These Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes are topped with a rich and fudgy Paleo Chocolate Frosting! You’d never guess there are veggies packed into these super moist and chocolatey gluten-free cupcakes.
You guys, this is somehow the FIRST paleo cupcake recipe I’ve ever posted on Bakerita. Or now that I think about it, it’s the first paleo cake of any sort that I’ve posted.
Somehow, when Bakerita officially went from being full of butter, flour, and sugar, to being fully gluten-free and refined sugar-free, cakes and cupcakes got lost in the shuffle.
Cakes and cupcakes aren’t usually my favorite dessert, which is likely why they’ve been left in the dust for so long. I tend to go for cookies and bar instead. My boyfriend Jesse recently challenged me to make more cakes though, so more cakes will be showing up around these parts.
And man, oh man…these chocolate zucchini cupcakes sure are a good place to start. Jesse’s mom has a beautiful garden in her yard, and Jesse’s been bringing me some giant zucchinis to cook and bake with. I’ve been playing around with a zucchini brownie recipe, but so far, these chocolate zucchini cupcakes have been the standout zucchini bake.
The zucchini goes undetectable in these cupcakes – the shredded veggie melts into the chocolate cake, adding moisture and helping the cake stay super chocolatey. These chocolate zucchini cupcakes are nothing if not incredibly chocolatey.
The texture is spot on, too – they’re not too light and cakey that don’t hold their weight, nor are they so dense that they dry out and become crumbly. The almond and tapioca flours combine perfectly too, creating a texture similar to the all-purpose flour cupcakes we love, with none of the odd grittiness that so many gluten-free cupcakes are plagued with.
I opted to put some mini chocolate chips in my second batch too, and the little bits of melty chocolate were such a nice surprise. The chocolate frosting is what takes these cupcakes to ultra chocolatey levels, though.
It’s made pretty simply, with just melted chocolate, some coconut oil, almond butter, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. The almond butter helps keep the frosting soft, while the coconut oil gives it a bit of shape and helps it melt as soon as it hits your tongue. Swoooon. You’ll want to spread it on everything!
I recommend keeping these cupcakes stored at room temperature – the frosting gets pretty firm in the fridge, and I preferred it when it was a little softer. That way, it melts in your mouth in the most delicious way. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it… You could also make just the cupcakes and freeze them, if you’re trying to make them ahead of time.
If you’ve got zucchini around, you’ve got to try these out! Soft, moist, incredibly chocolatey, with a rich fudge frosting…they’re what chocolate cupcake dreams are made of. Enjoy!
- Get your chocolate cake fix more healthily with this Paleo Double Chocolate Banana Bread.
- How about some more hidden veggies?! Check out these Paleo Chocolate Beet Donuts.
- Try your hand at these Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes from Texanerin Baking.
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Remember to #bakerita if you try the recipe!
- 1½ cup (144g) almond flour
- ½ cup (55g) tapioca flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- ⅔ cup cacao powder
- ½ cup non-dairy milk of choice (I used almond)
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup shredded zucchini, water squeezed out of it
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
- 6 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
- ⅓ cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoons refined coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and lightly grease a cupcake pan with cupcake liners or coconut oil.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, coconut sugar, and cacao powder. Whisk all dry ingredients together.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the non-dairy milk, eggs, coconut oil and vanilla extract together. Stir in the shredded zucchini
- Pour the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
- Use a scoop to fill each cupcake liner ¾ of the way full. Bake for 16-19 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing from the pan to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes cool, prepare the frosting. In a microwave-proof bowl or in a small saucepan, combine the dark chocolate, almond butter, and coconut oil. Microwave until melted, about 1 or 2 minutes (stirring every 30 seconds) or melt over low heat in a small saucepan. Add in the vanilla extract and kosher salt and whisk until smooth.
- Place in the refrigerator to cool, and remove to whisk every 10-15 minutes until it’s gotten to the desired consistency. Don’t leave it in the refrigerator for too long, or it will firm up and not be spreadable. Warm for 10-15 seconds if you accidentally let it cool for too long to soften it back up.
- Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake, or use a piping bag to pipe on the cupcakes. Double the frosting recipe if you’re going to be piping on all of the cupcakes.
- Store cupcakes tightly sealed at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for longer term storage.
What you’ll need to make these!
There's more where that came from!
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