Moist Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

These Chocolate Cupcakes are such a great recipe to have up your sleeve if you need a delicious allergy-friendly treat (they are also nut-free and soy-free!). We have four kids and for all their birthday parties I always bake a quick and easy batch of these Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes alongside the main birthday cake. To be honest they always fly off the table much quicker than the birthday cake itself. After all who can resist a chocolate cupcake?! And the children (who are always more discerning than the adults – although it might be that they have no filter and will happily let it be known if they don’t like something) have no idea that these are allergy friendly.

Of course they are not just for kids and I always make sure I keep one back so I can enjoy it later after all the kids have gone home.

These cupcakes work best with my Homemade Gluten-Free Flour Blend but all the other ingredients are easy to find dairy-free staples available in most UK supermarkets and you can see below for some of my favourite brands. I also like to use just cocoa powder for both the cupcake batter and the buttercream as I find true dairy-free chocolate which is great for baking sometimes tricky to find.

No special equipment is needed for this recipe, they mix up just fine using one bowl and a hand mixer. They bake really quickly and the buttercream is an absolute cinch to make. I’ll give you the best tips on how to decorate these easily, with or without a piping bag and how to manage the plant-based ingredients which can be more temperamental.

Watch the Video

Sometimes it helps to see a visual of what I'm talking about. So watch the video to see what it looks like to make your Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes.

Ingredients Needed

Chocolate Cupcakes

Gluten-Free Flour – FTL Blend. This recipe uses my Homemade Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour which works really well here as the flour ratio has been carefully tested to ensure the mix between wholegrain flours and starchy flours is balanced. This also means we don’t need to use xanthan gum as the blend is strong enough and produces a well-structured and textured bake which can hold together without needing any extra binders.This flour blend is a mix of 4 different flours: sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour), sorghum flour, oat flour, tapioca flour (tapioca starch).

There are plenty of flour substitution tips ideas if you click on the original post for this homemade flour mix.

Do not substitute the flour for another all-purpose gluten-free flour or for a single origin flour. The recipe will not work the same. It is always better to use a trusted flour blend in your vegan/ gluten-free baking as gluten-free flour doesn’t have the same kind of structural support as plain flour. It’s always going to be a trickier bake. My Homemade Flour Blend works so much better than most branded blends as it has a balanced ratio of wholegrain to starchy flours and no xanthan gum is needed to prop it up.

Cocoa powder. Choose a high quality organic brand if possible. This recipe was tested with Dutch-processed cocoa powder which means it has been treated with an alkalizing agent to neutralize its acidity. This is the more common type in the UK – but do check the labels to make sure it is safe for your allergies. I find the best cocoa powder for vegan cupcakes should be quite rich, especially here where we are only using cocoa powder and not chocolate. Choose a brand which is quite dark in colour (I have been using a supermarket own brand which works very well) so you can have a buttercream with a strong chocolate colour. But honestly, use the brand that suits your budget and is available to you. Most UK brands (and supermarket own brands) work well, just make sure to check the ingredients always.

Olive oil. This is my preferred oil in cakes rather than vegetable oil or coconut oil. But to avoid a strong flavour use a flavourless mild and light olive oil.

Light Soft Brown Sugar. Using brown sugar adds a gentle molasses flavour and moisture to the batter, enhancing the depth of taste and providing a subtle caramel undertone, contributing to a more flavourful and moist bake.

Milled (ground) chia seeds. Chia seeds are great to use in vegan recipes lieu of eggs as they absorb moisture and form a gel-like consistency when mixed with liquid (in this case – water), which means the sponge has a little more elasticity and a moist and tender texture. I prefer using milled chia seeds in my baking recipes as they are not as noticeable in the finished recipe and breaking them down allows them to be mixed more evenly into the cake batter.

Plant-based yoghurt. This recipe was made with The Coconut Collab’s Natural Yoghurt. It adds moisture, tenderness, and a subtle tangy flavour while contributing to the overall richness of the batter.

Vanilla extract. You don’t need to use the best quality vanilla extract here as there's already a lot going on with the flavours and it won't make a difference. A supermarket brand is just fine.

Apple cider vinegar. The acidity in the vinegar reacts with the bicarbonate of soda to help with the rise which is perfect for egg-free baking.

Baking powder. A leaving agent which causes the cake to rise and become light and fluffy. Do check your baking powder is gluten-free before use.

Bicarbonate of soda. Also known as baking soda, this is a white crystalline powder that is commonly used as a leavening agent in baking.

Salt. I like to use kosher salt in my baking as it has a round gentle flavour. Using salt in your baked goods lifts and sharpens all the other flavours.

Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Buttercream

Icing sugar. (powdered sugar). Icing sugar is preferred over white sugar in buttercream because it dissolves more easily, resulting in a smoother and less grainy texture, while also contributing to the desired consistency and sweetness of the buttercream.

Plant-based butter. I use the Flora Unsalted Block Butter Alternative for this buttercream. This recipe hasn’t been tested with an alternative but it’s quite a forgiving buttercream recipe so if you are confident in your usual dairy-free butter brand that it is suitable for buttercreams then you are welcome to use an alternative.

Cocoa powder. I choose to use cocoa powder only for this buttercream as it’s a larder staple in our house (and vegan chocolate isn’t), it keeps the cost down as well as vegan chocolate can be expensive. Plus it helps keep the buttercream more stable as the plant-based butter doesn’t hold its structure as well as real butter.

