There are so many healthy versions of things these days, but a lot of the time the healthy versions don’t stack up to their full-sugar, full-fat counterparts. It makes it much harder for people like me who want to cut down on their sugar intake, but struggle when we need a sweet kick that just isn’t satiated by healthy versions of treats and desserts.

Having said that, there are some times when you just need to make something slightly more healthy, and that really does satisfy the sweet tooth cravings. This is one of those times. The cupcake itself is gluten and sugar-free, however the icing does have icing sugar – just not nearly as much as you would normally find in a recipe.

The gluten-free reasoning behind these cupcakes is because I was making them for a friend’s birthday, and another friend also at the birthday celebration has a gluten allergy. Normally he gets left out of desserts/catered events because of his allergy, but I wanted to make sure he got some yummy goodness too (even if it wasn’t his birthday).

These cupcakes were devoured, and the ones that may have been slightly ruined due to strong waves were taken home by those who just wanted to eat more.

They’ve been taste tested and approved my multiple people. And because it’s nearly midnight, I shall leave you with the recipe, which has been adapted from Elana’s Pantry.

Ingredients

Makes 24 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
1 cup almond meal/flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
16 eggs
3/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup honey

For the icing:
1 cup coconut oil
300 grams dark chocolate
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups icing sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Add the dry cupcake ingredients to a food processor, and blend until well combined. Alternatively, add the ingredients to a large bowl and stir together.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the food processor, and blend for several minutes until fully incorporated. (Or whisk all ingredients using a handheld electric whisk).
4. Pour the chocolate batter into cupcake liners, or silicone cupcake moulds.
5. Bake in the oven for about 15 – 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
6. For the icing, in a saucepan, melt the coconut oil and dark chocolate over a low heat until fully melted and combined.
7. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla extract and allow to cool in the fridge for 15 – 20 minutes.
8. Using a handheld electric whisk, on a medium speed, beat in the icing sugar about 1/2 a cup at a time, until the icing is glossy and thick – if you want to pipe the icing, you may need to add a bit more sugar.
9. Spread the icing over the cupcakes, and enjoy.