These chocolate keto cupcakes are going to blow your mind. You won’t believe that anything made with coconut flour can be this tender and delicious. Perfect with your favorite sugar-free frosting!
It’s crazy to think that these keto cupcakes were one of the first low carb recipes I ever made. I originally published them in October of 2010, when my youngest child was having her first birthday. Now she’s a teenager! Oh how time flies.
But amazingly, this recipe has stood the test of time and is one of my favorite keto cake recipes. While my baking skills have improved and my methods and ingredients have changed, these chocolate keto cupcakes remain virtually unchanged.
It’s such a solid recipe that I have used it for multiple other cakes, including Keto Chocolate Orange Cake and Samoa Bundt Cake. Even my Keto Chocolate Donuts are based on this batter!
I made them again recently so I could get some new photos. And one bite reminded me just how much I love them!
Why this recipe is so awesome
Many people think that coconut flour can’t possibly make good baked goods. But I heartily disagree. Although baking with coconut flour takes some getting used to, it can result in cakes that rival those from a bakery.
And these keto cupcakes are proof. Light and fluffy, but still moist and flavorful, they defy the odds. It all comes down to a few tricks, like using enough eggs and oil. And a little protein powder helps them rise delightfully.
It’s a very versatile recipe, as you can pair it with your favorite sugar free frosting. And you can use it to make larger cakes as well. They also freeze really nicely.
Best of all, each cupcake has only 2.4g net carbs!
Reader reviews
“Oh my goodness! These cupcakes are great! Perfect crumb, rose nicely, and the taste – excellent!!!!” — Penny
“Made these tonight for Easter. Ate without frosting of any kind. My very first attempt at keto baking and the first time making cupcakes from scratch. So delicious!! They came out perfectly!” — Amanda
“Oh my word! These are insanely good and my teenage daughter who is not low carb asks for another batch as she’s eating the last one! Everyone loves these and I love the fact that me and OH can indulge in a sweet treat and still lose/maintain weight and feel great! Thanks so much for all your recipes. — Shona
Ingredients you need
- Coconut flour: You cannot substitute any other flour for coconut flour, as it’s very unique and bakes very differently. However, I have other cupcake recipes that use nut flours instead. You can also use my Keto Devil’s Food Cake recipe and make cupcakes with it.
- Sweetener: Most granular sweeteners work in this recipe but keep in mind that allulose may make the cupcakes brown faster.
- Cocoa powder: For a deeper, richer chocolate flavor, use dark cocoa or Dutch process cocoa.
- Protein powder: This is optional but it really does help the cupcakes rise better and be fluffier. You can use whey protein, egg white protein, or plant-based protein. Collagen peptides will not work here. You can also use chocolate or vanilla protein powder, if you don’t have unflavored.
- Eggs: Coconut flour requires a lot of eggs for structure, so don’t try to skimp!
- Cold coffee or water: I like coffee because it enhances the chocolate flavor, but water works too.
- Pantry staples: Butter or oil, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt.
Step-by-step directions
1. Whisk the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, protein powder, baking powder, and salt.
2. Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the eggs, butter, and vanilla extract until well combined.
3. Add liquid slowly: Stir in the coffee about ¼ cup at a time until your batter is thick but scoopable.
4. Bake the cupcakes: Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin cups lined with parchment or silicone liners. Bake at 350ºF for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are just firm to the touch.
5. Let cool: Remove from the oven and let the cupcakes cool completely in the pan.
6. Frost and decorate as desired!
Expert tips
The hardest thing about working with coconut flour is that it varies brand to brand. Some are super absorbent and others are less so, so you need to adjust the liquid accordingly. This is why I recommend adding just a little at a time. The description of the batter should guide you to know when it’s ready.
Do not over-bake these keto cupcakes. Whenever someone says they turned out dry, I know they let them bake too long. Always set the timer for the lower end of the suggested baking time, and then check very frequently. Once the tops are just firm to the touch, remove them from the oven.
How to frost and decorate
You have many delicious options for frosting these keto cupcakes. I have provided a delicious sugar-free espresso frosting in the recipe, but you certainly aren’t limited to that! A few other ideas:
- Keto Chocolate Frosting
- Keto Strawberry Frosting
- Cookies and Cream Frosting
- Peppermint Frosting
- Peanut Butter Frosting
You could also eat them plain or top with a little keto vanilla ice cream!