Vanilla extract. Again, like the cupcake itself I just use a supermarket own brand here as it’s just to enhance the cocoa not the main flavour.

Salt. A pinch of salt really helps offset the sweetness, I use kosher salt for its gentle flavour.

Dairy-free chocolate. (not pictured) I just use a little of this to create the chocolate curls to decorate the cupcakes. Totally optional.

Equipment Needed

All of these items are helpful for a smooth baking process, but you can easily substitute with whatever you have on hand.

• 1 large mixing bowl.
• Electric mixer (or whisk). Optional. If you have a stand mixer then they are great to use too.
• Silicone spatula for scraping the bowl.
• Trigger-release ice cream scoop to fill your cupcakes cases (optional – you can just spoon it in).
• 12-hole regular muffin tin for baking the cupcakes.
• Large cupcake liners (often called muffin liners). They measure 2 inches (5cm) at the base of of the liner and are about 1.25 inches (4cm) tall. I used these brown muffin cases.
• Wire rack for cooling the cupcakes.
• Sieve for sifting cocoa powder and icing sugar.
• Offset spatula / knife  / teaspoon / piping bag and piping tip for applying buttercream.

Step-By-Step Method

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.

Making the Chia Egg: Mix chia seeds with water and set aside to gel.

Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb, and salt.

Wet Ingredients: In another large bowl, whisk oil, sugar, chia gel, yoghurt, vinegar, and vanilla.

Combining Wet & Dry Ingredients: Mix wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just fully combined.

Fill Cases & Bake: Divide batter between cases and bake for 25 mins.

Buttercream: Beat plant based butter with icing sugar until creamy.

Sift in cocoa powder, vanilla and salt and beat again until light and fluffy. Use to frost the cooled cupcakes.

Easy Cupcake Decorating Tips

Teaspoon Method

I decorated these in the image above without a piping bag and just a teaspoon to show you how easy it is to decorate these cupcakes without all the fancy equipment.

Just scoop a heaped teaspoon of buttercream onto the centre of each cupcake and use the back of the teaspoon to push the buttercream out towards the edges.

Piping Tips

If you only want to buy a couple of piping tip then my favourites are the open star piping tip 1M and the closed star piping tip 2D as you can use them to pipe so many different basic patterns. Although my 2D gets the most use.

Make sure you choose metal tips over plastic tips which will give much better results.

Here’s the two easiest techniques which you can do using either piping tip (although I prefer the look of the 2D with deeper more defined swirls which is the tip I used for these images):

1. Rosette. I think that this piping technique is easier to master than the basic swirl and looks more fancy. Start piping from the centre of the cupcake outwards in concentric circles until you reach the edges of the buttercream. Don’t pipe up, keep it all on one level. This technique uses less buttercream than the basic swirl.
2. Basic Swirl. Start piping from the outside edge of the cupcake and pipe in concentric circles towards the centre of the cupcake, gently moving your piping bag up so the buttercream pipes high and swirly.

Just remember..

• Fill your piping bag then twist the end closed. Hold your piping bag with your dominant hand at this twist. All the buttercream is underneath your hand and you squeeze the bag from this position pushing the buttercream down gently and slowly. You can use your other hand to hold the bag steady nearer the tip if you like.
• Hold your piping bag directly above the cupcake and pointing down (not at an angle). It shouldn’t be touching the surface of the cake.
• Move the bag gently and slowly. I know I said that already but don’t rush it.
• And if you don’t have a piping bag then you can fashion something out of a ziplock bag but to be honest I find it a bit of a faff. It’s easier in this instance to just use the teaspoon method.
• If you are using the chocolate curls on top - they will cover any uneven piping and always make them look a little more pro.

Recipe Variations

Vegan Chocolate Ganache. It’s totally viable to switch out the buttercream for a chocolate ganache topping. It’s a richer alternative and I prefer it if I’m serving the cupcakes to adults (I mean kids enjoy both but the ganache can be a more expensive option due to the price of vegan chocolate). Gently stir together 150g chopped dairy-free dark chocolate and 120ml hot full-fat coconut milk until smooth and glossy, then let cool until it’s thicken enough to onto the cupcakes.

Nutella-Style Chocolate Centre. Choose a dairy-free Nutella-style chocolate spread. Remove a little of the chocolate sponge centre from each baked and cooled cupcake using an apple corer. Spoon a teaspoon of the chocolate spread inside each cupcake, replace the removed sponge back on top and decorate with buttercream.

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes. Add zest of 1 orange to both the cake batter and the buttercream. Although if you have food grade orange oil then that is very nice in the buttercream as it doesn’t leave little lumpy bits of zest in the finished smooth result. Use ¼- ½ teaspoon in each. Orange extract is less concentrated and you can use about 1 – 1 ½ teaspoons. You can taste the batter before baking to ensure you are happy with the flavour.

More Vegan and Gluten-Free Cakes You’ll Love

This delicious fluffy Gluten-Free Vegan Vanilla Sponge Cake has layers of soft vanilla sponge filled with a whipped plant-based lemon cream and filled with fruity jam.

Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread with Coconut is a glorious rich gluten-free cake, intense with chocolate, chewy with coconut and beautifully moist from the banana. Covered with glossy chocolate and snowy with coconut flakes.

These soft and fluffy vegan Banana Peanut Butter Streusel Muffins are packed with flavour, sweet and nutty, and topped with a crunchy crumble—perfect for breakfast or snacking.