Everything you love about a warm mug of hot cocoa in a gluten free cupcake!
I mentioned in my Gluten Free Glazed Donut post that we were experiencing quite the snowstorm in NC. Though the snow has finally stopped, we’re still feeling its very chilly effects! If Valentine’s Day isn’t enough to make you crave chocolate, being snowed in certainly must be. Nothing calls for a mug of hot chocolate and a warm blanket to snuggle under more than a snowstorm. But being that I am a baker, and also being that I really needed to at least take a 30 minute Netflix break, I decided I should do something a little different. Presenting the gluten free hot cocoa cupcake!
Before I go any further, I should tell you. I don’t call it hot cocoa. I call it hot chocolate. I just didn’t want anyone to think I meant spicy chocolate? Or warm chocolate? I don’t know, it was a stressful titling decision.
Back to the point. The cupcakes. The cake itself is gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free. I used apple cider vinegar in place of the egg, which is a trick I’d read about on a few blogs. It gave the cupcakes an incredibly light and fluffy texture. The icing is incredible and could not be easier with just two ingredients: heavy cream and hot chocolate cocoa mix. That’s right. It’s just a chocolatey whipped cream and it’s absolutely to-die-for. Actually using the powdered mix makes it taste just like the hot chocolate/cocoa (whatever) you remember from your childhood. Specifically, it makes it taste just like the drink right after all the whipped cream on top has melted into it. Heavenly.
Also, no mixer required for the cake batter. I got nine large cupcakes out of this, but you could definitely fill the cups a bit less and get a solid 12.
Perfect to warm up your soul for the rest of winter. Also probably perfect in the heat of the summer when you don’t want a hot drink. Perfect anytime, every time.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
xoxo,
Em
Gluten Free Hot Cocoa Cupcakes
Prep: 10 min Bake: 20 min Makes: ~12 cupcakes
Ingredients:
1 cup soy or almond milk (Regular milk will work, of course.)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
⅓ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup sugar
1 cup all purpose gluten free flour (I used Cup4Cup.)
⅓ cup cocoa powder
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
For Frosting:
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
½ cup powdered hot chocolate mix
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 12 cupcake tins. To prepare for frosting, place bowl of a stand mixer (or regular mixing bowl) into freezer along with the whisk attachment (or handheld mixer’s beaters.)
2. Pour apple cider vinegar into milk of choice, set aside and let curdle for a few minutes.
3. Whisk all dry ingredients together in a large bowl (sugar through baking powder.)
4. Add vegetable oil and vanilla extract to milk mixture and whisk to combine.
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk well to combine.
6. Fill cupcakes ⅔ – ¾ full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and cupcakes spring back when touched. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to finish cooling on rack.
7. For frosting: While cupcakes are cooling, prepare frosting. Remove bowl and whisk attachment from freezer. Pour heavy cream into the bowl and beat on medium high for two minutes. Pour in the hot chocolate mix and beat until fully combined and stiff peaks have formed. Ice cupcakes after they’ve completely cooled.
emthebaker.com 