Welcoming all things spring today with these Flourless Ricotta Cupcakes! These mini cupcakes are super light, moist and chocolatey, and topped with the most delicious chocolate coconut cream. The perfect addition to your spring time celebration!
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We are just a few days away from Easter, and I'm currently thinking all things spring, pastels and chocolate! So naturally, I'm baking up mini gluten-free chocolate cupcakes and dreaming of carrot cake! That's totally appropriate, right?!
What are your plans for this upcoming Easter weekend?
In addition to planning my weekend baking and celebrating spring, today, I'm celebrating my one-year blogiversary! The first post I ever shared on Crumb Top Baking was this recipe for Triple Berry Chia Jam, and I hit publish on March 27, 2017!
In some ways that seems like so long ago, and in other ways it seems like yesterday! I've learned so much over the past year, and met so many lovely folks and fellow food bloggers along the way. And, of course, I couldn't do any of this without my super supportive husband, family and friends! They were my first blog readers and continue to be my daring taste testers!
I'm totally excited for the year ahead, and I continue to be grateful for all of you (talking to you reader and virtual friend!), who take the time to visit my little ol' blog every week! Thank you so much!
So what better way to celebrate my year of blogging than to revisit one of my early recipes. These Flourless Ricotta Cupcakes with Chocolate Coconut Cream were originally published in April 2017. But since that time, I've made some adjustments to the recipe, and updated the photos. So I thought the timing was perfect to share this revised recipe with you!
You can make these cupcakes year round, but I think they work really well for spring brunches and afternoon tea parties (and yes, I totally want to host a tea party!). These cupcakes are chocolatey and taste a bit decadent, but they're also bite-sized with a light texture, so perfect for occasions that call for just a little something sweet.
I also love that these are gluten-free. The recipe calls for ground almonds, ricotta, cocoa, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, baking powder and salt. Pretty simple ingredients. I don't often eat a lot of dairy, but ricotta seems to work for me, and I love the texture it creates in these cupcakes.
If you're a long-time follower, you know I have a slight obsession with whipped coconut milk. It's such an awesome dairy-free dessert topping and it goes perfectly with these Flourless Ricotta Cupcakes.
Whipped coconut milk has a light taste and texture, and the consistency is perfect for piping onto cupcakes. And you don't have to worry if you're piping technique isn't great (mine sure isn't)! That's what sprinkles are for. They disguise all sorts of imperfections in your piping abilities! 😉
As usual, if you make these cupcakes, I would love to hear about it in the comments below. You can also follow Crumb Top Baking on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest and comment on my recipes there!
📖 Recipe
Flourless Ricotta Cupcakes with Chocolate Coconut Cream
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- ¾ cup full fat ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup ground almonds
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the chocolate coconut cream:
- 2 cans (400 ml each) full fat coconut milk , (refrigerated - see note)
- 3 tbsp. maple syrup
- ⅛ cup cocoa
- Sprinkles or coconut for topping, optional
Instructions
For the cupcakes:
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and place 9 small baking cups (not mini muffin liners) on a baking sheet or in a shallow baking pan.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, maple syrup and vanilla. Next, whisk in one egg at a time.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the ground almonds, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until combined. Do not over mix. The mixture will look a little gritty, but this is just the texture of the ricotta cheese.
- Add the batter to the baking cups, filling a little over half way. Do not overfill as the cupcakes will rise as they bake.
- Bake for 30-32 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the chocolate coconut cream:
- Open the refrigerated coconut milk and scoop out the solidified coconut cream and add to a deep mixing bowl. (Discard the coconut water or save for another recipe).
- Using an electric mixer, beat the coconut cream on high for one minute. Scrape down the sides and add the maple syrup and cocoa. (To minimize the cocoa dust, just add the cocoa a little bit at a time, mixing for 30 seconds after each addition).
- Continue beating the coconut cream mixture on high until all ingredients are well combined and the cream is fully whipped. This could take a few minutes, so be patient!
- Add the coconut cream to a piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes, or spread on with a knife. Top with sprinkles or coconut.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 2-3 days.
Notes
- In order for the coconut milk to solidify and separate from the coconut water, the cans of milk must be refrigerated for 24 hours, or at least overnight.
- For a gluten-free recipe, ensure your sprinkles are gluten-free.
- This recipe was originally published in April 2017 but was updated and republished in March 2018.
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Nutrition Facts per Serving
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the substitutions made and the brands used.
Did you make this recipe or have any questions?
I love reading your comments and addressing your questions, so please leave your comments and ratings or questions below!
heather (delicious not gorgeous) says
these look so decadent and chocolatey! and congrats on a year of blogging - that's such an awesome milestone to reach (:
Leanne says
Thanks Heather! The year definitely flew by! And yes, these are definitely decadent and chocolatey! 😉
Denise from Urb'n'Spice says
Happy 1st-year blogiversary, Leanne! I am delighted to see your recipe because I have two grandchildren who are gluten and dairy free. Your cupcakes will be a hit for sure! They are adorable!
Leanne says
Thanks so much Denise! These cupcakes are definitely gluten-free, but unfortunately, they're not dairy-free as they contain ricotta. But the chocolate coconut cream topping is completely dairy-free! 😉