Chocolate coconut cupcakes

These delicious cupcakes definitely have more calories than your average white flour cupcake, but you know what I notice? You actually feel satisfied after one or two minis. You feel nourished. Blood sugar doesn’t sky rocket, and you don’t come crashing down. Real ingredients send your brain signals that you’re done. Refined ingredients tell your brain to keep looking for more food.

Credit: Alexx Stuart

• makes

  12

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 40 g raw cacao
• 140 g gluten-free flour (see Note)
• 2½ tsp baking powder or just under 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 40 g desiccated coconut
• 1 tsp vanilla bean powder or 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 180 ml (⅔ cup) rice malt syrup (or coconut syrup or maple syrup)
• 100 ml butter, melted
• 60 ml (⅓ cup) coconut milk
• 50 ml almond milk (or whole milk)

Simple chocolate icing

• 75 g avocado
• 75 g cold coconut cream ‘top’ (see Note)
• 75 g coconut sugar 
• 50 g raw cacao powder

Makes 12 large muffins or 30 small

Chilling time 1 hour (for the coconut cream 'top')

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180˚C.

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, sifting to make sure there are no lumps. Pop wet ingredients into another and mix well. Pour dry ingredients into the wet, and combine together. It will be really liquidy - let it stand for 2 minutes to firm up, then spoon into the muffin tin. Bake for 25 minutes for large muffins and about 15 minutes for minis – just check a skewer comes out clean.

For the icing, blitz coconut sugar in a blender or mini food processor on high for 15 seconds. Add everything else and blitz on medium speed for 5-10 seconds until well combined.

Ice cupcakes and pop in fridge to set for 20 minutes if you have time, otherwise just serve straight away. It has a rich chocolate mousse consistency when freshly made. So, so good!

Note

• To make your own grain-free gluten-free flour, use 85 g buckwheat flour combined with 30 g coconut flour. Alternatively you can use other flours such as spelt, but this will not render it gluten-free.

• To get the cocont cream 'tops', place a can of coconut cream in the fridge for 1 hour and it will separate beautifully, so you can just scrape off the thick top, which is perfect for making icing. You can use the rest of the can for smoothies, porridge or hot chocolate.

Recipe from Alexx Stuart by Alexx Stuart, with photographs by Alexx Stuart.

Read our Kitchen Farmacy interview with Alexx Stuart and view more recipes by her.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.