These paleo and keto Chocolate Cupcakes with almond flour are gorgeous and perfect for any special occasion! They have a soft and tender crumb, a light texture, and an intense chocolate flavor. The recipe can make cupcakes or can be doubled to make a gorgeous layer cake with a sugar-free chocolate buttercream frosting.
If you have any kind of special occasion coming up, these paleo & keto chocolate cupcakes with almond flour (or cake!) are perfect! They have a soft and tender crumb, are incredibly moist, and have an intensely rich chocolate flavor.
The recipe below is for 12 cupcakes or one 8 or 9 inch round cake, but can easily be doubled for a 2-layer cake or 24 cupcakes.
If making a cake, I recommend an 8-inch cake pan, but a 9-inch cake pan will work too.
If you use a 9-inch cake pan, be sure to reduce the cooking time to around 25 minutes so it's not over baked. Also, keep in mind that the cake will be a bit thinner than it would be if baked in an 8-inch cake pan.
🍫 Natural, unsweetened cocoa powder vs. dutch processed cocoa powder
Natural cocoa powder is acidic and reacts with baking soda, while dutch processed cocoa powder is neutral and will not react with baking soda. Dutch-processed cocoa is usually called for when only using baking powder.
For this recipe, I use natural, unsweetened cocoa powder with baking soda for proper leavening. The homemade buttermilk is acidic too so it also reacts with the baking soda to give added moisture and rise.
Why use both baking soda and baking powder
Since I'm using baking soda, buttermilk, and natural cocoa to leaven the cake you may wonder why I also use baking powder.
This is because baking powder gives added leavening and helps keep the cake from falling after an initial rise in the oven.
Butter or oil
For this recipe, I prefer to use grass-fed butter, even though the chocolate taste will easily overpower the butter flavor.
I prefer grass-fed butter because it not only produces a better texture, but it has many health benefits such as vitamin K-2 (which is good for your arteries!), healthy fats, and anti-inflammatory properties.
While I love avocado oil and it can be used in place of the butter in this cake, avocado oil will cause the cake to be a bit heavier and denser so it may not rise as well and will slightly sink.
The sweetener
For the sweetener, I recommend an erythritol-based keto sweetener.
I like to use a Monk Fruit Erythritol Blend because it has less of an aftertaste than pure erythritol and can easily be masked by the chocolate flavor.
To see a full guide on how to pick the perfect sweetener, see my Ultimate Keto Sweetener Guide!
For Paleo, use coconut palm sugar.
*Note-As a special gift to my readers, I've teamed up with Besti Sweeteners to give you guys 10% off! Simply use the code "CRAVEABLE" at checkout.
🔪 Easy instructions
Start by setting out some milk or non-dairy milk on the counter with 1 tsp. of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar. This is basically a homemade buttermilk mixture.
Buttermilk helps achieve a moist crumb. It also reacts with the baking soda in the cake to help it rise, so it's quite important!
Then, in a large mixing bowl whisk together some blanched almond flour, ground flax seeds, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and unsweetened cocoa powder.
If there are any clumps, use your fingers to break them up. Set aside.
Next, add the butter and the sweetener to a medium-sized pot and heat over low heat until butter is melted and most of the sweetener has dissolved.
Then, add the homemade buttermilk mixture, 2 Tbsp. of brewed coffee, and pure vanilla.
The brewed coffee will not make the cake taste like coffee! It just enhances the chocolate flavor.
If you would rather, though, you can replace the coffee with additional milk.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry then add the eggs one at a time until incorporated.
🍰 For cake
If making a keto chocolate cake, pour the batter into a parchment-lined and greased 8-inch cake pan.
Please don't skip the parchment paper! If you skip the parchment paper you will have trouble with the cake sticking.
🧁 For cupcakes
If making keto chocolate cupcakes, evenly distribute the batter between 12 muffin cups. The batter should barely fill the baking cups over halfway.
If they are filled more, they will have crisp edges with a dome. We want flat cupcakes so they are easy to frost without crispy edges.
For the cake, bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes and for the cupcakes bake 16 to 19 minutes.
Do not over bake or the crumb will be dry - and no one wants dry cake! They are done when a toothpick inserted into the center barely comes out clean.
Keto frosting
Cool completely and frost with Keto Chocolate Frosting, Vanilla Keto Buttercream Frosting or Keto Cream Cheese Frosting. Or, if you're looking to be adventurous, make it into a to-die-for Keto German Chocolate Cake!
Or check out this recipe on How To Make Strawberry Sauce For Cheesecake from Low-Carb Yum and this Low-Carb Peanut Butter Mousse from Simply So Healthy.
I think both recipes would be SO DELICIOUS as a filling between the cake layers with chocolate buttercream on the sides and top of the cake. Oh. My. Goodness. So Yummy!!!!
💭 Top tips
- Do not over bake the keto chocolate cupcakes or cake, if you do, it will turn out dry! The cake is perfect when a toothpick inserted into the middle barely comes out clean.
- The recipe below is for one 8-inch keto chocolate cake or 12 keto chocolate cupcakes. It can easily be doubled, though, to make a double layer chocolate cake or 24 cupcakes.
- While oil can be used, I recommend using grass-fed butter. Grass-fed butter has many health benefits and produces the best texture. Oil is a bit heavier than butter so it will cause the cake to be denser and slightly sink.
- If making cupcakes, the batter should make enough to barely fill the baking cups over halfway full. If they are filled more, they will have crisp edges with a dome. We want flat cupcakes so they are easy to frost without crispy edges. You also run the risk of them sinking if they are too full.
- If making a cake, please don't skip lining the pan with parchment paper! If you skip the parchment, you will have trouble with the cake sticking to the bottom.
- This recipe calls for natural, unsweetened cocoa powder, not dutch processed cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa powder will not produce the same results.
- All ingredients must be room temperature. Cold ingredients prevent the flours from mixing properly and can interfere with how the cake rises.
If you’ve tried these Keto Chocolate Cupcakes With Almond Flour {Or Cake!}, please let me know in the comments below!
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📖 Recipe
Keto Chocolate Cupcakes With Almond Flour {Or Cake!}
Ingredients
- ¼ Cup Unsweetened, Non-Dariy Milk
- 1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar or Distilled White Vinegar
- 3 Large Eggs - room temperature
- 1 ¼ Cup Blanched Almond Flour - finely ground
- ¼ Cup Ground Flax Seed
- ½ Cup Natural, Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - not dutch processed
- 1 tsp Baking Powder*
- ½ tsp. Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp. Sea Salt
- 1 Cup Keto Granulated Sweetener - see notes below, or coconut palm sugar for Paleo (can use ¾ cup if you prefer them less sweet)
- ¼ Cup Grass-Fed Butter (can use non-dairy)
- 2 Tbsp Brewed Coffee - or additional milk
- 2 tsp Pure Vanilla
- Keto Chocolate Frosting - for frosting cake or cupcakes (see more frosting options above in post)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- For cupcakes, grease or line 12 baking cups. For cake, line the bottom of an 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and grease the edges. Set aside.
- Place the eggs in a bowl of warm water and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the milk and vinegar. Set that aside also.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, flax seeds, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
- In a medium-sized pot, add the butter and sweetener. Heat over low heat until the butter is melted and the sweetener is mostly dissolved. Then, stir in the milk mixture, brewed coffee, and vanilla.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Then add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each one until completely incorporated. Pour batter into prepared cake pan or fill each baking cup barely over half full. Do not fill to top. If for some reason you have extra batter, make more cupcakes instead of filling the baking cups to the top.
- For cake, bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out barely clean. Since all ovens are different, check after 25 minutes to make sure it's not baking quicker so it doesn't dry out! For cupcakes, bake 16-19 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center barely comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
Notes
- To make grain-free baking powder, combine 1 part baking soda with 2 parts cream of tartar and 2 parts tapioca, arrowroot, or potato starch.
- For Paleo, simply sub out the sweetener for coconut palm sugar.
- Do not over bake the cake or it will turn out dry! The cake is perfect when a toothpick inserted into the middle barely comes out clean.
- The recipe below is for one 8-inch cake or 12 cupcakes. It can easily be doubled, though, to make a double layer chocolate cake or 24 cupcakes. If using a cake pan larger than 8-inches, the cake will be shorter and you'll need to reduce the baking time.
- While oil can be used, I recommend using grass-fed butter. Grass-fed butter has many health benefits and produces the best texture. Oil is a bit heavier than butter so will cause the cake to be denser and slightly sink.
- If making cupcakes, the batter should make enough to barely fill the baking cups over half full. If they are filled more, they will have crisp edges with a dome. We want flat cupcakes so they are easy to frost without crispy edges. You also run the risk of them sinking if they are too full.
- If making a cake, please don't skip lining the pan with parchment paper! If you skip the parchment, you will have trouble with the cake sticking to the bottom.
- This recipe calls for natural, unsweetened cocoa powder, not dutch processed cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa powder will not produce the same results.
- All ingredients must be room temperature. Cold ingredients prevent the flours from mixing properly and can interfere with how the cake rises.
- For the sweetener, I recommend an erythritol-based keto sweetener. I prefer a Monk Fruit Erythritol Blend because it has less of an aftertaste than pure erythritol that can easily be masked by the chocolate taste. To see a full guide on how to pick the perfect sweetener, see my Ultimate Keto Sweetener Guide!
- For Paleo, use coconut palm sugar for the sweetener and non-dairy butter.
- As a special gift to my readers, I've teamed up with Besti Sweeteners to give you guys 10% off! Simply use the code "CRAVEABLE" at checkout.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary.
Looking for more information on the keto diet? Check out these resources:
Just made this cake today, turned out fantastic!!! I did leave out the flax meal, and used 1/2 cup coconut flour, and 3/4 cup almond flour. My husband gets German Chocolate Cake every year for his birthday, and this recipe was so easy, well written, and no clumpy egg yolks in the coconut/ pecan mixture!! So excited for thos delicious recipe!! Thank you!
Hi Maria!
Sorry, I wasn't quick enough with my response to your question about the flax until you had already made the cake, but it sounds like it turned out great! I'm SO happy you liked the recipe, thanks for letting me know!!
...I'll have to try it using the coconut flour/almond flour combo you used, sounds delish!
-Cassidy
Keith? Delicious, and I plan on making this! What does the flax do? Can I use something eles?
Ignore the keith....lol
These were delicious!!
WHOA, these look awesome! YUM Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
I hope to see you again this week!
Stop by this week to see if you were the winner of the Sugar and Spice Prize pack! We had a super great variety of recipes and entries this week!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
These look awesome! Been gf since 2004, but now grains like rice are trouble for me too. Can't wait to try your recipe. Pinned the recipe:) I posted http://www.sewsweetvintage.com/2012/12/impossibly-sweet-ikea-and-trujoy-gluten.html to the gf monday party:)