I developed these Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting for Tyler because he loves these 2 classic flavors together! You can also make these with my classic chocolate buttercream as well. Either way you go, these gluten free chocolate cupcakes are the perfect way to celebrate any occasion.
Ever since I made strawberry buttercream for my Funfetti Cupcakes last summer, I’ve been wanting to try even more recipes with freeze-dried fruit. So far we’ve crushed up raspberries or strawberries to put into pancakes while camping. And the latest thing I made was my Maple Cinnamon Granola with freeze-dried raspberries and coconut milk in the backcountry Conrad Kain hut, (travel post to come).
But none of these things are really a ‘recipe’. Although there was the Strawberry Vanilla Lip Balm which was fun – but not something to eat! So around the beginning of the year, with Tyler’s birthday right around the corner, I started developing these cupcakes.
He loves the chocolate-raspberry combo. And over the years I’ve made him a few different desserts with this combination in mind. These cupcakes have definitely been one of the bigger hits. And I think it may have something to do with the incredibly flavorful raspberry buttercream!
There’s just something about the intense flavor of freeze-dried fruit that makes for the best frostings. So while it might be a little pricey, it’s definitely something I stock up on every time there’s a sale. That way I’m all ready to go for special occasions.
How to make this recipe step by step
- First up you mix together the dry ingredients for the cupcakes.
- Then the wet ingredients are mixed in.
- Next up you portion the batter into muffin cups.
- And finally, you bake them until puffed in the middle and just done.
- Once they’re cooled you can spread/pipe the frosting evenly between them.
- From there you can eat them as is, or decorate them with fresh raspberries or sprinkles.
The batter should be similar to a muffin batter.
All portioned out and ready to go, for a festive look, you can find all sorts of decorative muffin cup liners.
Don’t worry when the cupcakes sink a bit, (about 1/4″-1/2″) as they cool, the frosting covers this nicely!
More Chocolate-Raspberry Recipe Inspiration
- Chocolate Truffle Raspberries
- Chocolate Mousse Brownies
- Grain Free Raspberry Almond Poppy Seed Muffins, (I like to add mini chocolate chips to these in place of the poppy seeds sometimes.)
- Chocolate Ripple Coconut Ice Cream with Raspberries
- Chocolate Raspberry Cream Candy Cups
Other frosting ideas
- The strawberry buttercream from my Funfetti Cupcakes works beautifully here.
- Or there’s always the chocolate+chocolate combination, try using my chocolate buttercream from my chocolate cake recipe!
And finally, I hope you enjoy these as much as we have! If you make them, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below. And I always love hearing from you here, and over on Instagram where you can tag me at #getinspiredeveryday with your photos.
Print
Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
Description
The classic chocolate raspberry combination in decadent cupcake form!
Ingredients
1 2/3 cups fine almond flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/3 cup tapioca starch, also called flour
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1 Teaspoon baking powder, see notes
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1/4 Teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup strongly brewed coffee, cooled
2 eggs
1/3 cup avocado oil, or neutral flavored oil of choice
2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
Raspberry Buttercream:
1 – 1.5 ounces freeze dried raspberries, crushed into powder and sifted, see notes
2 sticks – 8 ounces salted butter
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 Teaspoon almond extract
Optional Toppings:
Fresh raspberries – 12 for 1 on top of each cupcake
Multi-colored or chocolate sprinkles
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cup liners.
In a large mixing bowl combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, tapioca starch, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
Then add the maple syrup, cooled coffee, eggs, avocado oil, and vanilla extract. Mix just until combined, then portion the batter evenly into the muffin liners.
Bake until the cupcakes are puffed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with crumbs but no batter, 15-20 minutes.
Let the cupcakes cool to room temperature while you make the frosting.
To make the raspberry buttercream frosting, cream the butter and sifted raspberry powder together with an electric mixer. Then add the powdered sugar and beat again until combined. Finally add the vanilla extract, lemon juice, and almond extract and beat again until combined and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
When the cupcakes have cooled, spread or pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes using a star tip. Serve as is, or top with fresh raspberries or sprinkles.
Refrigerate any extras for up to 3 days, or freeze and thaw in the fridge before serving. These are best made and eaten the same day as the frosting becomes denser when refrigerated or frozen.
Notes
Baking powder can have all sorts of additives, and isn’t always gluten free or paleo. To be safe, you can make your own by mixing together 1 part baking soda to 2 parts cream of tartar, and use the mixture right away.
You can powder the freeze dried raspberries by crushing them in a mortar and pestle. Or crush them right in the bag them come in with a rolling pin. Then sift the powdered raspberries through a fine mesh sieve to remove all the seeds before adding them to the frosting.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Baking
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American