If you or somebody you know has a gluten allergy, it’s simple to substitute gluten-free (GF) flour for the flour in any cupcake recipe. The main problem you’ll run into, of course, is that gluten-free flour isn’t as sticky, so the cupcakes will be much more crumbly. You can solve this by adding thickeners like Xanthan gum powder.
I’ve made a few things with Xanthan gum, and personally, I like to cut the amount called for by half. The gum powder has its own unique flavor that doesn’t work for me, especially in lighter vanilla or white cake. But cutting the amount of Xanthan gum down seems to work just fine.
A typical cake or cupcake recipe with GF flour would call for a teaspoon or more of Xanthan gum. I used about half a teaspoon and the cupcakes bake up great. They’re still a little more crumbly than with regular flour, but they taste yummy!
