Can almond meal be used in place of almond flour in these cupcakes?

Almond flour is made with almonds that have had the skins removed (blanched almonds), so it has a finer texture. Almond meal is made with almonds that have the skins left on so it has a coarser texture. I don't recommend using almond meal as it will affect the texture of the cupcakes.

Can these cupcakes be made with homemade almond flour?

As long as you are using blanched almonds and you can grind them into a fine texture, it should work fine.

Can these cupcakes be made vegan?

To make these cupcakes vegan, you would need to replace the 4 eggs with an egg substitute, which I have not tested. If you give it a try, please let me know how it goes.

Can these cupcakes be made with a different type of flour?

These cupcakes were only tested with almond flour. If you're looking for a chocolate cupcake recipe made with wheat flour, these chocolate zucchini cupcakes are a great option!

Can you use natural cocoa instead of Dutch processed?

Dutch-processed cocoa adds a rich and intense chocolate flavor to both the cupcakes and frosting. While you can substitute with natural cocoa in the frosting, I don't recommend substituting it in the cake. Natural cocoa is naturally acidic, and while this usually works with baking soda to leaven baked goods, it didn't work that well when I tested it in these cupcakes. For that reason, I would stick with Dutch-processed.

Almond Flour Chocolate Cupcakes

Description

These Almond Flour Chocolate Cupcakes are perfectly moist, rich and fluffy with a decadent homemade chocolate peanut butter frosting swirled on top!

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

2 cups (208g) fine blanched almond flour
1/2 cup (50g) Dutch-processed cocoa, sifted if lumpy
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (or kosher or table salt)
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup (90g) brown sugar, loosely packed
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
1/4 cup (60ml) maple syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the frosting:

1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 tablespoons shelf stable smooth peanut butter
1 cup (120g) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
1/2 cup (50g) Dutch-processed cocoa, sifted if lumpy
3-4 teaspoons milk (more if needed)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a 12-cavity cupcake pan with parchment cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, use an electric mixer set to medium-high speed to beat together the eggs and brown sugar for 20-30 seconds until the mixture is frothy with bubbles on top.
Add the oil, maple syrup and vanilla and beat for another 15 seconds until just combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined. Don’t over mix.
Use an ice cream scoop to portion the mixture out into the cupcake liners, filling each 3/4 full.
Gently tap the bottom of the pan off a hard surface to help remove any air bubbles.
Bake for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out with just a few crumbs on it.
Let cool for 10 minutes before transferring the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the frosting, place the butter and peanut butter in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer (hand beaters or the paddle on a stand mixer), beat together on medium-high speed until smooth.
Add the powdered sugar, cocoa, milk, vanilla and salt, and beat together on low until the sugar and cocoa are mixed in. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat together until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
Top the cupcakes with frosting and enjoy!

Notes

If you have a kitchen scale, I recommend weighing your ingredients. If you’re using cup measurements, be sure to use the spoon and level method for the flour, cocoa and powdered sugar.
As you’ll want the batter and frosting to mix together smoothly, be sure to bring your refrigerated ingredients to room temperature before you get started.
If your powdered sugar and/or cocoa are lumpy, it’s best that you sift them before adding them to the other ingredients. This will help create a smooth batter and frosting.
While beating the eggs and sugar until frothy helps to aerate the eggs and create fluffy cupcakes, over beating them will create too much aeration and air bubbles in the batter. This will cause small air pockets or holes to form throughout the cupcakes. Over mixing the batter can also result in dense and/or sunken cupcakes.
I always use parchment paper liners as they work best for releasing cupcakes. Other liners tend to stick to cupcakes.
Be sure to check out the other sections above the recipe card for more detailed advice and suggestions for making this recipe.