Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

If you guys remember from my blog post last week, I recently helped do some dessert catering for a friend’s baby shower. She requested Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes and these Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes. It was a great opportunity to practice making gluten-free desserts. I tested this recipe out a few times before the actual baby shower to make sure I perfected it in time for the party. This was the first time doing any kind of official catering so the pressure was on! I wanted to make sure everything was grade-A quality!

All ingredients used to make these cupcakes AND the frosting are all naturally gluten-free. And all things you probably already have in your pantry. The only oddball ingredient I had to invest in was some gluten-free flour. I tried to make this recipe as simple and straightforward to follow as possible. The only thing I do a little differently is boil a ½ cup water and mix it with the ½ cup cocoa before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients. The boiling water helps break down the cocoa and gives it a richer, more intense chocolate flavor and consistency. This was a little trick I learned long ago that you should all try next time you make any baked goods such as cakes, brownies or cupcakes!

I’ve also included ingredients and directions on how to make the gluten-free buttercream frosting. Usually you need a lot of powdered sugar to help the frosting stay sturdy and thick. But I always find the sweetness to be a little overwhelming. So, I like to add a little extra butter and heavy cream to make my frosting lighter, fluffier and help alleviate the intense sweet flavor of the powdered sugar. You can also refrigerate the frosting for a bit to help it hold its shape on the cupcakes. Read on to see the full recipe for these Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes. And please let me know if there are any other gluten-free recipes you’d like me to try in the future! 

GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Course: DessertDifficulty: Medium

Servings

24

cupcakes

Prep time

20

minutes

Bake time

20

minutes

Calories

348

kcal

These gluten-free chocolate cupcakes are so moist and full of intense chocolate flavor. They’re also paired with a light and fluffy buttercream frosting.

Ingredients

• FOR CUPCAKES

• 2 ¼ cup gluten-free flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 2 cups sugar

• ½ cup melted butter

• ½ cup vegetable oil

• 1 cup milk

• 4 eggs

• 2 tsp vanilla

• ½ cup boiling water

• ½ cup cocoa

• FOR FROSTING

• 1 cup softened butter

• 2 cups powdered sugar

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 1-2 Tbs heavy cream

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake liners in a 24 count cupcake pan
• In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients which include the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda 
• In a separate bowl, mix the boiling water and cocoa by themselves (the boiling water helps break the cocoa down best to give it a richer flavor and consistency). Set this bowl aside for now
• In a third, separate bowl mix the wet ingredients which include the melted butter, milk, oil, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until well combined and smooth
• Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed until everything is well combined and smooth
• Lastly, add the cocoa mixture and beat again until the batter is well combined and chocolatey
• Separate the batter evenly between all 24 cupcake liners. Make sure not to overfill. Each liner should be about 3/4 of the way filled, max
• Place in oven on the middle rack and bake for 20 minutes. Make sure a toothpick inserted comes out clean before removing from oven 
• Once done baking, let sit at room temperature until completely cool 
• While cupcakes are cooling, start preparing the frosting: Add the softened butter and 2 tsp vanilla to a bowl. Mix on low speed until smooth. Then add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Mix on medium speed in between each cup added. Keep adding more powdered sugar until you reach the consistency and taste you want. Add the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time, mixing in between until you reach your desired consistency. You can add less or more cream as you see fit. Frosting should be somewhat thick, sturdy and not runny. 
• Add frosting to a large pastry bag with your choice of tip. Pipe the frosting on top of each cupcake. If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can just use a butter knife to spread frosting on each cupcake 
• Top by sprinkling with some baking cocoa or chocolate sprinkles for decor
• Enjoy!​

Notes

• Calories & Nutritional Info may vary based on different brands and ingredients used. Nutritional Info below was calculated using Very Fit Well’s Nutrition Calculator.

*NUTRITIONAL INFO BELOW IS FOR BOTH CUPCAKES & FROSTING COMBINED*