These gluten free and keto chocolate cupcakes need no introduction! Think an intensely chocolatey and moist cupcake, topped off with a ridiculous chocolate buttercream frosting.
Gluten Free & Keto Chocolate Cupcakes
Ultra (Ultra!) Chocolatey
Calling these keto chocolate cupcakes delicious just doesn’t cut it… they’re insanely delicous! I mean, think ‘death by chocolate’ level sort of good.
So expect ultra-chocolatey cupcakes, topped off with our special (cream cheese!) buttercream frosting. And going a little extra with the frosting decorations is always highly suggested.
And fact is, these guys are essentially little fat bomb treats! Just be sure to use a grass-fed butter for maximum nutritional benefits: it’s loaded with Vitamin-K2 (which de-calcifies your arteries), anti-inflammatory fatty acid called butyrate, among many other perks. So if you have to choose just one product to splurge on, this is it.
The Method
The chocolate cupcakes are a spinoff of our classic keto chocolate cake! Having said that, they have a couple extra ingredients to make them ultra moist! But they both bloom the cocoa with melted butter, leading to that beautifully intense chocolate kick.
The most important thing with chocolate-anything? The baking time! Just be sure to take them out as soon as they’re set and a toothpick comes out clean (a few specks are cool).
You’ll then allow them to cool completely before frosting!
And yes, with the temperatures on the rise, you can most definitely top them off with a scoop of (no churn!) vanilla ice cream too.
The Sweetener
You’ve got plenty of options for the chocolate cupcakes, but do know that they’ll affect the texture quite a bit. Think xylitol and allulose (no aftertaste, softer and fluffier texture), Lakanto (barely any aftertaste, denser texture).
And for visual reference: the pictured cupcakes were made with Lakanto (came out fudgy), while the chocolate cake (and chocolate muffins) with xylitol (softer, fluffier).
Fun fact: it might also be my taste buds here, but I’ve noticed that stevia-based sweeteners (such as Pyure) don’t work so great when chocolate is involved as the aftertaste is accentuated. So I cannot recommend enough that you don’t use stevia here!
Oh, and if just paleo or gluten free (or not restricted by sugars), simply sub 1-to-1 with coconut or regular sugar.
And for the chocolate buttercream, your best options are Lakanto powdered (twice as sweet) and xylitol. But they must be powdered.
So if you’re using xylitol: get your blender out, make sure it’s completely dry, and process your sweetener of choice until powdered. Just make sure you wait a few moments for the dust to settle before opening the blender or food processor.
And if using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys!
The Flours
To turn chocolate cupcakes keto you’ll need some super fine almond flour (Anthony’s is my favorite!),golden flaxseed meal (make sure it’s golden!)*, coconut flour (again Anthony’s by a mile!),and a touch of xanthan gum.
*Just keep in mind that for best texture and rise, you’ll always want to regrind your flaxseed meal in a dry blender or bullet.
The Chocolate
You’ll want to use a Dutch-processed alkaline cocoa here. As there’s baking powder involved, using cacao won’t give the same results (at all!).
In terms of brands, my favorite will forever be Valrhona, known to be one of (if not the) best cocoas in the world. That said, as long as it reads cocoa and not cacao you’ll be good to go!
Gluten Free & Keto Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the chocolate cupcakes
- 48 g almond flour
- 18 g golden flaxseed meal or psyllium husk, finely ground*
- 8 g coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 56 g unsalted grass-fed butter
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 40 g cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3-1/2 cup xylitol allulose or erythritol (I use 1/3 cup)*
- 2 eggs
For the chocolate buttercream frosting
- 70 g unsalted grass-fed butter at room temperature**
- 70 g cream cheese at room temperature
- 2-4 tablespoons powdered xylitol allulose or erythritol, to taste
- 1-3 tablespoons cocoa powder to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee (optional)
- pinch kosher salt as needed
Instructions
For the chocolate cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line (or grease and dust with cocoa) a muffin pan, set aside.
- Add almond flour, flaxseed meal, coconut flour, baking powder and xanthan gum to a medium bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined, set aside.
- Add butter, heavy cream, cocoa powder and salt to a large heatproof bowl. Melt over a water bath whisking constantly (or use the microwave in small bursts). Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
- Add in the sweetener and one egg at a time, whisking well after each one until completely incorporated. The texture should appear smooth and thick, with all the sweetener dissolving into the mixture (if using erythritol, granules will remain). Add the flour mixture, whisking vigorously until fully blended (about a minute). Divide the batter into prepared muffin pan.
- Bake for 14-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Always keep in mind, however, that your cupcakes will continue to cook while cooling!
- Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes in the muffin pan. They'll be particularly fragile right out of the oven, so you need to let them set. Keep stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
For the chocolate buttercream frosting
- Add the butter, cream cheese and sweetener to a large bowl. Cream the mixture with your stand mixer using the paddle attachment (or with an electric mixer) until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. You'll want to scrape the bowl every so often to ensure an even mixture. Add cocoa powder to taste, espresso powder and salt and continue to beat until fully incorporated.
- Transfer frosting to a piping bag with a tip and decorate each cupcake.
- The cupcakes keep well, stored in an airtight container in the fridge, for about 3 days. And they also freeze beautifully, just thaw it out in the fridge overnight.
Notes
Nutrition
and some food (for thought) 👁️
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xo! Paola
I would really like to know if the frosting is included in the nutritional info, too.
These look so good!! I’d like to make these right away, but can’t find golden flaxseed meal, only regular flaxseed meal and I also can’t fknd psyllium husk. Can I use regular flaxseed meal or can I leave it out?
