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 1/4 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
- 2/3 cup (80 g) coconut flour
- 2/3 cup (121.33 g) Swerve Sweetener, or other granular sweetener
- 6 tbsp (30.43 g) cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (27 g) whey protein powder, chocolate, vanilla, or unflavored
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) leftover coffee or water, more if needed
Espresso Buttercream:
- 2 tbsp hot water
- 2 tsp instant espresso powder, or instant coffee
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 6 tbsp (85.21 g) butter, softened
- 4 oz (113.4 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (62.5 g) 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 1/4 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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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?
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!
What can I substitute for coffe e
Do you mean in the buttercream?
Where do I find the granulated sugar that is used in these recipes
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
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!
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.
Hi Tara,
I didn’t have liquid stevia so I used powdered instead, and it was perfect 🙂
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!!
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!!
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.
These look so yummy. I can wait to make them, however my son is allergic to almonds, so could I use coconut milk?
Yes, coconut milk would be fine.
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. 🙂
So glad to hear it! I have lots of great cupcake recipes that she might like.
Could theese be sweetened with honey?
Sure!
I made these today, and was so happy. They were just like a normal cupcake, without that eggy taste. I made some with espresso and some with peanut butter frosting. Fantastic recipe!
I am just discovering coconut flour and almond flour. As my 1st venture into this realm I made this recipe – as well as the Jorge Cruise choc cake in a mug (made with almond flour). This recipe is sooooo much better. the cupcakes are light and taste similar to red velvet cake. Instead of the icing, I add some non-fat light whip cream for a low calorie option. It’s perfection! the cupcakes keep well in the refrigerator. Can’t wait to try some of the other recipes.
Glad you liked it!
I made these today and they turned out great! I was so excited to find your blog! In my grocery, coconut flour is so much cheaper than almond flour so I have been trying to use it more. I lost 30 pounds 5 years ago going low carb and I have kept it off and feel great. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Thanks!
Wonderful! Glad they worked and glad you found a good source of coconut flour!
I want to use pure stevia extract (powder) in place of the eythritol; how much would your recommend using? 1/8 teaspoon? I will still add the twelve drops of liquid stevia as well.
I haven’t used the powdered variety yet, but 1/8 tsp to 1/4 tsp sounds about right from other recipes I’ve seen. Maybe find another chocolate cupcake recipe that uses powdered stevia, then go with half of that because this recipe only makes 7 cupcakes.
Oh! sorry, one more question, is it really under 10 grams of total net carbs per cupcake with the icing?
Yes, it really is, if you subtract for the erythritol. I have used it extensively and tested my blood sugar frequently…it has almost no effect on my glucose levels so I count it as 0 carbs. It’s a personal preference. If you are someone who does net carbs, then you can also subract the fiber (which is indigestible, therefore shouldn’t count as a carb), and the total is 5.6 g of net carbs per cupcake.
Oh! Another question. Is it okay to feed kids these, mine are only 9 and 6 and don’t do coffee, will it affect them (the caffeine, and isn’t it more in espresso)? Could I make them with a bit more cocoa instead of the coffee granules?
Espresso actually has less caffeine in it then regular coffee (the darker you roast the bean, the less caffeine). However, the coffee in the cupcakes is really just for offsetting the chocolate flavour, so if you want to skip it, you can. The buttercream could be a different flavour, if you want.
They were to die-for!! I couldn’t wait long enough to ice them, I was eating the icing from the bowl (I should have remembered that I can’t control myself with icing). I found it made a lot of icing for sure for 7 cupcakes, so I had to eat some! My icing was too wet though, I’ll have to reduce or increase something next time….maybe I didn’t quite do enough cream cheese! Spectacular chocolate cupcakes (I didn’t do the espresso, but I will next time). I have never made chocolate anything in baking and I am so pleased with the outcome. They were so light and not at all gritty or anything like so many “gluten-free” products on the market. WOW! 10 Thumbs up!
Thank you!
Can I ask about the coffee granules in the cupcakes? I don’t drink coffee and last night I purchased “espresso granules” for another recipe (mini mochas) that called for espresso granules and now I have these in the house. Can I use the espresso granules in the cupcake recipe instead of coffee granules?
Sure, espresso would be fine.