Frequently Asked Questions
These keto chocolate cupcakes have 5.6g carbs and 3.2g fiber unfrosted, so they have 2.4g net carbs per cupcake. With the frosting listed in the recipe, they have 6.2g of carbs and 3.2g of fiber.
Coconut flour is an excellent ingredient for keto recipes because it is low in carbs and high in fiber. It is also completely gluten-free and nut-free. It is highly unusual in the way it absorbs eggs and liquid, so you have to learn how to use it properly. For more information, read my article on Baking with Coconut Flour.
Cupcakes like these are fine on the counter for up to three days. You can also store them in an airtight container the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for several months.
Keto Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ⅔ cup coconut flour
- ⅔ cup Swerve Sweetener or other granular sweetener
- 6 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ¼ cup whey protein powder chocolate, vanilla, or unflavored
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 large eggs
- ½ cup butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup leftover coffee or water more if needed
Espresso Buttercream:
- 2 tablespoon hot water
- 2 teaspoon instant espresso powder or instant coffee
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 6 tablespoon butter softened
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup Swerve Confectioners or other powdered sweetener
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with parchment or silicone liners
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, protein powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the eggs, butter, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Stir in the coffee about ¼ cup at a time until the batter is thick but easily scoopable.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are just firm to the touch.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan.
Espresso Buttercream
- In a small bowl, stir together the hot water and espresso until coffee dissolves. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer, whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese, and sweetener together until creamy. Add the coffee mixture and beat until combined. With a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped cream carefully until well combined.
- Spread the frosting on cooled cupcakes with a knife or offset spatula, or pipe on with a decorating bag.
Jo says
I can’t wait to try these! Can I substitute normal cream for the almond milk, or should I rather use full fat milk? Thanks!
Carolyn says
I’d do half cream, half water so it’s not too thick.
Cynthia says
Do you think this would work to make a sheetcake? Should I double the recipe? I’m going to try to come up with a low carb chocolate/coconut poke cake for Thanksgiving and have been trying to find a good cake base to start with. I would leave out the coffee and was thinking about using coconut oil and coconut milk substitutes, to give it a stronger coconut flavor. What do you think?
Carolyn says
Sounds pretty great to me but yes, you will need to double it!
Lance says
Hi Carolyn, Following up I used the subbed the butter with avocado puree, and the muffins tasted really good, I couldn’t detect a difference that with butter, and they were a little moister than with butter which was a good thing. I am thinking of making a two or three layer cake using the recipe per your instructions, I know from making the muffins (whether using butter or subbing avocado) that the finished product does not rise that much. Would adding whey protein help it rise (and would it help keep the product together if using avocado which is more moist than butter?) or adding xanthan gum? Maybe I could beat the better longer to add more air?
Carolyn says
The whey protein might help a bit. But remember that avocado, although very fatty, is more than just plain fat like butter. Like you said, it has moisture…it also has fiber. All of that could be contributing. I might an extra egg and possibly more leavening agent.
Diane says
These look fantastic! Can’t wait to make them. Thank you so much for doing all the hard work for us first so we can benefit. Two questions please: 1) what are the sugar or sweetness equiv to 12 drops and 6 drops stevia extract? I have erthritol but may be using liquid sucralose for the stevia. 2) Could I use heavy whipping cream for the almond milk or would that mess things up? Thanks much!!
Carolyn says
The sugar equivalent of 12 drops of stevia extract is about 2 tbsp. Don’t use HWC, use water or a mix of water and cream.
Angela says
Hi, Carolyn! I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to you for doing this incredible blog. My hubby and I were on a low-carb lifestyle (and lost a significant amount of weight), but then got burned out because we thought we could only have lots of meat, cheese, veggies, etc. Your recipes have opened up a whole new world to us. I tried your brie, ham, and green apple Panini last night (hubs said it tasted gourmet), and I plan to try this cupcake recipe for our church’s Trunk or Treat this Friday. Thank you for giving us such a fresh, vibrant start again on our healthy lifestyle journey!
