosting onto the cooled cupcake. Use a small offset spatula to spread the frosting to the edge. While pressing down on the frosting slightly, move the spatula in a spiral pattern to create a pretty swoop! Serve immediately.
Read about Chef Virginia’s transformative trip to The Ranch. Or listen to her on our podcast, Resonate.
Georgia-born French-trained Chef Virginia Willis has made chocolate chip cookies with Dwanye “The Rock” Johnson, foraged for berries in the Alaskan wilderness, harvested capers in the shadow of a smoldering volcano in Sicily, and beguiled celebrities such as Jane Fonda, Bill Clinton, and Julie Chrisley with her cooking — but it all started in her grandmother’s country kitchen.
