It is time to share my recipe for chocolate cupcakes! What is it about cupcakes that brings out the 3 year old child in us? There is just something about the soft and fluffy dessert topped with colorful frosting that makes us happy. I imagine that to be the reason why my friend suggested that I name these “Joyful Chocolate Cupcakes”. These are definitely my favorite cupcakes I have ever had.

Cake and cupcakes are essentially the same thing, but I think of cake as elegant, whereas cupcakes are fun and playful. They don’t require a fork and there is just something satisfying about food fitting in the palms of your hands.

These cupcakes are very soft and fluffy. Everyone that has tried them, cannot tell that they are gluten and dairy free. They are perfectly sweetened with maple syrup and coconut sugar. The quinoa flour in addition to the gluten-free flour blend, gives them some extra nutrition as well as texture. Not to mention, these cupcakes are also very similar in texture by substituting with flax seeds for a vegan alternative. I recently made these cupcakes as minis for the first time for a little girls’ tea party and they turned out equally great! I have included baking instructions below for the mini cupcakes.

I hope you enjoy these joyful, scrumptious chocolate cupcakes! Beware, they tend to disappear quickly!

Ingredients You Will Need

gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur Gluten Free Measure For Measure)
quinoa flour
cacao or cocoa powder
baking soda
baking powder
sea salt
coconut sugar
maple syrup
vanilla extract
eggs
oil
hot water
canned lite coconut milk

The buttercream that is pictured is my vanilla buttercream recipe that can be found here Vanilla Cupcakes. Or you can try my Chocolate Buttercream Frosting for a deliciously chocolatey experience! OR if you would like a completely refined sugar-free dessert, try my Vanilla Maple Buttercream that is made with powdered maple sugar.

These cupcakes are: wonderfully chocolatey, soft, moist, perfectly sweetened, gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, and approved by kids and adults!

How to Make Joyful Chocolate Cupcakes

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly oil or line a muffin tin with paper cups. Then bring 1/2 cup water to boil while you do the following steps.

To continue, in a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, add in the eggs, coconut sugar, maple syrup, oil, eggs, coconut milk, and vanilla extract. Beat on low to mix well.

Next, in a medium sized bowl, add the dry ingredients. Then pour in the gluten-free flour, quinoa flour, sea salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Additionally, use a whisk to mix the ingredients together, working out the clumps.

Now, pour in the flour mixture into the bowl of wet ingredients while alternating with the hot water and beating on low speed in between. Again, beat on medium speed for a few minutes to thoroughly mix the batter.

Finally, measure out the batter into the cups, filling about 3/4 the way full. If making mini cupcakes, pour the batter directly in a lightly oiled mini muffin tin to get the best sized mini muffins.

Lastly, bake the cupcakes on the middle oven rack for 18-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Moreover, for mini cupcakes, bake for about 12 minutes. Equally allow both mini and regular sized cupcakes to cool for around 10 minutes before taking them out of the tin. Furthermore, allow them to cool completely before topping with frosting. As a matter of fact, the mini cupcakes are pictured below!

Storage Notes and Tips

The quinoa flour is crucial for the texture in these cupcakes; it makes the result consistent when using different rice flour all-purpose blends
Store the cupcakes in a sealed container 2-3 days at room temperature or in the refrigerator once frosted
These cupcakes also store well in the freezer in a sealed bag
The frosting used on the pictured cupcakes is my Vanilla Buttercream. (on my Vanilla Cupcake post) Link is included above!
A fun yet healthy way of making frosting pink is by including a little organic beet powder. The color is pretty and there is no change in flavor!