Amanda Cook As you might have read in my Maple Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe, carrot cake is my favorite dessert. My husband ruthlessly makes fun of me for this, because to him, chocolate is king. Why eat a dessert with vegetables in it when you can have chocolate?! He insists that most people reading this will sympathize with him.
I made these refined sugar-free chocolate cupcakes for my chocolate lover’s birthday a couple of years ago, and they’ve been a recurring request every year since. The cake is sweetened with pure maple syrup and has a rich cocoa flavor, which pairs great with a vegan chocolate ganache topping.
I use Martha Stewart’s incredibly simple and decadent Vegan Chocolate Ganache, though I opt for a strong dark chocolate instead of semisweet chocolate to help manage the refined sugar in this recipe. I love this Endangered Species Strong + Velvety Dark Chocolate, which only has 3g of cane sugar per serving. I’ve found that I can tolerate the small amount of sugar in this 88% cocoa chocolate bar, but if you want a true refined sugar-free ganache, I’d recommend Lily’s Extremely Dark Chocolate.
This ganache takes quite a bit of time to come back to a pipeable consistency. I let it cool as much as possible at room temperature while I’m baking my cupcakes, but I also usually need to pop the ganache in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes right before I’m ready to start decorating in order to finish firming it up. Keep a close eye on it, though, and don’t leave it in the fridge for too long because it quickly goes from soupy to very thick.
Alternatively, these cupcakes also taste great with the refined sugar-free and lactose-free cream cheese frosting used in my Maple Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe!
The result is a moist cake which is just sweet enough, finished with a luxurious and slightly bitter ganache. The first time I made these cupcakes, I liberally piped the ganache on like a buttercream, and it was a bit much. A little goes a long way, and you definitely won’t need more than one of these to satisfy your chocolate craving!
Refined Sugar-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup lactose-free milk (or plant milk of choice)
- 1/2 cup oil (vegetable, canola, or melted coconut)
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup hot water
Instructions
- Prepare Martha Stewart's vegan chocolate ganache according to the recipe linked above. Set aside to cool and thicken.
- Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine maple syrup, milk, oil, egg, and vanilla extract, and whisk until combined.
- Gradually add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well until all dry ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Add hot water to the batter and whisk until combined. The batter will be very thin.
- Line one medium-sized muffin tin with cupcake liners, then fill each liner approximately halfway until all batter is used (should yield about 12 cupcakes).
- Bake at 300°F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Once cupcakes and ganache are cooled, pipe a thin layer of ganache on top of the cupcakes. You might need to place the ganache in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to create a pipeable consistency.
Very indulgent and chocolatey!
Was this recipe recently changed? I made these quite a few times before today and I don’t remember the recipe like this? If it has been updated and I please have a copy for the old recipe.?
Hi, Abby! Sorry for the confusion, and I’m glad to hear this has been a repeat favorite for you! I did update this recipe since I wasn’t totally satisfied with the quality of the original one that I posted. It always turned out a little too crumbly for my liking. While I would definitely encourage you to try this updated version, which is super moist, here is the original:
– 3/4 cup flour
– 1/2 cup cocoa powder
– 3/4 tsp baking powder
– 1/2 tsp baking soda
– 1/4 tsp salt
– 2 eggs
– 1 cup maple syrup
– 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
– 2 tsp vanilla extract
– 5 TBSP milk of choice
Sift dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, whisk wet ingredients together. Gradually add wet ingredients to dry, fill 12 cups of a lined muffin tin half way, then bake at 350 for 18 minutes.
Thank you! Making cupcakes today and was browsing looking for a new recipes and saw that you replied! So happy to have the original. I did try the new recipes and something didn’t turn out right. Thanks again!
wow!! ive never before left any comments on any recipes, but i just had to comment. these cupcakes are so delicious!! I am only sad that not more people know about this amazing recipe. It will be a new staple for our household. Thank you!!
Thank you so much for your incredibly kind review! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed these.
These cupcakes are just what I was searching for. I rarely leave reviews, but just had to leave one for this recipe!
Hooray! Thank you so much for sharing!
Made these as cupcakes and they were so good! If I wanted to make a double layer (9 inch) cake, would you recommend doubling the recipe or would a single recipe be enough? What temp and how long would you bake for?
I’m so glad you enjoyed these! To make a double layer cake, you will need to double the recipe (12 cupcakes = one 9-inch round cake). You should be able to bake the cakes at the same temperature, but they will need longer in the oven. I haven’t tested this so I can’t say for sure, but my best guess would be to start with 30 minutes and check the cakes by inserting a toothpick in the center. Once the toothpick comes out clean, it’s done!
I actually jumped on it before seeing your response! LOL got a birthday tomorrow! I did double it! Baked at 300F and they ended up taking about 45 minutes! They look great! Everyone loved the cupcakes last time I made them but my son requested a “big cake!” I’ll note too for anyone curious. I sub flour with gluten free measure for measure and it comes out great! Thanks for the great recipe!