These gluten-free chocolate cupcakes are rich, moist, and full of chocolate flavor, making them a delicious choice for birthdays, holidays, parties, or any day you’re craving a homemade chocolate dessert. Made with gluten-free all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, melted chocolate, and coconut oil, the cupcakes are finished with a smooth chocolate ganache frosting for an extra-special touch.
One of the best things about this recipe is the combination of cocoa powder and melted chocolate in the batter. Together, they give the cupcakes a deep chocolate flavor, while coconut oil helps keep the crumb tender. A little brown sugar adds another layer of sweetness, and milk, eggs, and vanilla bring the ingredients together into a smooth batter.
The chocolate ganache is made with bittersweet chocolate and warm heavy cream. After the cream is poured over the chocolate, the mixture is stirred until smooth and then chilled until thick enough to spread or pipe. Allow time for the ganache to cool and for the cupcakes to reach room temperature before decorating.
For the best results, use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that contains xanthan gum. If your blend does not include it, the recipe notes call for adding xanthan gum separately. Gluten-free flour blends can behave differently, so measuring carefully and following the recipe’s mixing and baking instructions is important.
A 12-cup nonstick muffin pan and paper cupcake liners make it easier to bake evenly sized cupcakes and remove them after cooling. The recipe makes approximately 15 cupcakes, with about 18 minutes of baking time; remember to allow additional time for preparing and chilling the ganache.
Once frosted, these gluten-free chocolate cupcakes are ready to serve at your next gathering or enjoy as a special homemade treat. Their rich chocolate flavor and silky ganache topping make them a lovely dessert to share with family and friends.
Not what you are looking for? Try these other sweet recipes: Luscious Lemon Squares, Easy Chocolate Ice Cream or Salted-Caramel Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.
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Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- Total Time: 1:03
- Yield: 16 1x
Ingredients
Chocolate Ganache Frosting
- 8 oz Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips, melted, slightly cooled
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 1 bar, for chocolate curls Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Baking Bar
Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 cup Gluten Free Flour, All Purpose (with xanthan gum*)
- 1/2 cup Ghirardelli 100% ground cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 3/4 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 3/4 cup sugar, granulated
- 1/4 cup Brown sugar
- 1/3 cup Coconut oil
- 2 oz Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 2 Eggs, large, room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Milk, room temperature (dairy or non-dairy)
- 1/2 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Chocolate Ganache Frosting
- Start by making the ganache. Measure out the chocolate chips into a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
- Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat when you see steam rising from the surface.
- Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes.
- Whisk the two ingredients together until it’s silky smooth. Place the ganache into the fridge to reach the perfect frosting constancy (about 30-45 minutes). Give it a good stir every so often so that it chills evenly.
Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a cupcake tray with 12 liners. The recipe makes 15 so if you have two trays, fill them accordingly.
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the sugars and oil. It should look like wet sand. You can do so using a hand or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. This can also be done by hand.
- Mix in the melted chocolate. Once combined, mix in the eggs and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again.
- On the side, pour your milk into a measuring glass and add the vinegar.
- Mix in half of the dry ingredients, then the milk mixture, then the rest of the dry ingredients. You should be left with a smooth batter that isn’t too thin or too thick (see picture in post).
- Fill your cupcake liners only halfway, no more no less. If you fill them too high the cupcakes will sink in the middle.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
- After about 5 minutes, transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before frosting.
- At this point, your ganache should be thickened. It should be thick enough to hold its shape but easy to mix (see picture above). If it’s not there yet, keep it in the fridge until then.
- To frost, use a piping bag with a large closed star tip. Make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled before doing so.
- Using a peeler and a Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Baking Bar, shave some chocolate curls on top for extra decoration. Enjoy!
Notes
* If your flour doesn’t have xanthan gum, add 1 tsp of xanthan gum to the recipe.
** To melt, heat in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time. It should take about 90 seconds total.
- Prep Time: :45
- Cook Time: :18
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven