Got a celebration coming up, and want to keep festivities Paleo? These gluten-free cupcakes are a great way to deliver a little something sweet without any grains, dairy, or refined sugar!
These PaleoFLEX™ cupcakes are also really easy to make. Simply combine the wet and dry ingredients separately, then mix until just combined and pour into a cupcake liner. You can make the easy four-ingredient frosting while they bake. The hardest part is waiting for the ganache to cool until it's the perfect spreadable consistency.
To keep these cupcakes grain-free, we used blanched almond flour instead of white flour. Blanched almond flour simply means that the almond skins were removed, making for a more uniform color and creating more of a fluffy texture in baked goods than regular almond flour. We also used a bit of arrowroot flour to make the cupcakes lighter and less dense.
Instead of using milk in the batter and butter and cream for the icing, we used coconut cream as a replacement for all dairy products. We recommend using coconut cream from the can, but you can also use full-fat coconut milk instead. Just be sure to chill it first, then remove the water from the thick cream portion before using. This will help ensure your cupcakes don’t get soggy and the frosting doesn’t separate.
While the cupcakes bake, make the chocolate “buttercream” ganache by melting dark chocolate chips with the coconut cream over very low heat, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat as soon as the chocolate is melted and then stir in almond butter and a bit of pure vanilla.
The frosting should be smooth and shiny. Let it cool until it’s thick enough to spread, then use a knife to frost the cooled cupcakes (or dip them directly in the saucepan of frosting) and sprinkle with cacao powder, if desired. Serve for a special occasion treat.
