Healthy Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream
Servings 16
Lightened up chocolate cupcakes are made with two types of chocolate and unrefined sweeteners, then topped off with a classic vanilla buttercream.
Equipment
- Cupcake Pan
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1¾ Cups Flour
- 1 Tsp Baking Soda
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- ½ Tsp Sea Salt
- ½ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ½ Cup Dark Chocolate Chips
- 1 Cup Boiling Water
- ½ Cup Melted Coconut Oil
- ¾ Cup Coconut Sugar
- ½ Cup Maple Syrup
- 2 Eggs, At Room Temperature
- ¾ Cup Greek Yogurt
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Vanilla Buttercream
- ½ Cup Unsalted Butter (1 Stick or 8 Tbsp), Softened
- 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1-2 Tbsp Milk, Any kind
- ½ Tsp Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line 1-2 cupcake pans.
- Start by combining the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, including the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set this aside for now.
- In a separate, larger, heat-proof bowl, combine the cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips. Now take your boiling water and pour it over the two chocolates ingredients. Whisk this mixture together until the cacao powder is dissolved and chocolate fully melted. Set this aside too to cool down.
- Moving on to the next bowl, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the coconut oil, coconut sugar, and maple syrup. Mix on medium speed until combined, roughly 1 minute. If the maple syrup separates some from the oil, that's okay! There's water in maple syrup, which doesn't mix well with oil at this point.
- Now add the eggs, one at a time, beating each one in until creamy.
- Then add the greek yogurt and vanilla and once again beat your mixture until creamy.
- Continue beating on medium-low speed and slowly pour in the cooled down chocolate mixture. Make sure that the mixture is no more than slightly warm when you add it. Beat until it is well combined.
- Lastly, add your flour mixture to the batter, beating on medium-low speed until it is just incorporated. Make sure not to over-mix the batter, otherwise the cupcakes will turn out tough!
- Divide the batter into the lined cupcake pan. You'll get between 12-16 cupcakes depending on how full you fill the liners. Some days call for smaller cupcakes and some days call for giant ones! Just make sure they're at least ⅔ full.
- Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes, depending no how full the liners are. Start keeping a close eye on them at the 18 minute mark. They'll be done when a toothpick comes out clean and the cake springs back when you press gently on it.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Make the Frosting
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and salt together on medium speed until well incorporated (roughly 1 minute).
- Reduce the speed and slowly add the powdered sugar, followed by the vanilla and milk.
- Once you're confident that powdered sugar won't go flying everything, turn up the speed to medium-high and continue beating the frosting until it's light and fluffy (anywhere from 2-3 minutes).
- Use a piping bag or knife to spread the frosting on top the cooled cupcakes and top with sprinkles if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
For a dairy-free version, substitute a greek style non-dairy yogurt (such as Ripple or Kite Hill) in the batter and vegan butter in the frosting.
Serving: 12g
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