Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes that are spongy and moist with creamy dairy free chocolate icing! These easy gluten free and dairy free chocolate cupcakes are delicious for all celebrations and are great for anyone with dairy and wheat allergies.
Try my Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes and White Cupcakes next!
Welcome to the most decadent and moist gluten-free dairy-free chocolate cupcake recipe, guaranteed! These beautiful cupcakes will blow your mind how incredibly rich and soft they are without containing gluten and dairy.
This past week we celebrated my youngest son’s 5th birthday. His favorite flavor is chocolate EVERYTHING and he wanted chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing on his birthday.
Since we try to eat as little dairy as possible, (whenever I can get away with it aside from kid’s favorite foods including pizza and bean and cheese burritos!) I made his chocolate birthday cupcakes gluten free AND dairy free. Including the icing.
Keep reading, because I have a big secret to what makes these cupcakes so moist!
You can even make these gluten free chocolate cupcakes in advance and freeze them for up to 1 month. I did it and these chocolate cupcakes were still delicious!
We had the grandparents over for the birthday dinner and these were such a popular dessert that we were diving in for seconds! Literally. My in-laws decided to share one cupcake together but after one bite they had to have more because these are amazing!
Do these gluten free chocolate cupcakes crumble?
Not at all! They are very spongy and like I said moist. The gluten-free flours used in this cupcake recipe helps to bind the batter and the secret ingredient keeps them spongy and moist.
What is the secret ingredient to this cupcake recipe?
I told you I’d fill you in if you kept reading😊. Thankfully now a days there are dairy-free alternatives which are great if you have Celiac disease. In most Celiac cases, dairy is a problem since the gut is already damaged, consuming dairy can become uncomfortable and have gluten intolerance symptoms. These gluten free AND dairy free chocolate cupcakes literally allow you to have our cake and eat it too (in mini portions!)😊.
The secret? Is plain dairy-free yogurt. It holds the moisture in and provides proteins that are lacking in most gluten-free baked goods.
How to make gluten free dairy free chocolate cupcakes
First make the chocolate cupcakes. Wait until they are completely cooled before icing otherwise the icing will melt on top.
In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients. In another bowl mix together the wet ingredients with an electric mixer. Beat in the flour mixture to the wet mixture until well-blended.
Pour into prepared muffin cups and bake for 18-20 minutes. This batch makes 24 gluten free chocolate cupcakes, so it is perfect for birthday parties!
How to make chocolate dairy-free icing
Not only is there dairy-free yogurt, there is also dairy free butter. It works beautifully in this icing recipe. I have worked with coconut oil icing and it still has a coconut flavor and melts quickly at certain room temperatures.
We took these gluten free chocolate cupcakes outside in 95 degrees heat and the icing stayed pretty stable, considering!
With an electric mixer, beat together room temperature dairy free butter, cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Add in ¼-½ cup of non-dairy milk such as almond milk. Whip on high until nice and creamy.
I made the icing with ½ cup of milk and it was soft, but melts a bit with heat in the air and is less likely to hold its form on a hotter day. I then made it again with ¼-⅓ cup of milk and was thicker and easier to make flowers, decorations and swirls with as it held its shape better. See what consistency you like best. More liquid (⅓ cup to ½ cup is easier to spread on top if just doing a light layer or using it for a layer cake.
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Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
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Ingredients
Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cup sweet white rice flour
- ¾ cup almond meal
- ½ cup potato starch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon pink salt
- ½ cup vegan butter at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups coconut sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 5 eggs large
- 1 cup plain dairy-free yogurt (prefer coconut yogurt)
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dairy-Free Chocolate Icing
- 1 cup vegan butter room temperature
- ¼-1/2 cup dairy-free milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 5 cups confectioners' sugar
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 muffin pans with cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl combine the cocoa powder, sweet white rice flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, whisk on medium speed and cream together the butter, coconut sugar, and maple syrup. Add in the yogurt, apple cider vinegar and vanilla. Turn it down to low and scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Slowly pour in the flour mixture until well-blended.
- Pour the batter equally into the prepared cupcake liners. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Icing
- While the cupcakes cool, make the icing. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on high, beat the butter, ¼ cup milk and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and cocoa until incorporated. Slowly add up to ¼ more of milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until spreadable but not too soft.
- Add icing to the cupcakes only when the cupcakes are cooled.
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