These gluten free red velvet chocolate cupcakes are deliciously sweet, moist and fluffy. They're also grain free, dairy free and paleo.
Traditional Red Velvet Cupcakes are called 'red velvet' from the chemical reaction that occurs when the acidic ingredients are combined with the cocoa making the batter red in hue. Specifically, the cocoa contains a pigment that reacts with buttermilk and vinegar creating a beautiful color.
Today's red velvet cupcakes get their bright red coloring from artificial food dyes or in the form of the natural coloring of beets.
In order to create a Paleo, gluten free version of this muffin, free of grains and refined sugars, I use almond flour in place of wheat flour and fresh grated beets and raw honey to sweeten it.
To keep it dairy free I used coconut milk in place of buttermilk and coconut oil in place of butter. You will be surprised that these muffins do not taste like coconut. The raw cacao powder seems to hide the coconut flavor well.
Also in place of the white vinegar, I used apple cider vinegar because that is all I had in my kitchen, but you can use either or.
The muffins turned out super good and I am very pleased with the results. The texture is light, soft and fluffy just as you would expect.
Also, to keep it from being too sweet I used only 2 tablespoons of raw honey and ¼ cup of dark chocolate chips and topped it with an unsweetened coconut-vanilla glaze and a fresh cherry.
Recipe
Red Velvet Chocolate Cupcakes With Coconut-Cherry Glaze
Ingredients
- ¼ cup beets, peeled and finely grated
- 1¼ cup blanched almond flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 7 tablespoons full fat coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons raw honey, add more if you like it sweeter
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
Coconut-cherry Glaze:
- 1 can (400ml) full fat coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 fresh cherries, pitted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with baking cups.
- Mix together the blanched almond flour, baking soda and raw cacao powder.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, coconut milk, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, honey, egg and grated beets.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently mix the wet and dry ingredients together.
- Fold chocolate chips into the batter.
- Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each to the top.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.
- Set pan on a wire rack to cool, then top with the coconut glaze and a fresh cherry.
Coconut Glaze:
- Place a can of full fat coconut milk in the fridge overnight.
- Scoop the coconut cream that forms on top of the can into a bowl, being careful not to mix with the water in the bottom of the can.
- Add the vanilla extract and using a handheld or stand electrical mixer, whip the coconut cream until fluffy.
