Delicious and indulgent keto chocolate cupcakes with rich chocolate buttercream frosting are just what you need to satisfy a sweet tooth on a low-diet. They’re tender and moist — and as always, sugar-free and gluten-free.

Keto Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Icing

We all need a chocolate cupcake from time to time, whether you’re on the keto diet or not.  Well, at least, I do!

If you are looking to celebrate a birthday, or bring desserts to a potluck party, look no further than this recipe for double chocolate keto cupcakes.

With this recipe, I worked to recreate the taste and texture of a traditional cupcake with alternative keto flours like almond flour and coconut flour.  The texture of these chocolate cupcakes is light and moist, not dense or dry.

But the icing on the cake, quite literally, is the creamy chocolate buttercream. You won’t believe how simple it is to whip up!

Ingredients in Keto Chocolate Cupcakes

Like a lot keto baking recipes, these cupcakes are made with a blend of low-carb flours, including coconut flour, almond flour, and cocoa powder.

For keto baking, I like to use almond flour that has been blanched to remove the almond skins.  If you can, look for “super-fine” almond flour for the lightest and fluffiest results.  A fine-ground almond flour like Bob’s Red Mill will help ensure that your low-carb cupcakes have a nice, light texture.

I also like to include some coconut flour in this recipe. If you’ve used coconut flour in your low-carb baking before, then you know you how absorbent it is.  So, this recipe uses a good number of eggs and heavy cream to balance the recipe.  Don’t worry, these cupcakes don’t taste eggy at all.

Keto baked goods also need some kind of binder to replace the gluten found in wheat flour.  If you have it handy, I recommend added 1/2 tsp of xanthan gum.  If you don’t have it or don’t want to use xanthan gum, you can use 1 tbsp of flax meal instead.

And finally, the most important flavor ingredient in these cupcakes, the cocoa powder. Your chocolate cupcakes will be richer and more flavor all if you skip the low-fat supermarket variety cocoa powders in favor of a higher-fat, upgraded version like this one.  So good!  It’s Barry Callebaut brand packaged by Gerbs, so know it’s legit.

How to Make Chocolate Keto Cupcakes

These cupcakes are made with a classic method, just like cupcakes made with traditional white flour.  I like to use a stand mixer for this recipe, but it’s just as easy to make it with a hand mixer.

To start, cream the softened butter and sweetener together until light and creamy.  This process takes a few minutes, but don’t be tempted to skip it.  The creaming process introduces lots of tiny air bubbles into the batter, which helps to make these cupcakes light and fluffy!

Then, add the eggs one at a time, and stir well to combine.  If the batter looks a little soupy at this point, don’t worry — carry on and add the vanilla.

In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the coconut flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk it all together well in an effort to break up any lumps and evenly distribute the xanthan gum.

Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir well to combine.  Add the heavy cream, and stir again.  The batter will be thick, but still pourable/scoopable.  If your batter still seems too thick, add another couple tablespoons of heavy cream to thin it out.

After that, bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.  Let cool in the cupcake pan for at least 10 minutes. Keto baked goods are pretty fragile when warm, I’ve found.

Tips for Baking Keto Cupcakes

I know that keto baking can be a bit tricky — especially if it’s your first time working with these alternative ingredients.  As with other keto baked goods, here are some tips for low-carb baking success:

• Make sure that your ingredients — especially eggs and butter — are at room temperature before beginning.  If you need to bring eggs to room temperature quickly, you can place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.
• Use fresh baking powder.  Baking powder makes these cupcakes rise — so you want to double-check that your baking powder is active. To test if your baking powder is still active, place a teaspoon of baking powder in a bowl and pour 1/4 cup of boiling water over it. It should bubble up right away. If it does, it’s still good.
• Baked goods made with coconut flour can stick to paper liners.  To prevent this, you can grease the liners with non-stick spray before filling them with batter.
• Check on it the cupcakes as they near the recommended baking time, and remove them from the oven once a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
• Let the cupcakes cool completely before eating, especially if you will be frosting them.  You don’t want all that luscious chocolate buttercream to melt!
• You can store these cupcakes in a lidded container at room temperature for about 3 days — but I’ll be surprised if they last that long!

You are going to love this recipe because it’s so delicious and quick to make. These keto cupcakes are:

• Moist
• Perfectly sweet
• Satisfying
• Topped with rich chocolate buttercream
• & Perfect for birthdays and other celebrations

More Keto Baking Recipes

If you like baking keto desserts, you may also like my Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream, Chocolate Oreo Keto Cookies, Keto Blueberry Muffins, or Fudgy Keto Brownies.

Keto Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Delicious and indulgent keto chocolate cupcakes with rich chocolate buttercream frosting are just what you need for a low-carb dessert. They're tender and moist -- and as always, sugar-free and gluten-free.

Print

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated erythritol (Swerve)
• 5 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/3 cup almond flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-4 tbsp heavy cream (see notes)

Chocolate Buttercream

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sweetener, like Swerve confectioner's
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1-2 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• pinch of salt

Instructions

For the Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners. Spray the liners with nonstick spray for extra insurance against sticking.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sweetener until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth.
4. In a separate bowl, stir together the coconut flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt. Break up any lumps. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and stir to combine.
5. Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. The batter will be thick, but scoopable. If your batter seems too thick, add another tbsp or so of cream to thin it out.
6. Evenly divide the batter among the liners, filling each 2/3 full. Bake the cupcakes for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
7. Let cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting

1. Beat the butter, powdered sweetener, cocoa, cream, vanilla, and salt together in a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, until light and fluffy. Adjust the consistency with more heavy cream if needed.

Notes

• Be sure to start with room temperature ingredients for best results.
• Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
• I give a range of amounts for heavy cream so that you can thin out the consistency of the icing to your liking.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Bob's Red Mill Super-Fine Gluten Free Almond Flour
• 
  Gerbs Natural Cocoa Powder
• 
  Anthony's Organic Coconut Flour

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 203Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 144mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 5g

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Carb count will vary with different ingredients and brands. It should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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