Best Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes-these cupcakes are easy to make, absolutely delicious and full of chocolatey goodness! The texture is divine, these are light and moist! These gluten free cupcakes are dairy free and nut free-the ideal cupcake for a kids party!
These gluten free chocolate cupcakes are so easy to make too! They are prepared all in one bowl. I whipped these beauties in my kitchen aid mixer for fuss free baking!
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My favorite thing about these cupcakes is their flavor. These are so light and moist. The applesauce gives them a moist texture similar to devil’s food cake without the dairy. They are also light in flavor with just the right amount of sweetness. Each cupcake contains only 11.7 grams of sugar per cupcake (minus frosting).
I created these gluten free chocolate cupcakes to be nut-free so I can take them to my son’s school. Our school requires all shared food to be nut-free.
I used this recipe to make adorable Gluten Free Pig Cupcakes for my son’s end of the school year Charlotte’s Web Party. I have a tutorial that shows you exactly how to make these cute piggy’s gluten free, dairy free and nut free.
I used fresh raspberries (crushed through a sieve) to make this light pink frosting.
My favorite homemade frostings are Easy Raspberry Vegan Frosting, Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting and Best Vegan Buttercream.
If you want a frosting shortcut, then I recommend using Miss Jones Organic Vanilla Frosting. It is gluten free, vegan and dairy free, plus it has with no artificial flavors.
For decorating, I used a Wilton 1M open star piping tip. It is my favorite frosting tip.
These truly are the “Best Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes”! Your kiddos will never have to miss out at birthday parties or events! Not only are these cupcakes delicious but they are easy to make! Yay!
Be sure to tag me after you make them! Happy Baking!
Best Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes {Dairy Free/Nut Free}
- Total Time: 37 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen 1x
Description
Best Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes-these cupcakes are easy to make, absolutely delicious and full of chocolatey goodness! They are light and moist and perfect for birthday parties! These gluten free cupcakes are dairy free and nut free-great for a kids party!
Ingredients
- 2 cups Bob’s Red Mills Gluten Free 1 to 1 baking flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/3 cup cane sugar (or preferred sweetener like coconut sugar/Lakanto)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup apple sauce
- 1/4 cup light olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups hot water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line two 12 cup muffin pans with 24 cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together gluten free flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, cane sugar, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Add in apple sauce, olive oil and eggs. Stir.
- Slowly add in hot water in a small stream while mixing.
- Add vanilla and mix until batter is smooth and creamy.
- Fill cupcake liners halfway with batter. I use standard baking cups like these.
- Bake for 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
- Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Frost cupcakes with your favorite frosting. I use Easy Raspberry Vegan Frosting, Vegan Chocolate Buttercream Frosting or Best Vegan Buttercream. I used a Wilton 1M open star piping tip for these pictured cupcakes. Top with sprinkles, if desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Make ahead tip: Prepare cupcakes 1 day in advance. Keep cupcakes in a sealed container in the fridge and bring to room temperature 2 hours before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 22 mins
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Would you have a swap I could use instead of the cornstarch? Corn allergy, sadly…
Many thanks!
I have not tried a substitute for this recipe but I think using additional gluten free flour or potato starch might work.
I would avoid adding tapioca or arrowroot since it would make the dough too gummy.
You can also try 2 Tablespoons of coconut flour to lighten up the cupcakes. Let me know how it goes. Sorry for the late reply. I have been out of town with no WiFi.
We shared these chocolate cupcakes this week. Everyone in the family loves it! Every bite burst with happiness, it’s like the heaven opened its gates. This is so good, so thumbs up!
★★★★★
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed these! Thank you for taking the time to share your results 🙂 That made me really happy ! Warmly, Ester
There’s a lot of came sugar in this recipe. Sugar is one of the worst things for the gut. This is not a Paleo or gut nurturing recipe
Hi Karen,
NO, this recipe is definitely not Paleo nor does it claim to be. Not all recipes on my blog are paleo friendly. I agree that it is best to avoid cane sugar or sweeteners if you are on a gut healing diet. This recipe is not geared toward people on a gut healing diet. This recipe is kid friendly and meant for birthday parties or special events as stated in the blog post. As a Mom, I would much prefer to feed my kids something homemade than the store bought that has 39 grams of sugar per cupcake. By making a homemade cupcake, I am cutting the sugar down by 2/3’s. For my family, this is a much healthier alternative. I do have Paleo cupcakes that I make, but I cannot bring those to school because they are not nut free. You can replace the sugar with the amount of sweetener that you prefer like coconut sugar, maple sugar, stevia or Lakanto. As a matter of fact, each cupcake in this recipe has only 2.6 teaspoons of sugar per cupcake. Very little for a celebratory event. As someone who has fought candida all my life I can relate to seeing sugar as an enemy. My kids and I had one of these cupcakes with a PB Assist probiotic blend and felt fine. We have done a lot of gut healing to be able to enjoy a treat like this once in a while without no ill effects. Also, a great thing about this recipe is that is can be shared at schools or special events. If you are looking for gut healing recipes on my blog, check out my Whole30 friendly recipes HERE that have not added sugars and are all paleo friendly. Warmly, Ester