Gluten free Victoria Sponge cupcakes

Easy Gluten free Victoria sponge cupcakes recipe. If you love a traditional Victoria sponge cake you will also love these beautiful cupcakes. Being in cupcake form I feel it brings a modern twist to the delicious classic cake and the best part is no one can tell they are gluten free!

As a family, we love a traditional Victoria sponge cake but also love making and eating cupcakes. I have been making my gluten free Victoria sponge cake for a long time and it is always a family favorite.

Then I decided to make it into cupcakes and as a child, I loved butterfly cakes. I love making gluten free fairy cakes and creating them to look unique every time. Making this perfect for birthday parties, afternoon tea, or giving as a homemade food gift. Like my simpsons dougnuts the kids love getting involved in making them.

What's the difference between a Victoria sponge cake and cupcakes?

The main difference between the Victoria sponge cake and the cupcakes other than the finished look is that the recipe is slightly different as the butterfly cakes don't require as much of the sponge mixture.

I used the same ingredients but the measurements are slightly altered to allow for these changes. Baking time in the oven will be less than the required time needed for a Victoria sponge cake. If you prefer the traditional Victoria sponge cake I also have a gluten free Victoria sponge cake recipe you might also like.

What kind of filling to use for Victoria sponge?

There are various popular fillings for a Victoria sponge. I have to say that for me fresh Creme Chantilly and strawberry jam filling makes for the best mini victoria sponges. In this recipe, I have used fresh whipped cream and strawberry-filled cupcakes. As we are always eating the gluten free fairy cakes on the same day that it has been freshly made.

If you prefer a buttercream filling or topping or raspberry jam filled cupcakes this will also work really well and be just as delicious. If you are making it in advance you might like to check out my Gluten free vanilla cupcake recipe as it is topped with a beautiful smooth buttercream.

Ingredients

• Gluten free self raising flour
• Caster Sugar
• Butter or Margarine (Use dairy free spread if required) If using butter be sure it is at room temperature.
• Eggs - Room temperature
• Baking powder
• Vanilla extract
• Xanthan Gum
• Strawberry Jam
• Double Cream
• Icing Sugar (sieved)
• Fresh Strawberries

See the recipe card for quantities.

Equipment

• 12 cupcake cases ( I like to use large cupcake case similar to the size of muffin cases)
• 12 cup muffin baking tin
• Icing Piping nozzle
• Piping bag
• Electric whisk ( Don't worry if you don't have this available you can whisk by hand but will take a little longer and require a bit of effort)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 170°C/225°F/Gas Mark 3. Prepare 12 hole muffin tray with muffin cases.
• In a large bowl beat sugar and butter/marg together until smooth and fluffy.
• Add in all the remaining sponge ingredients until fully combined.

• Divide between the 12 muffin cases filling to around halfway. Depending on the size of your muffin cases you might have a little leftover mixture you can use for more cupcakes cakes
• Place in the oven and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes. insert a skewer into one cake after this time if it comes out clean it's ready if not leave it in slightly longer. (Times may vary slightly depending on the oven). Transfer to a cooling rack and leave to cool.

• While the cupcakes are cooling make the cream topping. (See recipe card).

• Make a hole in the middle of your cupcakes I press the wide end of a piping nozzle into the cupcake for a clean round hole.
• Fill in the holes on the cupcakes with strawberry Jam (or your preferred jam filling).
• Place cream into a piping bag with your desired piping nozzle (I used a large star nozzle) Pipe cream filling and swirl on top of your cupcakes covering the Jam hole previously made.
• Slice strawberries in half and place them on top of your cream topping for decoration.
• Enjoy.

Recipe Tips

• Gluten Free Flour – I used a shop-bought Gluten free flour blend from Doves Farm Freee from range. Which is a flour blend of Rice, Potato, Tapioca, Maize and Buckwheat flour. I have had reports that others have used other Gluten free Self Raising blends with my recipes that have worked well. I would love to know what flour blends worked for you. So feel free to get in touch by leaving a comment below or you can contact me directly.
• Kitchen Scales - Using digital scales is recommended when baking. I always measure using scales and in grams as baking is a science. When baking gluten free it is essential to weigh out ingredients to get the best results! There is no need to purchase expensive digital scales and you can find them available cheaply online.
• Oven Temperatures - Your oven temperature may be slightly different. As all ovens vary in temperature and the baking time is used as a guide. Some ovens run hotter than others. You could invest in an oven thermometer to be more accurate.

Variations

If you prefer your cupcakes to have a more traditional mini Victoria sponge cake look. 

• Cut Cupcakes in half
• spread jam on the bottom layer
• layer fresh cream on top of the jam
• Place the top of the cupcake on top of the cream and jam filling
• Dust with Icing sugar for a Mini Victoria sponge cake look.

Other options

• Buttercream frosting - Top with buttercream frosting if preferred. You could use the buttercream recipe that I used in my gluten free Vanilla cupcakes or the strawberry buttercream used in my gluten free strawberry cupcakes.
• Fairy cake design - If you would prefer them to be gluten free fairy cakes cut a wider circle in the middle of the sponge. Slice the circle in half and use to decorate the top of the frosting so it looks like fairy wings.
• Jam fillings - Who doesn't love cupcakes with jam filling? These mini Victoria sponges can be filled with your desired flavor of jam or make them lemon flavor in the spring by filling them with fresh homemade lemon curd.

Recipe FAQs