Copycat Hostess Cupcakes. The classic childhood treat made over to be low carb, dairy free and grain free. Healthy indulgences!
Today is my 41st birthday. And you might think I made these low carb dairy-free Hostess Cupcakes to celebrate but I did not. See, in order to bring you a recipe, I have to make it, photograph it and write about it several days or even weeks in advance. So these pretty little things were actually made several weeks ago, and they weren’t with my birthday in mind at all. I just wanted them. Waiting until my birthday to make them was just not good enough for me. And really, should we have to wait for birthdays or other special occasions to eat cake? I think not.
I made these dairy-free for no other reason than I wanted to. I don’t have any issues with dairy myself and copious amounts of butter, cream and cheese pass my lips on a daily basis. But I’ve had a can of coconut milk in the fridge for some time, for the express purpose of making low carb coconut whipped cream. I thought it would make a great filling for some copycat Hostess Cupcakes. And I figured since I was going that far, I might as well go whole hog and make everything dairy-free. Food intolerances often got hand in hand, sadly, and many readers have expressed that they have a dairy intolerance along with a gluten or wheat intolerance. I am nothing if not accommodating to my readership!
It was good to challenge myself in this way. I figured it would be easy to adjust my standard recipes for dairy-free ingredients, and for the most part it was. But I learned a few little things in the process, useful tidbits for the dairy-free folks. I already knew that coconut oil makes things more tender than butter. Since these cupcakes needed to be sturdy enough to be filled, I used a little less coconut oil than I normally would butter. I also found that coconut whipped cream won’t stay as whipped at room temperature as traditional whipped cream, so I had to refrigerate the cupcakes to keep the filling from becoming too runny. And finally, coconut oil chocolate ganache…oh my. Very different than butter-based chocolate ganache. It was very runny when I first made it, so I couldn’t get it to stay on the tops of the cakes. I tried refrigerating it to thicken it up, but then it hardened up too quickly so I had to remelt it. Finally I whisked in some cocoa powder to firm it up and let it cool until it was just barely pourable. I spooned it over the tops of the cakes and spread it around.
The results of my dairy-free experiment were utterly delicious. And for those of you that aren’t coconut lovers, they didn’t taste like coconut at all. My kids, who can be a little funny when I use “different” ingredients, went absolutely gaga over these. They met all of my own expectations…chocolatey cupcakes with a creamy vanilla center and a chocolate glaze on top. Like the cupcakes of my youth without the guilt.
Copycat Hostess Cupcakes – Low Carb, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free
Copycat Hostess cupcakes made low carb, gluten free, dairy free and grain free. A healthy indulgence!
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 2 cups almond flour
- 2/3 cup dark cocoa
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/3 cup meringue powder (unsweetened powdered egg whites)
- 1 tbsp instant coffee (optional, improves chocolate flavour)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda OR 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (omit if using baking powder)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup Kelapo coconut oil
- 3/4 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp Stevia Extract
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (omit if using baking powder)
Cream Filling
- 1 15-oz can full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
- 5 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener, divided use
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache
- 2 1/2 tbsp Kelapo coconut oil
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 3 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325F and line 15 muffins cups with paper liners (parchment ones are best for non-stickability). I realize this is an awkward number of cupcakes but it's how the recipe came out! I did my last 3 after the first 12 were baked.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut flour, meringue powder, instant coffee, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
- In a large bowl, beat coconut oil with sweetener until well combined. Beat in eggs, vanilla extract, and stevia extract.
- Beat in half of the almond flour mixture, and then almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Beat in remaining almond flour mixture until well combined.
- Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full with batter and bake 18 to 22 minutes, until just firm to the touch and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove and let cool 10 minutes in pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Using a knife or a 1 inch round cookie cutter, core each cupcake and cut just the top off each core (to put back on the filled cupcakes).
Cream Filling:
- Remove can of coconut milk from the fridge and flip it upside down. Open can and pour off all the coconut water (reserve for smoothies or some other use).
- Scoop out all of the coconut cream and place in large bowl.
- Add 3 tbsp powdered sweetener and vanilla extract and beat until it resembles whipped cream.
- Spoon filling into center of each cupcake and then top with thin top from cupcake cores. You will have some leftover cream filling and will use some of it for the white squiggles across the top.
- Refrigerate cupcakes while preparing ganache.
Chocolate Ganache:
- Melt coconut oil, chocolate and sweetener in a small pot over low heat, stirring until smooth.
- Stir in cocoa powder until smooth.
- Let sit 20 to 30 minutes until thickened, (but don't let it completely cool or it will become too hard - you want it thick enough to spread over the tops of the cakes).
- Remove cupcakes from fridge and use a spoon to spread ganache over the top of each. Chill until set.
- For the white writing across the top, mix 2 tbsp of leftover coconut cream filling with remaining 2 tbsp powdered Swerve until smooth.
- Spoon into a plastic baggie with the very tip cut off and pipe onto cooled cupcakes in whatever design you wish.
Recipe Notes
Serves 15. Each cupcake has 12 g of carbs and 6 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 6 g.
295 Calories; 26g Fat (73.8% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 61mg Cholesterol; 248mg Sodium
Happy Birthday! These look so delicious.
Happy Birthday! I am very excited to try! My Swerve order is expected to arrive today! Just to clarify…I have Clear NuStevia, is this stevia extract? I hope so! Typically, as I am still new to this type of baking, I am missing one ingredient, but if that’s the extract and my Swerve arrives, my guys will get a treat tonight!! Have a marvelous day!! Your Iowa friend.
Yes, I think the clear NuStevia will be fine. I use NuNaturals a lot.
Happy Birthday!! Today is also my husband’s birthday and I’m making your brownie cheesecake to celebrate. This recipe looks delicious! Question though – the last few cans of coconut milk I’ve had do not do what they are supposed to after I refrigerate them overnight. I open the can up, and the contents are rock hard and I have to scrape it out to get it out of the can, and then it obviously does not thicken at all because it’s so crumbly and hard. Does this mean I have a bad can of coconut milk?
I have NO idea! Hmmmm. What brand is it? I think I used Taste of Thai for this last one…
I tried with 2 cans of Taste of Thai and no luck! I bought Thai Kitchen this time so we’ll see if it works. You put it in the fridge unopened right? And don’t shake it or anything?
You can purchase coconut cream straight away and it would work too! I can’t wait to try this!
Nice! I’ve actually been making your ganache (for the peanut butter tart or the nanaimo bars) with coconut oil all along. I love the way it firms up when chilled (kind of like that ‘magic shell’ stuff). For those I just pour it on (as the pan will contain it), but for cupcakes, maybe holding the cupcake upside down and dipping into the ganache would work? I’ve dipped fruit (raspberries, strawberries) in it, and I’ve also made little bonbon things out of the leftover crust of the peanut butter tart – at one point I mixed the leftover crust with a little peanut butter, rolled into balls and dipped in the ganache. yum!!
I actually tried the dipping, but couldn’t quite get it as thick on there as I wanted. I think if I were to do that, I would dip once, refrigerate them and then dip again to get a thicker coating.
Happy Birthday Carolyn!
For your birthday, a little story. My brother and his wife live overseas, they have a daughter age 9. Sometime ago, I shared the book Wheat Belly with them, and my own story about going gluten free and losing my Asthma. So I think that they are trying to eat less gluten, but have been fooled by the media and the advertisers, that if a box or package from the store says it’s gluten-free it must be healthier. Last night, I was talking with my niece and I asked her what she had baked recently. She said brownies. I asked Box or Homemade. She said box, but then added that they had added two kinds of nuts. I begged to guess which kind. My guess was macadamia nuts and walnuts. Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding….I was correct! My niece was charmed. So then, I told her we had just come back from visiting my in-laws, where my mother-in-law celebrated a milestone birthday. I asked my niece if she would care to guess how old my mother-in-law was. I gave her this hint: she was over 85, but under 92. She guessed 90. Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding…..she was correct! You win a new pillow!
Happy Birthday again Carolyn, I can’t wait to make this with my niece, the next time we are together.
Those are seriously fantastic! I think I would eat way too many of these in one sitting.
