Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
These gluten free chocolate cupcakes are rich, moist, fluffy, spongey and dairy free optional. They’re easy to make and the perfect way to satisfy your chocolate craving!
An oldie but goodie Eat With Clarity recipe, but now even better! This gluten free chocolate cupcake recipe is one of the first recipes on the blog, but it was time for a major upgrade. Both to the recipe and to the photos!
These cupcakes are more rich, easier to make, and better than ever. With a fluffy and perfectly sweet sponge and silky smooth dairy free 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. With the perfect amount of rich chocolate density like my brownie cookies.
They’re both gluten free and dairy free, but if you did a blind taste test, I promise you would have NO idea. Try my mini chocolate cake, gluten free snack cake or dairy free cupcakes next!
Before we get started…
- You can use either hot brewed coffee or hot water here. I like coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor, but you can also use boiling water and add some espresso powder.
- If you don’t have an electric mixer, a whisk will work just fine!
- Be sure to use a good quality cocoa powder. We aren’t using any other form of chocolate for this recipe, so it’s key to get that rich flavor! Same with my gluten free red velvet cupcakes.
How to make gluten free chocolate cupcakes
First, 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 18-24 minutes. Check at 18 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 21 minute mark, but all ovens are different. Try my gluten free funfetti cupcakes or gluten free chocolate loaf cake next!
Key ingredients
FLOUR. I used the Bob’s Red Mill GF 1:1 All Purpose Baking Flour for this recipe which I recommend!
SUGAR. A mix of white sugar and brown sugar add such a nice flavor to these gluten free chocolate cupcakes. I do not recommend any liquid sweeteners here, but you can safely sub with coconut sugar.
OIL. Any plain, neutral flavored oil will work here. I used refined avocado oil, olive oil is also delicious and adds a rich flavor.
EGGS. Two eggs will help bind all ingredients together and help make the cupcakes nice and fluffy.
COCOA. Necessary for the chocolate flavor of course!
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HOT WATER OR COFFEE. I love using brewed coffee to really enhance the chocolate flavor, but you can also use hot water and add some espresso powder.
How to make chocolate buttercream frosting
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 for gluten free baking
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.
This recipe does not call for almond flour because I wanted to keep it nut free, but you can try my almond flour chocolate cake instead! It’s just as rich and delicious, I promise!
How to store and freeze
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 gluten free cupcakes moist
These gluten free chocolate cupcakes are made extra moist with the help of some hot water, eggs and oil. I used avocado oil but melted dairy free butter also does the trick.
The eggs also helps the cupcakes get nice and fluffy too. These cupcakes will be (and stay) nice and moist as long as they are not over baked!
Try these recipes next
- Chocolate Energy Bites
- Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Lemon Cupcakes
- Gluten Free Mini Cupcakes
Lastly, if you want more recipes straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my email list. As always, if you make this recipe, be sure to tag me on instagram and leave a comment below so I can see your creation!
Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Wet
- ⅔ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup oil I like olive oil for a rich flavor, but any oil works
- ⅔ cup boiling water or hot brewed coffee
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Dry
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill GF 1:1 All Purpose Baking Flour spoon and level to measure
- ½ cup cocoa powder spoon and level to measure
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2-1 teaspoon espresso powder optional but recommended for a richer chocolate flavor
Buttercream
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature, dairy or non-dairy
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup cocoa powder or more to taste
- 2-3 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 in a large bowl.
- Beat in all wet ingredients on medium speed until well combined, making sure you get all of the dry ingredients from the bottom. the batter will be on the thinner side, but not too runny.
- Use a cookie scoop or spoon and add the batter in 12 lined cupcake tins, filling about 3/4 of the way full.
- Add to the center of the oven for 18-24 minutes. Check at 18 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 20 minute mark.
- Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- To make the buttercream, beat the room temperature butter with an electric mixer until fluffy.
- Beat in the cocoa powder. Beat in 2 cups of powdered sugar, then beat in 2 tbsp of 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. If the frosting is too thin, beat in a bit more sugar, too thick add more milk until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. Frost with piping tips or keep it simple and use a knife!
