Triple Chocolate Cupcakes (Gluten Free)
These triple chocolate cupcakes are ridiculously indulgent, easy to make and intensely chocolatey. With moist chocolate cupcakes, a luxurious chocolate fudge sauce and rich chocolate buttercream frosting, these cupcakes are without doubt one of the best chocolate desserts out there.
Servings 24 cupcakes
Ingredients
For chocolate cupcakes:
- 3 medium eggs, room temperature
- 6 tbsp yogurt or sour cream
- 3/4 cup + 1/2 tbsp (190 mL) milk, room temperature
- 3 tsp lemon juice
- 3 1/3 cups (400 g) plain gluten free flour blend (I've used a simple shop-bought blend containing only rice, potato and maize flour with no added xanthan gum)
- 3/8 cup (45 g) cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 7/8 cups (375 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 sticks (339 g) softened unsalted butter
- 5 1/3 oz (150 g) dark chocolate, melted
For chocolate fudge sauce:
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp (100 mL) milk
- 1/4 cup (30 g) cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 3 1/2 oz (100 g) dark chocolate, chopped, divided
- 1 1/2 tbsp (40 g) unsalted butter
For chocolate buttercream frosting:
- 6 sticks (680 g) softened unsalted butter
- 4 cups (480 g) powdered/icing sugar
- 1 cup (120 g) cocoa powder
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
- 10 1/2 oz (300 g) dark chocolate, melted and cooled until warm/room temperature
Instructions
For chocolate cupcakes:
- Pre-heat the oven to 355 ºF (180 ºC) and line cupcake baking tin(s) with cupcake liners.
- In a small bowl, mix together the eggs, yogurt or sour cream, milk and lemon juice. Set aside.
- Sift together the gluten free flour blend, cocoa powder, xanthan gum and baking powder. Add in the sugar and salt, and mix well.
- Add the softened butter to the dry ingredients. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer with the double beater attachment, whisk the butter into the dry ingredients until you get small, pea-sized pieces.
- Add the milk+egg mixture and whisk until you get a smooth cupcake batter.
- Add in the melted chocolate and whisk until evenly incorporated.
- Evenly distribute the cupcake batter among the cupcake cases – they should be each about 3/4 filled.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven at 355 ºF (180 ºC) for about 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool.
For chocolate fudge sauce:
- In a saucepan, mix together the cocoa powder, sugar, milk, salt and half of the chopped chocolate. Heat until the chocolate has melted and you get a smooth mixture.
- Remove from heat and add in the butter and the rest of the chopped chocolate. Mix everything together until the butter and chocolate have melted.
- Set aside. The chocolate fudge sauce will thicken slightly while cooling.
For chocolate buttercream frosting:
- In a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer with the double beater attachments, beat the butter for 2 - 3 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar, and beat for a further 5 minutes.
- Add the cocoa powder and salt, and beat until evenly distributed in the buttercream.
- Add in the melted (and cooled) dark chocolate, and beat until you get a rich, fluffy chocolate frosting with an even chocolate brown colour.
Assembling the cupcakes:
- Use an apple corer or a piping nozzle, turned upside-down, to create a hole in the middle of each cupcake. Fill it with the chocolate fudge sauce.
- Pipe the chocolate buttercream frosting with piping nozzle of choice (I used a Wilton 2D nozzle).
- Sprinkle with chocolate shavings or sprinkles of choice.
- Enjoy!
Storage:
- The triple chocolate cupcakes keep well in a closed container in a cool dry place for about 2 - 3 days.