Happy Birthday Carolyn! These look like the real deal, but so much better. Love that perfect swirling on top and thanks for all the tips on working with coconut oil and coconut milk.
Happy Birthday Carolyn!!!!
Happy Birthday! Thank you for all you do.
Happy birthday and I hope you are experiencing some great and much-needed Spring-time weather today!
Happy Birthday, Carolyn. Hope your day has been fun filled, and that you got to spend it with people you treasure. And I, too, want to extend my thanks for all the wonderful creations you manage, somehow, to come up with – they have certainly enriched my life and my diet, when I had feared my options were few. I am not sure how you manage to do it, and to post new recipes as often as you do, but I’m not complaining! Cheers.
Happy, happy birthday! I’m just chiming in with my thanks for all your recipes. Hope you had a great day.
One of your CA fans…Leslie
Happy Birthday, Carolyn!!! 🙂
Happy Birthday Carolyn! Hope you have a great day enjoying these fabulous cupcakes. They sound delicious!
I was just thinking I wish I could find a low-carb hostess copycat recipe. So glad I found and subscribed to your blog.
Thank you for this great recipe, happy “B” day hope you had a fun one. I will make these for St. Patrick’s day tinting the filling green. They will look great with the green piping sitting on a plate with a green doily.
Happy birthday! Just remember that someday, 41 will sound really young to you! Enjoy it while you can.
I was thrilled to see that this is dairy free. I still can’t eat eggs or almonds, but am back on chocolate, so I can have the icing and filling!
Hi,
Just a quick question about the meringue powder. The only ones I could find have sugar in the ingredients list. In fact, in some, sugar was the 1st ingredient. Is there a particular brand you recommend that won’t have sugar?
Thanks!
Leslie
The brand I have is Deb El and I got it at Whole Foods. It is simply pasteurized egg whites, no sugar.
Thanks. I knew you’d have one without sugar!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday! You truly are a blessing to us all and are very much a life saver in sticking to a healthy diet for several different health challenges. Thank you so much! I hope you had a great day and an even better year!
OMG you’re killing me, girl. One of my real weaknesses, Hostess cupcakes.
I want to try these, but I don’t understand the purpose of the meringue powder. At first I thought it might be a replacement for raw egg whites in the frosting or filling, but I see now that it’s part of the cupcake ingredients. So if it’s going to be baked, what is the benefit of using powder instead of plain egg whites?
In the absence of gluten, which is a protein, additional dry protein helps the cupcakes rise properly.
Hello, if I don’t have the meringue powder, can I use whey protein powder instead?
Yes, that would be fine.
I made these last night- just the cupcake… No filling or ganache. I used Honeyville flours and powdered xylitol instead of Swerve. I also went almost a whole cup of cocoa ( i was almost out anyway and I love chocolate!). These cupcakes are fantastic!!!!! Even my picky nieces loved them (age 4 & 5). And they’re so filling you CAN have just one and feel satisfied. Thank God for your website!!!!:)
Glad you liked them!
Hi thank you for posting this amazing recipe!
I followed the directions to a T and mine for some reason did not turn out..
It made more than what you said above and it also seemed very oily, It is also very crumbly and falls apart.. any suggestions…
No, there is no way for me to tell what went wrong. What brand of almond flour did you use? How about the sweetener?
This looks amazing Carolyn!! Just a quick question – how does the meringue powder work in this recipe? Does it make it more compact? Thanks 🙂
They are a bit lumpier than things I make with dairy products but no, not more compact.
Hey there–I’m not a fan of sugar substitutes. Would coconut sugar work with this?
I am not sure. It would be fine in the cake itself but not for the frosting, I think.
Have you tried erythritol to sweeten such as Swerve or from NOW brands? It has no weird aftertaste and unlike other sugar alcohols doesn’t upset your GI tract. It doesn’t affect like blood sugar levels and it’s totally natural. It’s worth a try if you don’t like stevia or splenda or those others.
I have a friend who loves junk food, and I told her I could make a healthy version of just about any ‘junk’. I brought these to her house, and she snarfed 2 of them immediately. Her daughter loved them as well. I didn’t have meringue powder, but used egg white protein powder, and it seemed to work. She invited me back, only if I bring another dozen of these! Thank you SO MUCH for the recipe!!!
