Cupcake Love: Grain-Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Coconut Whipped Cream

***This was one of my popular posts from last year, originally published in January 2014. I decided to share it with you again, including a couple of updates!***

I heart these Valentine’s Paleo cupcakes. Not only are these cupcakes grain-free, but they call for only a few ingredients, so making them is a breeze. They are made with coconut flour (i.e. they’re grain-free and packed with nutrition) and cashew butter, and they call for honey instead of refined sugar. Score! But did you know that chocolate/cocoa also has health benefits? Chocolate (particularly pure dark chocolate, without additives like milk and sugar) has been found to lower blood pressure, bad cholesterol and the risk of heart disease; it can improve circulation and vision, has anti-inflammatory properties, is rich in fiber and flavonoids and can boost your mood. As if you needed any more convincing to enjoy chocolate!

The whipped topping is light yet just as decadent…a dairy-free, vegan version of traditional whipped cream. Made from coconut cream, it’s not only nutritious and more easily digested than dairy, but also probably the best tasting whipped cream I’ve ever had. To me, it tastes like real dairy whipped cream or even better, if you can imagine that.

Enjoy these Valentine’s Paleo cupcakes with your sweetheart, your BFFs, or just yourself (because, let’s face it, you’re fabulous and you deserve a treat). I promise, it will be cupcake-true-love.

(Cupcake liners and paper heart toppers by Merci Go Round)

(Note: this post contains affiliate links. To learn more about what that means, click here.)

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Valentine's Paleo Double Chocolate Cupcakes

(gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free)

Author: Lori / Adventures of a Sick Chick

Ingredients

• ¼ cup coconut flour
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa or raw cacao powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 3 pastured eggs (preferably room temperature)
• ⅓ cup heaping pure or raw honey
• ¼ cup cashew butter (room temperature)
• ⅓ cup organic/unrefined coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¾ cup allergen-free chocolate chips
• strawberries for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard size cupcake tin with 9-10 liners.
2. In a medium bowl, mix coconut flour, cocoa/cacao powder, baking soda and sea salt.
3. In a separate large bowl, mix eggs, coconut oil, honey, cashew butter and vanilla extract.
4. Slowly add dry ingredients into wet ingredients. (It may seem like a lot of liquid, but the coconut flour will eventually absorb it, and it is necessary to achieve an ideal texture.) Mix batter well (with a hand mixer, preferably).
5. Let batter sit for about 5 minutes to allow liquid to absorb. Then mix again briefly.
6. Carefully fold in a ½ cup of your chocolate chips. (Save the remaining ¼ cup to sprinkle on top of cupcake batter, as some might sink to the bottom.)
7. Pour batter into each cupcake liner about ¾ of the way full (this will produce about 9-10 cupcakes). I love using this scoop to dispense my batter…it makes filling cupcake and muffin liners so easy!
8. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over the top of each unbaked cupcake.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
10. Let cool completely, then frost your cupcakes with your fresh coconut whipped cream and top with festive Valentine’s decorations – like organic strawberries cut into heart shapes (how adorable is that?).
11. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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Coconut Whipped Cream

(dairy-free, refined sugar-free, gluten-free)

Author: Lori / Adventures of a Sick Chick

Ingredients

• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• ½ tsp pure vanilla
• 
2 tsp raw honey

Instructions

1. Open the can of coconut milk and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. This will allow the milk to thicken into solid form and separate from the water in the can.
2. The next day, chill a glass or stainless steel bowl and a set of beaters in the freezer for at least 20 minutes (this step is optional and not mandatory, but is recommended).
3. Carefully remove the can of milk from the fridge and scoop the solid part into your bowl. Be sure to only scoop in the solid part (it will be sitting in the top half of the can); discard the coconut water or save it for something else (like a smoothie).
4. With a mixer, blend the solid milk on low for a few seconds, then gradually increase to high. Once the solid coconut starts to cream, add the vanilla, then the honey. Continue to mix on high for 1-2 minutes, or until thick and creamy.
5. Serve your beautiful whipped cream immediately, or refrigerate for up to 3 days (just blend again before serving).