Did I say Vegan and Gluten-Free Chocolate cupcakes that are actually moist and delicious – and easy to make? YESSSSS!! After lots of testing – I came up with the perfect recipe for a truly yummy vegan and gluten-free chocolate cupcake.
It is one of my favorite things to do is to take traditional recipes and see if I can still make them taste delicious but make them healthier. When I used to eat gluten, one of my favorite chocolate cake recipes is from Ina Garten – well, I actually think this recipe is actually from her husband’s grandmother, but Ina made it famous.
I will be the first to admit that this is not the healthiest recipe on this site but let me tell you how I did make it healthier…
How I Made These Healthier:
Removed the gluten:
- The flour I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour (not all gluten-free flours are the same, I also like BetterBatter) instead of the regular all-purpose flour and I think it makes an excellent product! Gluten can be very inflammatory to a lot of people. And for those with Celiac, gluten can be dangerous. The Mayo Clinic explains it well.
Replaced vegetable oil:
- Instead of vegetable oil, I used unrefined organic coconut oil. Time Magazine wrote an article about a study showing “The unsaturated fats found in vegetable oils, when they’re heated, tend to oxidize. In this form, they’re more dangerous to body tissues and can trigger inflammation, a known risk factor for making blood-vessel plaques unstable enough to cause a heart attack.”
- The vegetable oils I am referring to are the clear or almost clear ones you see in the grocery store – like cottonseed oil, corn, and soybean oil. Those are highly processed and genetically modified. Functional Nutritionist, Josh Gitalis has a great article that goes in-depth about The Dangers of Vegetable Oils, it is worth reading!
Replaced eggs with flax eggs:
- I am not against eggs in the least but I wanted to see if I could make this recipe vegan and have it still taste moist, delicious, and with a soft crumb. Spoiler alert, the result is DELICIOUS vegan chocolate cupcakes! Even though eggs have their own health benefits, flax seeds bring some pretty great benefits too so I decided to use them. They contain a lot of good nutrients: protein, potassium, omega-3 fatty acids, and magnesium. Plus they have both soluble and insoluble fiber. These fibers both aid in having a healthy digestive system.
There are ways to make this even more healthy, like swapping the flour for grain-free ones – I might play around and test a grain-free recipe but for now, this vegan chocolate cupcake can definitely stand up next to the original recipe! Alright – enough of the science lesson and back to this recipe!
Not only does this recipe make 24 delicious cupcakes, but if you are in the mood for a cake instead, it will make an eight-inch cake with two layers. You will need to bake it for about 35-40 minutes and then let them cool in the pan for another 30 minutes before turning them out on a cooling rack to finish cooling completely. I would double to buttercream recipe too – just to make sure there is enough to spread between layers and look pretty;)
As with any recipe on this site, feel free to comment here, email me, or DM with any questions!
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Other delicious gluten-free desserts: The Best One-Bowl Gluten-Free Carrot Cake, Delicious Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Cupcakes, Peanut Butter and Jelly Cheesecake, Vegan and Gluten-Free
If you are interested in decorating your cupcakes as I have – here is what I used:
For the Mummies:
You will need:
- a piping bag
- an Ateco or Wilton tip #48 (any small basketweave tip will work)
- a package of candy eyeballs
I found the candy eyes at Party City and the piping bags and the icing tip from Michaels I believe – I bought it a long time ago.
For the Black Spiders:
You will need:
- a piping bag
- An Ateco #866 or Wilton #8B – this is called a star tip or a French star tip
- Black decorating sugar (I found a site that has a natural-color sanding sugar: Bake Deco, I haven’t ordered from them but the site has a ton of fun decorating items.)
- A package of candy eyeballs
- Black string licorice for the legs
- Candy corns for the teeth (I just cut off the tips of the candy corns for the teeth)
Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes from Scratch – Moist, Easy, and Gluten-Free Too!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes without cooling time
- Yield: 2 dozen cupcakes 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes are moist, delicious, and a healthier chocolate cupcake with a soft crumb. You can eat these by themselves or top with a velvety smooth vegan buttercream – your choice! Plus, they are super easy to make!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour, I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1
1 cup of coconut sugar
1 cup organic granulated sugar (see notes)
3/4 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt, I used Himalayan salt
Wet Ingredients:
1 cup Vegan Buttermilk (see notes)
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice (use this to make the vegan buttermilk)
1/2 cup of organic coconut oil
2 Tablespoons of ground organic flax seeds (To make the flax eggs: mix 2 Tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 6 Tablespoons of warm water, stir, and let it sit for a bit to thicken. You can also use 2 large eggs if you like)
6 Tablespoons of warm water (for flax eggs)
1 teaspoon quality organic vanilla extract
1 cup of fresh hot coffee (can be decaf as well)
Vegan Vanilla Buttercream:
1 1/2 cup Vegan Butter, softened, I used Earth Balance
1 1/2 cup Organic Vegan Shortening
6 cups powdered sugar, sifted (this is important or you will have lumpy frosting)
1 Tablespoon quality organic vanilla extract
1–2 Tablespoons non-dairy milk
Instructions
1.) Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line 2 cupcake pans with liners that total 24 regular sized cupcakes.
2.) To make the vegan buttermilk, use a measuring cup meant for liquids that can hold at least 1 cup. Add 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice, then pour any non-dairy milk of choice to fill the 1 cup line. Let it sit for a bit to thicken while you getting the rest of the recipe together.
3.) Make the flax eggs and let them thicken while you are gathering the rest of the ingredients. To make the flax eggs: mix 2 Tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 6 Tablespoons of warm water, stir and let it sit for a bit to thicken. You can also use 2 large eggs if you like.
4.) In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together and set aside.
5.) In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients (except the coffee) – vegan buttermilk, flax eggs (already mixed with water), vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
6.) With a hand mixer on low, start slowly adding the wet ingredients (minus the coffee) to the dry ingredients. Beat until all the ingredients are combined.
7.) With the mixer on low again, slowly pour in the hot coffee. Be sure to scrape the bowl with a spoon to incorporate all the batter. The batter will be thin not but that’s exactly the way you want it!
8.) Pour the batter evenly into 24 cupcakes and bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted in the middle of a cupcake and comes out clean or with a few crumbs on it. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove them and place them on a drying rack to cool completely.
9.) While the cupcakes are cooling, it’s a good time to make the vegan buttercream. Using a hand mixer, add the butter and shortening to a bowl. Mix on high for about 3 minutes.
10.) Scrape down the sides and add the vanilla extract, mix on medium to incorporate.
11.) Gradually and the powdered sugar and mix on low speed and stop to scrape the sides when needed. Mix until all the powdered sugar is incorporated.
12.) Add 1-2 Tablespoons non-dairy milk and whip for 2-3 more minutes to make sure it is all combined and fluffy.
13.) Frost the cooled cupcakes however you like and enjoy!
Notes
To make the vegan buttermilk: use a measuring cup meant for liquids that can hold at least 1 cup. Add 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice, then pour any non-dairy milk of choice to fill the 1 cup line. Let it sit for a bit to thicken while you getting the rest of the recipe together.
To make the flax eggs: mix 2 Tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 6 Tablespoons of warm water, stir and let it sit for a bit to thicken. You can also use 2 large eggs if you like.
To make this completely free of refined sugar, you can use 2 cups of coconut sugar instead. It will have a slight molasses taste to it. In the end, I decided in the end to use 1 cup of granulated sugar so the molasses flavor doesn’t overpower the cocoa flavor but both tasted delicious!