I love it when we win over a die-hard sugar consumer!
Happy Birthday Carolyn. So glad I found your web sight. It has helped me out for many birthdays and holidays and just any days.
Thanks again
I’m making these for a dairy-free friend (& myself!). I’m a little nervous about the “coring” of the cup cake. I use a knife to cut out a 1″ hole. I can envision the cutting around part, but how does it detach? Do I angle my knife so the core I remove is more cone shaped? Now that I write this, it sounds like a stupid question – but I’m submitting it, just to be sure!
Just press inwards lightly with the knife and jiggle it out. That should work. When I core mine with my round corer, sometimes a little stays in the cupcake and I just scoop it out with a spoon.
Hi Carolyn! I seriously live and die by your website (well, my keto does). I have yet to try a recipe that didn’t turn out flipping fantastic, so *thank you*!
I’m having friends over this weekend and I would love to make these babies, but I cannot find sugar-free meringue powder anywhere- unfortunately, the closest Whole Foods is over an hour away. Any idea of worthy substitution?
Thank you in advance!
Hmmmm…you could use hemp protein but it’s greenish – the cocoa powder might be dark enough to cover it up. Or if you don’t have any objection to dairy, then you can do whey protein.
Hi there,
I hope this email finds you well. I’m writing to you on behalf on Mashable, a leading source for news and information for the Connected Generation. We have over 40 million unique monthly visitors and 20 million social media followers.
I’m the lifestyle intern and I frequently cover and health wellness. I’m writing a story about surprising foods that someone can grill and I was wondering if I could use the information from this recipe and the images. I would attribute all proper credit to you guys, however you prefer.
I also sent you an email!
Thanks!
Kathleen Wong
Hi Kathleen, you certainly can and I’d love to be included but this isn’t a grilled recipe. Were you looking for my pound cake that was grilled?
I just made these for a friend’s birthday and they are better than the original! Sooo yummy! I love that they are dairy free. The coconut whipped cream center is so good. Just wanted to say I could not find unsweetened egg white powder anywhere and I went to 3 different health food stores and a regular grocery store before I gave up. And so I left it out and the cupcakes turned out great. I filled my liners a little higher than you said and made 12 perfect cupcakes. Just in case someone else can’t find it I don’t see why its necessary. Thank you so much for the recipe. I am gonna make them again for my birthday in 2 weeks. 🙂
Glad they turned out. It’s not “necessary”, I suppose but a protein powder will help your cakes rise and hold their shape better. I did a little video about it on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/AllDayIDreamAboutFood/videos/1264344686926251/
I have a ragweed allergy and can’t use stevia. Should I just leave it out or add more swerve?
Add more Swerve. My stevia conversion is 1/4 tsp stevia = 1/4 cup Swerve
I was so looking forward to trying this recipe but I have to laugh at your calling them dairy free. FYI: eggs are dairy. Guess I’ll have to look elsewhere.
Hi Kat. Let’s clarify what dairy is. Dairy comes from mammals, typically cows and other four-hooved animals, that have mammary glands and feed their young by nursing them. Eggs come from chickens, and chickens are birds. Chickens are not mammals. They do not have mammary glands and they feed their young by regurgitating food that they have swallowed. Eggs are most certainly NOT dairy products. If this recipe were meant to be egg-free, I would have specified egg-free.
For further clarification on this subject, I refer you to this article. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/14/eggs-not-dairy-are-they_n_5976814.html
Hello Carolyn, Have you thought of adapting this recipe into a copycat Saunders Bumpy cake? Oh how I miss those. That is what I had every birthday. Just a square single layer rich chocolate cake with large thick high rows of buttercream frosting and topped with a chocolate ganache. It looks like everything here would work except you may need to replace the “cream” with a thick buttercream frosting recipe. If you have a frosting recipe that you could point me in the direction of, I could probably try it myself, although I don’t know about the proper proportions to fill an 8″ x 8″ pan.
I have never heard of that at all!
These are DELICIOUS!!!! Seriously no one even knows they are healthy! Thank you!