Carolyn says
Hi Angela – thank you for coming to let me know. It’s always so great to hear from readers and know my recipes help!
Lance says
Hi Carolyn, Would I be able to substitute full fat FAGE Greek Yogurt for the butter orwithout affecting the flavor or texture in the cupcakes, without causing some other problem. I have to keep my carbs very low, but I also need to be careful of saturated fat. If yogurt would work, how much would I need to use? I was thinking of unsweetened apple sauce as sub as well. Difficult to be low carb and low fat.
Carolyn says
Yogurt (or applesauce) has more moisture than the butter, so you can sub it, but I think you will need to reduce the added liquid by a bit. I’d start with half of the liquid in this recipe, then add as needed. Remember, batters like this are thicker than conventional batter, so it should be “spreadable” but not “pourable”, if that makes sense.
Lance says
Thanks so much for this. To eliminate liquid, would you reduce the amount of egg (that seems to be the only liquid except for small amount of almond milk?) I wish there were a fat that I could use to replace butter in baking that was healthier than butter – like avocado is – but I suppose there is no easy fix. If you have one, I would be thrilled to know.
Carolyn says
In my world, Lance, butter is considered very healthy. I know you said you are reducing fat and carbs but most people would advise against that and a great deal of evidence is coming out in favour of high fat (including saturated fat) diets. I don’t like to tell people how to eat but grassfed butter is an incredibly healthy part of a low carb diet.
However, if you still want to make this recipe without it, then you do need to reduce the almond milk. Try 3 tbsp to start with.
Lance says
Thanks Carolyn, I really appreciate your thoughtful response. I agree, sat fats can be a a very good thing, I am very aware of the evidence surfacing in the last few years about it. Still, I am careful. Just for fun, I’ll try it with the reduction once to see.
Carolyn says
Let me know how they turn out!
Candace says
These look amazing! I will be using THM sweet blend. What amount should I use?
Carolyn says
I don’t really know because I’ve never used it. Sorry I can’t be of more help but I think people on the THM Facebook group should be able to help.
eve baum says
I am Not sure what I did wrong because it’s like the egg mixture went to the bottom and the coconut chocolate espresso layer went on top… I made them with my own coconut flour by using a coffee grinder and unsweetened coconut. I also used Truvia. and no liquid stevia… they tasted amazing just worried. What did I do wrong??
Carolyn says
I am going to guess that it was the homemade coconut flour, which may not have been as fine or as homogenous as commercially ground coconut flour.
Kristen says
This is exactly what happened to me! I used Truvia and ground my own flour as well.
myra says
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe, I omitted the coffee and stevia and replaced the almond milk with coconut milk and used xylitol instead of erythritol. I paiired the choc cupcakes with plain cream cheese icing. My hubby says its better than the real thing and I think so too… I divided the batter into 12 and ended with perfectly flat cupcakes that rose to the top of the muffin pan. I made changes according to the ingredients I had on hand but the result was so awesome I will stick to it. Just next time will try the expresso version. Thanks again. Myra
Carolyn says
Sounds wonderful. So glad you liked them!
Emma says
Made these yesterday! I weighed my cocoa powder, I think it needed more than the weighed “tbsp” measurement.
Do you sift your coconut flour before scooping? I did that this time, since I’ve had real trouble with clumps with coconut flour in the past, and wanted to be sure I measured right.
The batter was VERY watery (thin pancake batter), so I worried and added a bit of extra coconut flour which may have contributed to them being less dark colored and dryer than your photos.
Do you have photos of the batter? When I do low carb baking I always get nervous when I get to mixing the batter or dough, because I never know what consistency it should be! Stuff like coconut flour is so subjective to measure (weigh? sift? volume?) and absorbs liquid so readily that I never know if I did it right, or wrong!
other than that, the sweetness, crumb, rise, and texture were GREAT! I made these paleo and dairy free for a friend with numerous food allergies, so subbed so delicious coconut milk and coconut oil for almond milk and butter. Any reccomendations for chocolate frosting recipes (dairy free subs if possible)?
Please do include some batter photos if you have them, and in the meantime if you could speak to what it looks like, that would be great!
