Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes (with Almond Flour)

This is the most amazing chocolate cupcake recipe - moist, soft, fluffy and a rich chocolate flavor. These easy Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes are gluten free, grain free and dairy free. They're made with almond flour, sweetened with coconut sugar and perfect for any birthday or celebration.

I've always been more of a vanilla cake kind of person...but wow!  These gluten free dairy free chocolate cupcakes may have just converted me.

These Paleo cupcakes have everything that a cupcake needs.  They're:

• soft and fluffy
• moist and tender
• gluten free and grain free
• dairy free
• easy to make
• a great cupcake recipe for kids

These are seriously the most amazing chocolate cupcakes!

And what goes perfectly with these healthy chocolate cupcakes?  Coconut cream frosting!  It's lightly sweetened, only a few ingredients and extremely easy to make.

This is a chocolate cupcake recipe that you don't want to miss out on!

Ingredients in Homemade Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes

Here's what you need to make this simple cupcake recipe:

• blanched almond flour
• cocoa powder
• tapioca flour (or arrowroot flour/starch)
• coconut sugar
• cinnamon (optional)
• baking soda
• salt
• eggs
• avocado oil (or olive oil)
• vanilla extract
• water

I don't recommend any substitutions for this recipe, besides those in parenthesis.  

How to Make Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes From Scratch

Making cupcakes from scratch is so easy!  This recipe is basically as simple as making a box cake 😉

Here's the step by step instructions for how to make chocolate cupcakes:

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Next, combine the almond flour, tapioca flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.  I recommend sifting the almond flour and cocoa powder, as they have a tenancy to clump.  Stir with a whisk until well mixed.

Then, add in the remaining ingredients.  This includes the eggs, avocado oil, vanilla and water.  Whisk until smooth.

Pour the batter into a lined muffin pan.  Each cupcake is about ¼ cup batter, making 12 cupcakes.

Next, place the cupcake in the oven (middle rack) and bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes.  16 minutes will give you more of that extra moist, under-baked texture (which I prefer).

After baking, let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack.  Cool completely before frosting.

Paleo Coconut Cream Frosting

What type of frosting goes well with Paleo chocolate cupcakes?  My answer to that is: any frosting will work.  Pick your favorite! 

Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.  (Yes, I love you chocolate, but not so much in frosting form.)  So, I went for a coconut cream frosting.

This Paleo coconut cream frosting recipe is so easy!  Only four ingredients, all paleo baking staples.  Here's what you need:

Frosting Ingredients

• coconut cream
• maple syrup
• vanilla extract
• tapioca flour (or arrowroot)

You'll need the cream from two cans of full fat coconut milk.  Remember to only use the cream, not the runny coconut milk portion.  If you open a can and the cream has not been separated from the milk, then pop it in the fridge overnight.

The maple syrup and vanilla extract are for flavor and sweetness.  This frosting isn't super sweet, but you may add another tablespoon or two of maple syrup for a sweeter taste.

Tapioca flour makes the frosting thicker.  You could probably get away without using it, but I think it adds to the texture.

How to Make Coconut Cream Frosting

To make the frosting, whisk together coconut cream, maple syrup and vanilla.  Then, add the tapioca flour and continue to whisk until smooth.

Refrigerate the frosting for 20 minutes to thicken.

Then, add the frosting to the cupcakes.  You can spread the frosting with a knife, or pipe it.  I used a plastic baggie to pipe the frosting.

These gluten free chocolate cupcakes with almond flour are perfect for any birthday, celebration or family gathering.  They are kid friendly too!  My two boys absolutely LOVE this healthy cupcake recipe.

More Easy Paleo Cupcake Recipes

Although I may consider this the BEST Paleo cupcakes recipe...I do have a few other on my blog that I absolutely adore as well.  Including:

• Almond Flour Vanilla Cupcakes
• Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cassava Flour
• Tigernut Flour Cupcakes

Enjoy!

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