Notes
Comments
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I love this fecipe. Trying making this on friday night after my children going to bed. The result is amazing, fluffy, moist, super delicious!! I made it at night and ate the cupcakes today morning yet still moist and fluffy. The butter cream is legit and soft. In my oven, I baked for 22 minutes cause when I checked at 18 minutes, the batter still wet, checking again at 20 minutes, still a little bit wet and then 22 minutes was perfect. I change granulated sugar with coconut sugar but not change the light brown sugar, so the taste is just perfectly sweet for me. Thanks for the recipe
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Amazing! So happy you all enjoyed these!
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I just made these because I have a chocolate craving. I used very hot coffee in place of the water, mixed the eggs and after the coffee cooled I added the eggs. I am just so impressed with the outcome. I make gf everything, but this …this was awesome. I also used 1 tsp xanthan gum because I used King Arthur flour. I am so happy. My craving is gone and I have a new go to go good cup cakes. Thank you for sharing your skills, the skills is good! 😊
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Thank you Lala! So happy you’re a fan!
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These are by far the best Gf dairy free cupcakes I’ve ever made. They came out delicious and had a great texture. I added crushed candy canes on top for Christmas and my whole family enjoyed them. One change I made was rather than use white sugar and light brown sugar I just used an equal amount of brown sugar. It didn’t affect much, as they still tasted great and looked just like the picture. Thank you!
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Love the idea of candy canes! So glad you enjoyed these.
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This are amazing. I have 4 kids. One just diagnosed celiac and our first birthday next week…. I had perfected over years a chocolate cupcake recipe…. so made it my mission to fine a new one. Your is amazing. I made it per directions. Vegetable oil and decaf coffee for water as you suggested. We also made your almond flour ones…. I found them more a chocolate muffin then a cupcake. This one is outstanding
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Perfect! My Celiac diagnosis is what inspired me to start my blog in the first place, so I’m so glad this recipe has helped!
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Can you double the recipe to make 24 cupcakes or does it get weird?
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That should be fine!
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Hi, I’m just setting up to start this recipe and I see the metric calls for 1 egg while the imperial calls for 2 eggs. Whats up with that?
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Sorry, there was a glitch! You need 2 eggs, should be all set now.
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Made these for my Son’s birthday! They came out delicious. The only substitution I did was use flax eggs, organic cane sugar and coconut sugar instead of brown to keep it vegan. Thank you for the delicious recipe.
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Yay! I haven’t tried them with flax eggs so I’m so glad they worked that way! So happy you enjoyed these 🙂
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These were amazing!! You couldn’t even tell they were gluten and dairy free!
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Love to hear that! That’s always my goal with everything 🙂
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These were so good had the best amount of sugar! would not change anything
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I love these! They are very moist and delicious! It is the perfect amount of chocolate.
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Thanks Olive! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
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soo good!!!
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Wen I tried this recipe it was way to thick and I had to add a stick of butter, another half cup of oil, and another cup of milk. I did a recipe of what the directions said to do and the cupcakes didn’t rise. When I added all the extra stuff, the cupcakes kind of rose but not really. These cupcakes were not the best thing I have ever made, They could be better.
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With the additions you added, I am not surprised the cupcakes didn’t rise, the batter would’ve been heavily weighed down, especially since there is no butter in the cupcakes. Did you measure the flour/cocoa as I mentioned? Did you include the hot water in the batter? The batter definitely shouldn’t be too thick at all, but I’m sorry these didn’t work out! Can’t say for sure what went wrong and why the batter was thick, but my guess is something was measured incorrectly or a wet ingredient was forgotten.
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I measured every thing the right way and the water was hot, it rose when I added the other ingredients
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hmm I’m not sure what went wrong. This recipe has been made dozens of times with no issues. sorry it didn’t work out for you! It could be an issue with the oven temperature, ovens are often much lower than the temperature reads, which can really change the way things rise. I promise the batter should not be thick. I’d suggest just adding more liquid rather than the extra oil and butter as that will weigh down the batter and prevent rising.
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Ok, thanks!
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Just wanted to follow up since I just made these again to ensure I got all of the measurements correct. The batter was definitely not too thick, quite runny actually and the cupcakes rose quite a bit, as expected. I’m not sure what went wrong with yours, but would love for you to try them again!
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okay I will
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Can I refrigerate the batter? If so, how long will it last? Thanks!
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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!
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Anything I would need to ch age if I used this for a cake? Thank you!
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I would just recommend my gluten free chocolate cake instead!
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So good! One would never tell they are gluten free. The sweetness is just right 👌 my 5-year old son loved them))
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Thank you Alina! So happy you both enjoyed them 🙂
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