These wonderfully fluffy keto cupcakes, pleasantly flavored with vanilla extract, are delicious on their own, and downright sinful with the decadent, luscious chocolate frosting.
An easy 30-minute recipe that you mix in a single bowl, they keep well in the fridge and can also be successfully frozen.
I love chocolate baked goods and make these low-carb chocolate cupcakes often. But sometimes you want a simpler flavor profile, and these cupcakes fit the bill.
Pleasantly flavored with vanilla and oh so fluffy, these keto cupcakes are a real treat. I like to frost them with chocolate frosting, but you can also use vanilla frosting if you prefer.
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Ingredients
Here's an overview of the ingredients you'll need to make these tasty keto cupcakes. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below.
Eggs: I use large eggs in almost all my recipes, this one included.
A neutral oil: Avocado oil has a neutral taste so it works well here. Sometimes I use macadamia nut oil.
Vanilla extract: Try to use pure vanilla extract if you can.
Sweetener: I use stevia, but you could probably replace it with a granulated sweetener.
Almond flour: An excellent flour substitute that bakes very well. You should definitely use blanched finely ground flour. I don't recommend using a coarse almond meal in this recipe. There's a difference.
Salt: Just a pinch to highlight the other flavors.
Baking powder: Make sure it's fresh. And if you need it to be gluten-free, double-check to ensure it is.
For the frosting: Unsalted butter, heavy cream, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and a sweetener. I use stevia. If you opt for a granulated sweetener, please use a powdered sweetener for the best consistency.
Instructions
The recipe card below will give you detailed instructions for making these keto cupcakes. Here's an overview of the steps:
Quickly mix the cupcake batter by hand, in a single bowl. No extra dishes to wash! Yay!
Divide the mixture between six cupcake liners and bake the cupcakes for about 15 minutes in a 350°F oven.
While the cupcakes are cooling, make the chocolate frosting. Then, when the cupcakes are cool, frost them.
Expert tip
I highly recommend using greased foil liners when baking with almond flour or coconut flour. It's been my experience that these baked goods do much better in terms of sticking when I use foil liners.
If you'd rather not use foil, you can use paper liners, but make sure to grease them well. There could still be a bit of sticking, but it might be worth it to you. Your call!
Frequently asked questions
I like to use oil in this recipe because I feel that it keeps the cupcakes extra moist. I use macadamia oil, but any neutral-tasting oil (such as avocado oil) will work.
I do believe that unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, would work too, although I haven't tried that.
Yes. I decided on a rich chocolate frosting because I like the contrast in colors and flavors.
Purists will probably prefer a vanilla frosting, in which case I highly recommend using this cream cheese frosting. It's wonderful!
This happens to me too. I simply use a knife to shave it off prior to frosting them, as shown in the video below. If you don't plan on frosting the cupcakes, the dome can stay.
Dutch-processed cocoa is not as acidic as natural cocoa butter. It's smoother, milder, and darker. So it will work best in this recipe.
However, if you only have natural cocoa powder, that should work too. Dutch-processed cocoa powder will usually be marked as "processed with alkali."
Yes. Otherwise, the frosting will melt. If you don't want to wait an hour for the cupcakes to completely cool, you can place them, still on the cooling rack, in the fridge. They will cool in about 20 minutes.
Storing leftovers
Once completely cool, store these cupcakes in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. Remove them from the fridge an hour before enjoying them. The frosting won't be as good when cold.
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Recipe card
Keto vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
INGREDIENTS
Cupcakes:
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite (equals ½ cup sugar)
- 1 cup blanched finely ground almond flour blanched, finely ground (4 oz)
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (gluten-free if needed)
Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (4 oz)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (20g; it's best to use Dutch processed)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite (equals ½ cup powdered sugar)*
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line 6 muffin pan cavities with foil liners and lightly grease the liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, vanilla, and stevia.
- Add the almond flour and whisk it in thoroughly until the batter is very smooth.
- Whisk in the salt and baking powder.
- Divide the batter between the cupcake liners. The batter will be fairly thin.
- Bake the cupcakes until puffed and a toothpick inserted in their center comes out clean, 15-17 minutes.
- Place the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the liners and place them directly on the cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour, or place in the fridge to cool quickly (should take about 20 minutes in the fridge).
- If your cupcakes have an uneven dome, gently shave it off before frosting, as shown in the video below.
- To make the frosting, place the softened unsalted butter, heavy cream, cocoa powder, vanilla, and stevia in a medium bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat on low to incorporate, then beat on medium for about 1 minute, until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Spoon the frosting on top of the cupcakes and gently spread it. Or use a piping bag to pipe it onto the cupcakes.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
NOTES
NUTRITION PER SERVING
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 