Thanks so much, I love your recipes and writing 🙂
Emma says
Oh, and I just used 1/4 cup of steviva blend (ery. with stevia) as I didn’t have plain e. 🙂
Carolyn says
I don’t have batter photos and I made this a long time ago. But you were right to add more coconut flour. It should not be that thin. I do not sift my coconut flour and I use Bob’s Red Mill so all of that can make a difference.
Emily says
I made these tonight. I didn’t have any espresso powder, so I put caramel extract in the frosting instead, and they were delicious. Could not believe how much like regular cake they taste!
Savannah says
Did not have any instant coffee or expresso on hand, and I didnt want the caffeine at night anyway, so I just made them plain chocolate, and I added some sugar free hersheys chocolate chips into the batter. I doubled the recipe and made a dozen… for those wondering about using a pure powder such as Kal, I used about 1/8 tsp Kal pure stevia extract powder for the doubled recipe. With pure stevia, starting out with less is always better, since you can always add more, but if you overdo it to begin with, it will be ruined and bitter. I also used some xylitol plus the amount of called for erythritol. They were SO delicious!!! I have made other coconut flour recipes that did not turn out very well or tasted very coconutty. These did not taste like coconut at all… On the contrary, the flavor was spot on with a regular chocolate cake! Texture was fabulous too, not too dry or soggy. Thank you so much for your fantastic recipe!!!! Cant wait to try them with the coffee and expresso another time!
Savannah says
Edit- I think I actually added even less than 1/8 tsp kal stevia… I was nervous about adding too much and making them bitter… That’s why I added the xylitol to pump up the sweetness.
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it! and thanks for the tips on pure stevia.
Jay says
I’m confused about your comments about carbs and subtracting erythritol? What are the net carbs (carbs-fiber) for the cupcakes? And also for the frosting?
Carolyn says
Erythritol does not affect blood sugar so it shouldn’t be counted into the carbs either. I used to list them, I no longer do. So the net carbs of the cupcakes themselves would be 4.2 g and the net carbs of the frosting would be 1 g. Hope that helps!
Debbie says
What can I substitute for coffe e
Carolyn says
Do you mean in the buttercream?
Debbie says
Where do I find the granulated sugar that is used in these recipes
Carolyn says
The erythritol? You can purchase it in many groceries. My favourite brand is Swerve and it’s probably best to order online. I have a coupon code for my readers that gets them 10% off of all orders – DREAM10.
http://www.swervesweetener.com/103.html
tara says
hi, i’ve had next to zero luck with coconut flour –if I leave out the liquid stevia, will it affect the texture of this cake? It seems like everything affects a coconut flour recipe!
Carolyn says
The amount of liquid stevia in this recipe is so minor, it won’t affect the texture. However, you will find that it’s not sweet enough without some sort of additional sweetener.
Belen says
Hi Tara,
I didn’t have liquid stevia so I used powdered instead, and it was perfect 🙂
Jane says
Thanks so much. One more question sorry! Have you had any experience with freezing this recipe? I have to take the cake to another state and ice it there. I was planning to bake it tomorrow, cool, freeze and thaw out on Friday for party. Wondering if I should just try to make it there Fri AM but could be difficult as at someone else’s house. Have you found it to be pretty stable after baking? You know how flax meal breads change a bit in texture. I’m planning to make all my non low carb family eat this so I’m on the spot!!
Jane says
Hi! I want to make the cake version for my son’s birthday. If I use Swerve as sweetener is that essentially the same as plain erythritol? And should I still use the stevia? I usually find stevia bitter so am nervous about using it. I also have stevia glycerite would that work? Thanks!!
Carolyn says
Hi Jane. Yes, put the same amount of Swerve in and still use the stevia. I think you will find that in combination, they don’t have any aftertaste. But feel free to use the stevia glycerite, that’s fine for the stevia.
Lisa says
These look so yummy. I can wait to make them, however my son is allergic to almonds, so could I use coconut milk?
Carolyn says
Yes, coconut milk would be fine.
Courtney says
Thank you!!!! My youngest daughter was just diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and I have been scouring the Internet for some decent low carb baking recipes. This did not disappoint!!! She loved them, and they were just like “normal” cupcakes for her. 🙂
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it! I have lots of great cupcake recipes that she might like.