These gluten free chocolate cupcakes are moist, fluffy, spongey and undetectably dairy free. They’re easy to make and the perfect way to satisfy your chocolate craving!
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An oldie but goodie Eat With Clarity recipe, but now even better! This gluten free chocolate cupcake recipe is one of the OG recipes on the blog, but it was time for a major upgrade. Both to the recipe and to the photos!
These cupcakes are richer, easier to make, and better than ever. With a fluffy and perfectly sweet sponge and silky smooth buttercream, this is the perfect chocolate treat for every occasion.
I feel like cupcakes and cakes are desserts that get reserved for special occasions, whereas cookies are an everyday thing, but I’m here to tell you you don’t need an excuse or a holiday to indulge a little!!
These chocolate cupcakes are fluffy, moist, spongey, cakey, chocolatey, perfectly sweet, and all the things a chocolate cupcake should be. They’re both gluten free and dairy free, but if you did a blind taste test, I promise you would have NO idea.
How to make this recipe
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin tray with liners and set aside.
Whisk together all dry ingredients.
Beat in all wet ingredients with an electric mixer just until combined. Careful not to over mix, but make sure all ingredients from the bottom of the bowl are well combined.
Once the batter is ready, use a cookie scoop or spoon and add the batter in 12 lined cupcake tins, filling about 2/3 of the way full.
Add to the center of the oven for 16-22 minutes. Check at 16 minutes and if a toothpick comes out clean, remove from the oven.
They will continue to cook slightly as they sit because the tray is still hot, so careful not to over bake because this will dry out the cupcakes. In my oven, they are generally done at the 18 minute mark, but all ovens are different.
How to make the buttercream
Dairy free buttercream is actually much easier than you would think. Buttercream is essentially a mixture of powdered sugar and butter, so to make it dairy free, all you need to do is use dairy free butter.
You want to use room temperature butter so it’s easy to beat but not too soft, but if yours was in the fridge, microwave for about 20 seconds and you should be good to go.
Add the butter to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Then, beat in the cocoa powder and powdered sugar until thick and creamy. Finally, beat in the milk and vanilla.
I used these large piping tips to get the ruffled look, but you can also take a blob of buttercream on a knife and swirl it around and it’ll taste just the same.
If you are going to use piping tips, the consistency of the buttercream is really important. Too thin and it won’t hold the shape, too thick and it won’t twirl around the cupcake. When in doubt, this video tutorial is really helpful when frosting!
The best flour
There are other GF all purpose baking flours out there, but not all of them are the same blend. You can definitely try using other ones, but it may yield a slightly different result. Whichever you use, make sure it has xanthan gum in the mix.
Do they keep?
Once prepared, these cupcakes will store for about 3-5 days. Keep them in an air tight container at room temperature for best results. Keeping them sealed will ensure these cupcakes stay nice and moist.
If you’re wondering if gluten free cupcakes can be frozen, the short answer is yes! However, you’ll want to freeze them before they are frosted. I do not recommend storing these in the fridge, because gluten free baked goods can dry out if they get too cold unfortunately.
Tips to keep them moist
These gluten free chocolate cupcakes are made extra moist with the help of some non-dairy milk, hot water, eggs and oil. I used avocado oil but melted dairy free butter also does the trick.
The egg also helps the cupcakes get nice and fluffy, so be sure to use a large egg for this recipe. These cupcakes will be (and stay) nice and moist as long as they are not over baked!
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Moist Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
Wet:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg (at room temperature)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup neutral oil (I used avocado oil, but melted coconut will work)
- 1/3 cup non dairy milk at room temperature (I used almond)
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Dry:
- 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill GF 1:1 All Purpose Baking Flour (spoon and level to measure)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder ( spoon and level to measure)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder (optional but recommended)
Buttercream:
- 1/2 cup dairy free butter (at room temperature)
- 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder (or more to taste)
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- Sprinkles for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin tray with liners and set aside.
- Whisk together all dry ingredients.
- Beat in all wet ingredients with an electric mixer just until combined. Careful not to over mix, but make sure all ingredients from the bottom of the bowl are well combined.
- Once the batter is ready, use a cookie scoop or spoon and add the batter in 12 lined cupcake tins, filling about 2/3 of the way full.
- Add to the center of the oven for 16-22 minutes. Check at 16 minutes and if a toothpick comes out clean, remove from the oven. They will continue to cook slightly as they sit, so careful not to over bake because this will dry out the cupcake. In my oven, they are generally done at the 18 minute mark.
- To make the buttercream, beat the room temperature butter with an electric mixer until fluffy.
- Beat in the cocoa powder. Beat in the powdered sugar 1-2 cups at a time until all 4 cups have been used, then beat in the milk and vanilla. If you want the frosting more chocolatey, you can sub some of the sugar for more cocoa, or vice versa for less chocolate
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. Frost with piping tips or keep it simple and use a knife!
Kirsten
Can I refrigerate the batter? If so, how long will it last? Thanks!
Claire Cary
I actually don’t recommend it! The baking soda can end up deactivating a bit and the cupcakes may not rise as well. You are welcome to try it, I’d guess it would hold up for about 24 hours in the fridge, but let it come to room temperature before baking. If you do try it out, let me know!
Stephanie
Anything I would need to ch age if I used this for a cake? Thank you!
Claire Cary
I would just recommend my gluten free chocolate cake instead!
Alina
So good! One would never tell they are gluten free. The sweetness is just right 👌 my 5-year old son loved them))
Claire Cary
Thank you Alina! So happy you both enjoyed them 🙂