Chocolate Keto Cupcakes were high on my list of things I must figure out when I began my keto journey.
With my birthday approaching, I knew I had to figure out how to make two things. An indulgent keto frosting and the delicious chocolate keto cupcakes to pair with it. So, I decided to start with chocolate keto cupcakes.
After a number of trial and errors, I have managed to create a cupcake that is indistinguishable from the real thing. These are cupcakes you can eat and feel good about.
In fact, I made these for my daughter's 13th birthday. She couldn't believe these are grain free, sugar free and “mom-approved”. Of course, I didn't tell her until after she'd eaten her cupcake. She thought I was joking with her…and then when she realized I wasn't she asked for another one!
Substitutions For Chocolate Keto Cupcakes
As a rule, when you are baking keto–Substitutions don't work well. In this section I'll cover why this is and offer substitute suggestions where I can.
Can I Substitute Almond Flour?
Many have asked me if you could substitute almond flour here. The short answer is no. Coconut flour is a highly absorbent flour. For 1 cup of traditional flour, you only need to use 1/4 cup of coconut flour. It's an amazing flour to bake with–once you figure out all it's quirks!
This is why we don't use very much coconut flour in this recipe but it still turns out a dozen cupcakes. Almond flour, on the other hand, is not absorbant at all. Swapping it out here will result in a wet and soggy end result.
Coconut flour absorbs liquids and almond flour does not.
Almond flour will also brown faster, so keep that in mind whenever you cook or bake with it. You'll want to use a lower heat setting.
My original keto cupcake recipe does call for a combination of both types of flour– it's a great recipe–but gives you more of a muffin texture than a true cupcake texture. I'll be reworking that soon!
Using coconut flour allowed me to achieve an almost identical cupcake texture when compared to a traditional cupcake. I've also managed to leave it moist and not dry–which can be a challenge when baking low carb. I recommend investing in coconut flour. You'll find it in many of my keto recipes.
Ingredients for Chocolate Keto Cupcakes
Here's a few things you will need to make these chocolate keto cupcakes:
- Cocoa Powder
- Espresso Powder
- Bocha Sweet
- Sweetleaf Liquid Stevia Drops
- Acacia Fiber
- Xanthan Gum
- Cream of Tartar
- Coconut Flour
- Parchment Paper Cupcake Liners
- Cupcake Pans
- Madagascar Pure Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract
- Cocoa Extract
Tutorial Video: Chocolate Keto Cupcakes
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Chocolate Keto Cupcake
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder 40g
- 1/2 Tbsp Espresso Powder
- 1/2 Cup Boiling Water
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 3 Eggs
- 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
- 1/3 Cup Coconut Flour 54g
- 1 Tbsp Acacia Fiber Powder
- 1/2 Tsp Xanthan Gum
- 1/4 Tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1/4 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 Cup Bocha Sweet
- 30 Drops Liquid Stevia
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Tsp Pure Almond Extract
- 1/2 Tsp Watkins Cocoa Extract
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 300 degrees
- In a 4 cup heat proof bowl, combine boiling water, cocoa powder and espresso powder. Mix and set aside
- In a large mixing bowl, separate the eggwhites. Reserve the yolks for later use.
- Add 1/8 tsp of cream of tarter to the eggwhites. Then, beat the eggwhites until stiff peaks form. Move the eggwhites into a large shallow bowl. Later, we'll add the coconut mixture to this bowl and fold that mixture into the eggwhites. A shallow bowl works best for folding in the eggwhites.
- In your now empty mixing bowl, combine cream, oil, egg yolks, bocha sweet, stevia and the extracts (vanilla, almond, cocoa) and blend for 1 minute until combined and the bocha sweet is dissolved.
- Add the chocolate mixture and blend until combined.
- Add coconut flour, Acacia powder, xantham gum. Beat mixture for 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Finally add the remaining 1/8 tsp cream of tarter and 1/4 tsp baking soda and beat until these are combined. (Alternately, use 1 tsp of baking powder)
- Add the chocolate mixture to the waiting eggwhite mixture and fold until completely combined. Do not over fold.
- Fill cupcake tins until almost completely full. The cupcakes will puff up during baking but then fall as they cool. (See photos)
Notes
Nutrition
Other Keto Recipes
Low Carb Vanilla Cupcakes (Keto & Grain Free) 
Low Carb Coconut Frosting: A Keto Frosting Recipe 
Low Carb Strawberry Cupcakes A Keto Cupcake Recipe 
Low Carb Vanilla Peppermint Frosting 
The Ultimate Low-Carb Dark Chocolate Cupcake Recipe with Low Carb Peppermint Frosting 
Low Carb Strawberry Frosting Recipe 
Thick & Creamy Low Carb Caramel Sauce A Keto Caramel Recipe 
Homemade Keto Chocolate Chips (Easy!)