In every one of her recipes she highlights the products she’s uses…if you click on the highlighted ingredients they will take you straight to Amazon where you can purchase them….hope that helps you 😊
These were delicious and easy to make. Great texture and rich chocolate flavour.
Can you use coconut oil instead of butter?
Definitely Rosie!
In the recipe you specifically say to use cocoa and not cacao powder. However, the link in the recipe is to Valrhona cacao powder. So I am very confused. Could you please clarify. Many thanks.
If what i experienced just licking the bowl is any indicator, these babies will be divine! Waiting to try the baked result is going to be tough!
Thank you for a really easy and wicked good recipe.
while the cupcakes are for mother’s day tomorrow, the frosting is exquisite – again – even tho’ i spaced out and forgot to powder the erithrytol. having made the cake recipe i am sure the cupcakes themselves will be just as perfect!
Currently have a dozen of these beauties cooling on my counter…frosting at the ready. The five star rating is based on licking the bowl after I got them in the oven. 😊OMG! These are amazing. I didn’t order the Valrhona, I got a bag of Anthony’s culinary cocoa (Dutch processed) and the taste and aroma is amazing! This coming from a diehard cacao fan. Since you stated emphatically it had to be cocoa and not cacao, I followed instructions (I didn’t go rogue for once 🤣). When I run out of the Anthony’s cocoa I’ll have to try the Valrhona. I’ve seen the light!
My batter was very thick, like I could roll it in a ball. They turned out hard and crumbly. I baked them just until a toothpick came out without a lot of dough on it – the minimum baking time listed. Maybe it was TOO thick. Could that make it come out dry and crumbly? Could I add more cream or maybe water to it, or just bake it less? Thank you!
Absolutely delicious, thank you!
Is the carb count you have listed, for the cupcake with frosting? Or just cupcake?
I’m wondering the same thing!
Just made these with sunflower instead of almonds and they were DELICIOUS!!!!!! mine don’t look anywhere near as pretty as yours but they tasted great!!
RAndom thought – wondering if you have tried or know if anyone else has adding vanilla extract in the cake batter?
I just made this with sunflower seed flour instead of almond and its delicious!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh!!!!!
Quick question though – would adding 1 tsp of vanilla in the cake batter part make it better at all you think? HAve you tested this?
For the cupcakes if I go with erythritol what brand would you recommend? This is not Stevia-based? I have some… Just want to make sure it’s the right kind . 🙂
Thanks a million!
I love Lakanto Cindy! Xo!
It’s linked in the post 😉
Before i begin, as you say, the muffins will be quite fragile unless i wait for a while after taking them out of the oven; before biting in…is there something i can add into the batter to give them more “chewy”, “tooth feel”?
These were SO DELICIOUS THANK YOU!!!!!!!
Awesome to hear Marge!!
I just made these they are in the oven. My batter was VERY thick is it supposed to be or is it supposed to be pourable?
Don’t worry! Its somewhere in the post and recipe card that your batter will be thick, particularly with Erythritol westerners xo!
I haven’t made this yet but want to!! My son needs to stay off dairy and doesn’t like coconut oil. Do you have a substitute I could use for the butter?
Polly, maybe you could use a nut butter or mashed avocado?
If these taste half as good as they look I’ll be in heaven!
Thank you Paula, you are an inspiration!
Aww thank you Liz, it’s my pleasure!
Can you recommend a flour substitute for the coconut flour. I cannot have coconut but I would love a cake keto treat.
Check out the chocolate cake recipe Andi, that one doesn’t have coconut 😉
Hey Paola! I recently started keto diet and it was all boring and crap until I came across ur website!!!
I CANT THANK YOU ENOUGH!!!!!!!
No matter what Iam craving I just go to ur website and boom 💥 it’s there! Thanks so much from the bottom of my heart! This is a form of charity (we believe in our religion). I don’t mean to sound dramatic but I truely believe it helps sooo many people achieve their goals while still enjoying delicious options! Thanks so much sweety!! Iam such a fan ❤️
Can I use ghee for the buttercream instead of butter? You have two asterisks next to that item in the recipe but it doesn’t seem to relate to any footnotes.Thanks for so many awesome keto recipes!
Hi, what can I sub for whey protein isolate? more almond flour? would a vegan protein shake work? What does it do in this recipe?
Do you need to run allulose through the blender for the frosting or is it okay as is?
Hi Lynn! I also run it in a blender so its properly powdery (otherwise your frosting might be a bit crunchy!)
There should be sweetener in the frosting, in the instructions you do mention it: “Add the butter, cream cheese and sweetener to a large bowl.” But in the ingredients list on the left it’s not listed. Oh and I did make the cake for my daughter’s birthday. it’s really good! So these must be yummy too!
Lol on the sweetener Emily (you’re the 4th person to comment… but I can see it!). Just updated again and cleared the cache, fingers crossed hiccup is fixed 😉
Yeah, now I see it! I mean it’s not a big deal, i kinda know how much to use anyway, but thought I should mention it! These apps are killing us!!LOL
Hello! Does the nutritional information include the frosting? Thank you!
Hello:
I am sorry, did I miss what the sweetener is in the frosting. In the directions for the frosting you refer to a sweetner, however; I did not notice one.
Thank you.
Excuse me while I go wipe the drool off my keyboard lol!!!
Lol!!!
No sweetner amount for buttercream frosting
I just checked and I see it?
trying to print recipe, but when you select us standard for ingredients, it doesnt come up to print?
Thank you for the heads up, we’re looking into this with the developer of the plugin 😉 xo!