Dairy & Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Cupcakes
The Easter weekend is finally here and we’ve got one more Easter inspired recipe. It’s our Dairy & Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Cupcakes.
I love chocolate around Easter time. Traditionally it is in the form of Easter eggs for the Easter Hunt, but these cupcakes decorated with Chocolate Covered Almonds makes a great Easter treat.
How to Make our Dairy & Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Cupcakes
These cupcakes were actually inspired by a bag of Jordon Almonds that I had in the pantry. Coated in pastel colours and looking like eggs, these screamed Easter to me and I decided that a chocolate almond cupcake would pair well.
For the Dairy & Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Cupcake
I love to reuse recipes that work and create new flavors and combinations. For the chocolate cupcake base, we used our Gluten Free and Dairy Free Chocolate Patron Cupcake as the base. This is actually optional because you could use almost any gluten free chocolate cupcake recipe as the base with one addition or swap. Almond Extract
Traditionally people use vanilla extract and coffee to enhance the flavor of chocolate cake. But the addition of the almond extract in this cupcake created the chocolate almond flavour that I was looking for.
Almond Buttercream
To make the almond chocolate flavor really pop, we added an almond buttercream to the cupcake instead of the traditional vanilla flavour. This is also an optional addition especially if you want a milder almond flavor to your finished cupcake.
If you want more almond flavor you can use the almond buttercream or if you prefer the milder option, use the vanilla buttercream.
Decoration
What makes these cupcakes easter inspired is the decoration to the top. To complete the cupcakes, we piped green icing to look like grass, then added the chocolate covered almonds to look like eggs. In addition to looking nice, it gives the cupcakes and nice crunch to the cake.
Once you’ve made your cupcakes and decided on your buttercream flavour, it’s simply a matter of assembling your cupcakes and serving them up for easter. For us, we also added some peeps chickens to some to give a chicken on a nest kind of look.
This option is super simple and gives a really nice look to the cupcakes. Here’s the step by step of how we created them.
So cute, I’m thinking about making another batch just to have for myself! Along with the Vanilla Marble Bunny version I’m thinking. I hope you enjoy the recipe and if you make it don’t forget to tag us!
Happy Easter Foodies
Love always
Dairy & Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Cupcakes
The Easter weekend is finally here and we’ve got one more Easter inspired recipe It’s our Dairy & Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Cupcakes.
Ingredients
Chocolate Almond Cupcakes
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup cocoa
- 1/2 cup hot water
- 1 1/4 cup GF 1:1 flour (Bob's Red Mill 1:1 works great)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- Pinch Salt
- 2 XL eggs
- 1 tsp Almond Extract
Almond Buttercream
- 1/2 cup butter or dairy free substitute
- 2 cups Icing Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Almond Extract or Vanilla extract
Decoration
- Green Food Coloring
- Jordan Almonds
- Peeps
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line three 6 cup cupcake pans with liners and set aside. (18 in total)
- In a bowl or glass measuring cup mix together 1/2 cup cocoa with 1/2 cup boiling water until well combined then set aside to cool.
- Next in another bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using a paddle hook, blend together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg one at a time, mixing to combine, then add almond extract.
- Once the eggs and butter mixture are well combined, add the dried ingredients alternately with the cocoa mixture. Starting with the flour and ending with the flour. Mix to combine but trying not to over mix.
- Fill the cupcake pans about 3/4 way with batter and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes until a toothpick stuck through the center comes out clean.
- Once the cupcakes are done, remove from pan and let cool.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 1/2 cup softened butter and mix to incorporate air.
- On low, add the icing sugar slowly, in two parts while mixing to blend together.
- Next add the almond and beat for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add green food colouring until desired colour and mix to combine well.
- If the frosting is too thick, simply add a little milk 1 tsp at a time until desire consistency is reached.
- If it's too thin add some more Icing Sugar.
TIME FOR THE FROSTING!
DECORATING THE CUPCAKES
- To decorate your cooled cupcakes, fit a piping bag with a small star tip. Fill with green food coluring.
- Carefully pipe a ring like nest over the top of the cupcake of star dabs to look like grass.
- Top with Jordan almonds to symbolize eggs in the nest or add a peep chicken with almonds to look like a bird in a nest.
- Next Serve at your next Easter gathering!
