Cupcakes are perfect for every occasion. They are just plain cute and these dairy free, gluten free Orange Cupcakes are bursting with flavour.

Fresh squeezed orange juice and zest are essential in this recipe. To bake amazing cupcakes from scratch you just need to commit to squeezing oranges. If you are not sure it is worth the effort just drink some of that fresh juice. That taste cannot be bottled. But, the recipe works just fine with juice out of a box and you can still add orange zest for that extra punch of flavour.

We made gluten free Orange Cupcakes with orange icing at a recent cooking class and they were a hit. Of course I tested them, took samples to my colleagues at work, made some for family and friends plus ate my fair share, just to make sure the recipe was perfect. This is the usual sort of commitment I make to recipe testing, all in the name of good blogging practices.

Sorghum Flour

These cupcakes are made with sorghum flour and potato starch. You can learn more about this whole grain, high protein flour in this post, How to use millet flour and sorghum flour. Sorghum flour is an excellent choice for baking and I use it in my homemade gluten free flour blend with great results.

Dairy Free Baking

Dairy free baking is new for me. Since more than twenty per cent of people with celiac disease have some degree of lactose intolerance it makes sense to learn more about dairy free cooking. Lisa came to my house for a Baking Class and inspired me to try something new. These light, airy cupcakes are from that menu.

Zesting Citrus Fruit

Get The Tools – Citrus Juicers

There are many kitchen tools to juice citrus fruit; a hand held wooden reamer, the juicer that sits on top of a bowl, plus hand and electric juicers. Your hands are good enough if you are squeezing half a lemon over fish. If you are juicing a bowl of oranges you may want something to make the job easier. The fashionable hand held press juicers come in varying qualities and sizes. Sometimes the colour of citrus fruits like this yellow and green one, they are really the best juicer in the world.  If you know someone who regularly juices citrus this is a fabulous gift. A small electric juicer works too, so if you happen to have one like I do, it makes this job a breeze.

Organize For Success – Cupcakes

When your kitchen tools are organized you are one step closer to the ease of baking. Buy the shapes and sizes you like for the kind of baking you want to do, most of them will last a very long time. I have these choices within easy reach any time.

• 6 or 12-count regular size muffin tins
• 12-count mini-muffin tins or 24-count
• Colourful paper cupcake liners go with everything so are great to keep on hand. TIP – Put cooked cupcakes into a new cupcake liner to show off the colour.
• Silicone cupcake liners, available round or square, are the best environmental choice and ideal for everyday muffins and cupcakes. If you decide to use these plan to make the same recipes a few times to learn how to adjust the oven temperature and baking times so your baking browns nicely.
• Portion scoops for both mini and regular size cupcakes ensure a consistent size therefore result in more even baking.
• The cupcake corer is a fun tool for more serious cupcake people
• A reusable piping bag set or disposable piping bags (12, 24 or 50) are easy to use but a regular freezer zipper type bag works for icing cupcakes too.
• For people who like to take cupcakes to parties cupcake takers come in a variety of shapes and sizes
• At home you can display cupcakes on any flat tray, a pedestal tray or a fancy cupcake display stand.

Many thanks to Karina over at the Gluten Free Goddess for her inspiration. She is a goddess in the kitchen, and if you are not familiar with her website you should check it out.

I’d love to hear how your cupcakes turned out in the comments below.

More Cupcake Recipes

Chocolate Cupcakes

Salted Caramel Cheesecake Cupcakes