Gluten Free Cherry Cheesecake Cupcakes

3/4 Cup Brown Rice Flour 

1/3 cup + 3 Tbsp Tapioca Starch (not divided) 

2/3 tsp Xanthan Gum 

1 1/4 tsp Baking Powder 

1/2 tsp Baking Soda 

1/2 tsp Himalayan Salt 

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

2 eggs 

3/4 Cup Sugar (I used Demerara Sugar, coconut sugar can be used if you aren’t concerned with color)  

1 1/2 tsp Almond Extract

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil (melted)

1/2 Cup Buttermilk (To make buttermilk take your milk of choice and 1/2 tsp of lemon juice). 

Cherry Filling: 

1 Cup Cherries (pitted) I used frozen ones 

3 Tbsp Sugar 

3 Tbsp Water 

1 Tbsp Tapioca Starch mixed in 1 tbsp water 

Cheesecake Icing: 

4 ounces of butter (1/2 stick) 

4 ounces of Cream cheese (1/2 a block) 

2 cups Powdered sugar 

1 tsp Vanilla 

2-4 Tbsp Milk or heavy cream just to thin. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Sift your brown rice flour, tapioca starch and xanthan gum together (2-3 times). The more you sift the lighter and fluffier the cakes are. Mix your baking powder,baking soda, cinnamon and salt together with your flour mixture and set aside.

In the bottom of a mixer or in a large mixing bowl mix together eggs, sugar, Almond extract, coconut oil and buttermilk. Add your flour mixture and mix until well blended.Fill cupcake cups about 3/4 of the way full and bake for 19 minutes or until a toothpick goes in and out clean in the center. 

Let them cool for about 5 minutes in the muffin tin and then let finish cooling completely on a cooling rack. 

While your cupcakes are cooling you can make the filling. In a small pot mix together your cherries, sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once at a boil pour in your tapioca starch mixed with water and it will thicken immediately. If too thick add a tablespoon or 2 of water. Place in fridge to cool quickly (about 10-15 minutes). 

Use a tsp spoon or a cupcake holer and cut out the middle of the cupcakes. Let them continue cooling. Once the middle is cool take your filling out of the fridge and fill the middle of the cupcakes. 

Make your icing and ice the top of the cupcakes. Top with a cherry for decoration. 

The frosting has the perfect consistency of cheesecake and just makes the cake. The cupcake almost tastes like a crust with the almond and cinnamon. The cherry filling soaks into the cake perfectly to give you a hint cherry in almost every bite (that is my favorite part!). 

I hope you know that I couldn’t not share this recipe with anyone! These cupcakes brought so much joy to everyone a couple of nights ago and I hope they do the same for everyone! it doesn’t matter if you are gluten free or not (none of my family is). Everyone will love these cute and scrumptious little guys. I cannot wait to here from all of you! 

You can follow all of my adventures on Twitter(@not2shabbygabby), Facebook, Instagram(@notshabbygabby) and Pinterest(@not2shabbygabby)! 

I hope you all have a blessed day! 

Deliciously,

Gabby