Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Gluten free chocolate cake cupcakes with creamy vanilla buttercream, chocolate ganache and a cherry on top!
Ingredients
Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes
- 2 cups extra dark or bittersweet chocolate chips (I am using the 63% Extra Dark Baking chips by Guittard 11.5oz)
- ½ cup avocado oil (or sub olive oil, melted coconut oil, melted butter)
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- 5 eggs, separated
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp espresso powder, optional
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- ¼ cup semi sweet chocolate chips, optional
Vanilla Buttercream
- 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks or ½ pound), softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar (1 pound)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy cream or milk
- pinch salt
Chocolate Ganche
- ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp heavy cream
Decorations
- sprinkles
- maraschino cherries with stems
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a microwavable bowl, heat the chocolate chips for 30 seconds. Stir and continue to heat for 30 second increments until completely melted and smooth.
- In a medium bowl combine the melted chocolate, avocado oil, ½ cup of sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, espresso powder, salt and cocoa powder. Whisk until smooth.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer beat the egg whites until thick and white. Slowly add the remaining ½ cup of sugar while beating until it forms still peaks.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until there are no white streaks remaining. Stir in the chocolate chips, if using.
- Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake liners. They should be filled to the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes. The cupcakes with have a crackly top and might sink a bit in the center as they cool, but that's normal. Cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Slowly add the powdered sugar one cup and a time. **see notes below
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add a pinch of salt (to taste) and mix.
Chocolate Ganache
- Heat the heavy cream in the microwave for 30-45 seconds or until it just starts to boil.
- Put the chocolate chips in a bowl and pour the hot cream over top. Whisk until smooth.
Assembly
- To decorate the cupcakes, fill a piping bag (or ziplock bag) with buttercream. Cut the piping bag about an inch from the bottom. Pipe the frosting on each cupcake. Alternatively, you can use an ice cream scoop or cookie scoop to scoop buttercream on top of the cupcake to replicate an ice cream scoop.
- Using a spoon add some chocolate ganache to the top of each cupcake and let it run down the sides. Add sprinkles and a maraschino cherry on top.
Notes
Buttercream Tips:
To make the buttercream you will need your butter to be soft. You can leave it out at room temperature about an hour before you need to use it, or microwave it for about 15 seconds to soften.
If you are using organic powdered sugar, you will want to sift it first to get out any large lumps.
Nutrition
Calories: 731kcal | Carbohydrates: 83g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 174mg | Potassium: 5mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 79g
This information comes from online calculators and these figures are only estimates.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!