If you’re hoping to serve delicious gluten-free chocolate cupcakes for a birthday party or special event, this is the cupcake recipe for you. They have a tender crumb and will rival your favorite cupcake recipe! These Paleo chocolate cupcakes don’t bake up quite as tall as a bakery cupcake would, but they have an amazing taste and texture, without using any white flour or sugar. Top them with your favorite chocolate frosting, and you’ll have an impressive homemade dessert!
Ingredients You’ll Need
This cupcake recipe is made with blanched almond flour, which provides a fluffier texture when compared to using almond meal. (Almond meal is made with whole ground almonds, so there are brown flecks in the flour from the skins.) Using maple syrup as the sweetener keeps the cupcakes moist and fluffy. When I originally tried making this recipe with coconut sugar, I got a more brownie-like texture. (That’s how my Almond Flour Brownies were born!) Coconut oil keeps this recipe dairy-free, but you can use melted butter if you prefer.
How to Make Chocolate Almond Flour Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a standard muffin tin with 12 paper cupcake liners. In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. You can whisk these dry ingredients together first, if you’d like to break up any clumps in the flour, but it’s not necessary since there’s no risk of over-mixing gluten-free cupcake batter. Next, add in the maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla extract. It’s best if you can let the eggs and maple syrup come to room temperature before mixing the batter, but this will still work even if they are cold from the fridge. If you’re using cold ingredients, stir in the coconut oil last, so the eggs and maple syrup can lose some of their chill as you stir. Stir the wet ingredients into the batter until it looks smooth, then add the coconut oil and mix again. Use a 1/4 cup to scoop the batter and pour it into the prepared muffin pan. Once the batter has been divided evenly among the muffin cups, bake the cupcakes at 350ºF for 25 minutes. You’ll know the cupcakes are done when the centers feel firm to a light touch, or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with minimal crumbs. Let the cupcakes cool completely in the pan. Once they are cool, you can top them with your favorite frosting and sprinkles. (Buttercream frosting will melt if you add it to cupcakes that are still warm, so be patient!) Storage Tips: Leftover gluten-free cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you want to make these ahead of time, you can store these in the fridge before frosting them, too! This chocolate cupcake recipe can also be frozen, if you store it in a tightly sealed container, for up to 3 months. If you store these cupcakes at room temperature without covering them, they may dry out overnight. When stored in an airtight container at room temperature (or tightly covered in plastic wrap if you leave them in the pan) these cupcakes can develop a sticky texture on the top. They still taste good, but it’s something to keep in mind when storing. The fridge is best! Looking for more almond flour recipes? Try Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies, Almond Flour Cake, or Almond Flour Pancakes for more ideas. If you try these Chocolate Almond Flour Cupcakes, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them.
