Almond Flour Chocolate Cupcakes

5 from 1 vote

These rich and tender Almond Flour Chocolate Cupcakes are unbelievably good, and so easy to make! Made with wholesome ingredients and without refined sugar, these cupcakes are gluten-free, dairy-free and paleo-friendly. Top them with your favorite store-bought or homemade frosting for the perfect treat for any occasion.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: cupcakes

Calories: 245kcal

Author: Amanda McGillicuddy

Equipment

1 Mixing bowl
Whisk
Rubber Spatula
12-count muffin tin
Paper Muffin liners

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup Blanched almond flour (140 g)
¾ cup Tapioca starch (90 g)
½ cup Coconut sugar (80 g)
⅓ cup Unsweetened 100% cocoa or cacao powder (35 g)
1 teaspoon Baking powder paleo if needed
½ teaspoon Sea salt
½ cup Maple syrup (4 ounces/118 ml)
½ cup Olive oil (4 ounces/118 ml)
2 Eggs, large
¼ cup Milk alternative or water *see notes (2 ounces/59 ml)
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca starch, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together until the cocoa is evenly dispersed and there are no lumps. Set aside.
Add the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Whisk together until a smooth batter forms but avoid overmixing.
Divide the batter equally among the wells of the 12-count muffin tin lined with paper liners. Each liner should be about ¾ the way full. To ensure the cupcakes are the same size, use a 2-ounce ice cream scoop and make sure each scoop is scant and level.
Place the cupcakes in the preheated oven and bake for 18-22 minutes (20 minutes was perfect for my oven), or until you can poke the center of a cupcake with a toothpick and have it come out cleanly. Allow the cupcakes to fully cool before frosting.

Notes

Scroll up for FAQ's and process photos.

Recipe Tips -

I like to lightly pack and then level a measuring cup when measuring almond flour. It tends to be a more accurate way of measuring almond flour vs. spooning and leveling. I also do this with tapioca starch because spooning and leveling starch is a joke and makes a huge mess.
Mix the dry ingredients well! This is the time to get out all the lumps of cacao power and coconut sugar before the leavening agent is activated.
Use a scant level 2-ounce ice cream scoop to divide the batter into 12 perfect cupcakes.
Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting to prevent it from melting, especially if using dairy-free frosting which can have a lower melting point.

Ingredient Notes -

Blanched Almond Flour - Costco ultra fine blanched almond flour is a baking staple in my house. It is a great deal and it works wonderfully for baking. Keep in mind that almond meal is not the same as blanched almond flour. It is grittier and contains the skin of the almonds, and won't produce the same perfect texture for these cupcakes.

Tapioca Starch - Also called tapioca flour, tapioca starch adds a lightness to baked goods made with almond flour.

Cocoa Powder - Use 100% natural unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao powder. I really like Hershey's Special Dark 100% Cacao Powder for a rich chocolatey flavor. Because we use so much cocoa powder in this recipe, it is important to use one that you enjoy the flavor of!

Possible Substitutions -

Tapioca starch is sometimes called tapioca flour - these can be used interchangeably. Cassava flour would be the best substitution if you cannot find this ingredient. Arrowroot flour may work but I haven't tested this sub and worry about making substitutions with ingredients that are used in high volume in a recipe.
Using pourable full fat canned coconut milk (like Organic Thai Kitchen which stays liquid at room temp) will make these cupcakes less crumbly, but water or any other milk alternative can be used.
Olive oil can replaced with avocado oil, or melted and slightly cooled coconut oil or butter.
Coconut sugar can be replaced with brown sugar, or granulated maple sugar.
Maple syrup can likely be replaced with honey but I haven't test this substitution.
I don't recommend egg replacements in this recipe. Paleo baking can be a little finicky and using an egg replacement may cause this recipe to fail.

Storage:

Store almond flour cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They will soften when stored, and can be stored in the fridge to extend the shelf life - storing in the fridge may cause them to dry out a bit.

These cupcakes can be made ahead and frozen for longer storage. To do so, allow the cupcakes to cool completely, then wrap them in plastic wrap (I like the Press and Seal wrap) and place them in a freezer bag. Additionally, to protect against freezer burn, I also wrap the bag in tin foil. The cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw the cupcakes at room temperature for about 2 hours or overnight.

They freeze best when frozen the day you bake them because the tops are kind of crispy the first day and won't stick to plastic.

Nutrition