While writing my Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook, I debated which recipe to feature on the front cover for a very long time. Should it be something classic, like the chocolate chip cookies on P.76 or the fudgy brownies on P.84? Something that looked over-the-top decadent, like the peanut butter cup cheesecake on P.122? An assortment of baked treats?
Eventually, I settled on the dark chocolate cupcakes (P.114), one of my favorite desserts in the entire cookbook. When I awoke on the day of the cover photo shoot, I felt a few butterflies flitting about my stomach as the morning sped past. Even though we’re not supposed to, people still judge a book by its cover… I thought. So it has to be perfect! No pressure or anything, Amy… Oof!
In the kitchen, I sifted through my collection of 31 different paper liners, trying to find the ideal pattern and shade, preferably something that looked subtle and classy. From the back of the drawer, I picked out a sleeve of simple black liners, knowing those would let the tall frosting swirls and plum-colored title text shine.
After pulling the cupcakes from the oven and smelling their tantalizing rich cocoa aroma for what felt like years as they cooled on the counter, I filled a piping bag with the sweet light brown frosting, sneaking a taste from the spatula, and bent over the first treat, which sent the butterflies into a frenzy, threatening to burst out of my chest. Breathe, it’s okay; no pressure! I reminded myself.
I surveyed my tall frosting swirls, selected the three that looked the best, and carefully carried those cupcakes over to the table. After scattering a few baby pink and pastel purple sprinkles around the table, I turned on my camera, peered through the viewfinder, and pressed my finger down on the shutter before checking the image on the tiny digital display. Then repeated. Again and again and again, until I finally captured the perfect shot.
Whew!
Because Healthier Chocolate Treats is coming out as an eBook tomorrow (EEK I’m so excited!! You can see a special sneak peek preview here and order a copy too!) and because I adore those chocolate cupcakes so much, I’m celebrating today with these Ultimate Healthy Dark Chocolate Cupcakes! They’re slightly different than those in my cookbook, topped with my all-time favorite fudgy chocolate frosting instead, and taste as rich and decadent as the ones you’d buy from a bakery.
So it’ll be our little secret that they’re incredibly easy to make and completely healthy!
The recipe begins with two key ingredients: white whole wheat flour and unsweetened cocoa powder. White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, similar to that of all-purpose flour, but it still has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour.
Note: Whole wheat pastry flour would be the perfect substitute, and I’ve included my preferred gluten-free flour blend in the Notes section, too.
As for the second part, you just need regular ol’ unsweetened cocoa powder! Because you’ll use 1 full cup, the cupcakes already taste really rich and dark chocolaty without Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. However, it’s incredibly important to measure the cocoa powder correctly, using either a light hand with the spoon and level method or a kitchen scale. I highly recommend the latter! This is the inexpensive one that I own, and it was the best $20 I’ve ever spent. I use it every day! Too much cocoa powder will dry out your cupcakes and make them taste bitter, but my trusty kitchen scale ensures that the cupcakes turn out perfectly tender and rich every time.
To keep the cupcakes clean eating friendly, you’ll sweeten them with pure maple syrup instead of refined sugar. Be sure to use the good stuff! Avoid pancake syrups or sugar-free syrups; those contain corn syrup or artificial ingredients, which we’re avoiding in this healthier recipe. Pure maple syrup typically comes in thin glass containers or squat plastic jugs, and the only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup.” You can typically find it near the oatmeal at the grocery store, and I’ve also bought it online!
Low-fat cupcakes tend to stick to liners like superglue, so I have a special trick to get around that… Coat the cupcake liners with nonstick cooking spray! This simple tip means the liners will peel away much easier from the cupcakes once they’ve completely cooled. And if the cupcakes still stick more than they should, seal them inside of an airtight container for at least 24 hours to help loosen the liners a little more.
And now for my favorite chocolate frosting! It’s really rich and fudgy, almost like spreading fudge on top of the cupcakes… Pure bliss! Even better, it’s mindlessly easy to make! Simply stir together unsweetened cocoa powder, milk, vanilla, and a little vanilla crème stevia in a bowl. That’s it! You just need a fork—no mixers required—which makes clean-up a breeze!
Note: Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that’s clean eating friendly, and a little goes a long way. You’ll only need ½ teaspoon! This is the kind that I buy because I love its warm vanilla flavor. You can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, as well as online. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Time to celebrate the Healthier Chocolate Treats cookbook! (And maybe with a second cupcake too… Or even a third!)
When you bake yours, remember to snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealtybaking IN the photo! I’d love to see your cupcakes and feature your photo in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| The Ultimate Healthy Dark Chocolate Cupcakes | | Print |
- for the cupcakes
- 1 cup (80g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ¾ cup (90g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ⅔ cup (160mL) pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk
- for the frosting
- ¾ cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp vanilla crème stevia
- To prepare the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners, and generously coat the liners with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the butter or coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the pure maple syrup. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.)
- Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners. Bake at 350°F for 20-22 minutes or until the centers feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To prepare the frosting, add the cocoa powder to a small bowl, and make a well in the center. Pour in the milk, vanilla, and vanilla crème stevia. Stir until thoroughly combined. Spread on top of the cooled cupcakes.
Do not substitute Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. They’ll make the cupcakes taste bitter, and the cupcakes already taste really rich and chocolaty without those two varities!
For the gluten-free flour, I recommend as follows: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (30g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (30g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends will work as well, if measured like this.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, and all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup. Alternatively, ⅔ cup (128g) granulated sugar plus an additional ¼ cup (60mL) nonfat milk may be substituted as well.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
If you prefer not to use the vanilla crème stevia in the frosting, substitute 3 tablespoons (45mL) of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave and decrease the nonfat milk to 5 tablespoons (75mL). You may also adjust the amount of pure maple syrup, honey, or agave to suit your tastes.
It’s VERY important to measure the cocoa powder correctly, like this. Too much cocoa powder in either the cupcakes or the frosting will make them taste dry and bitter, instead of rich and dark chocolaty.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
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Amy, the sample batch did not turn out well. Indeed, the scale is absolutely essential for measuring the unsweetened coco for this recipe because the measuring cup method resulted in very bitter cupcakes and frosting! Unfortunately, the frosting was very runny too, it did not hold it’s shape. I’m not sure what went wrong but they are not edible.
Oh no!! I’m so sorry to hear that Maria. I’d love to help you fix those issues! When you used measuring cups, did you scoop the cocoa powder directly from the container? Also, which frosting recipe of mine did you use — this one or the yogurt-based one? Finally, did you make any modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section?
I will definitaly make it again & again, thanks for sharing <3
I made a glasing with: maple syrop, coccunet oil, powder sugar & coccunet.. it was good for me cuz I’m a coccunet lover!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cupcakes Sondos! That means the world to me that you’d consider making them again — that’s the best kind of compliment! I’m honored! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your glaze too. It sounds lovely!
Can you replace greek yoghurt in any way? Perhaps using milk?
I hope you can help Thank you
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Tahira! Any other yogurt (plain / non-Greek or non-dairy [ie soy- or almond-based]) would be the best substitute for the Greek yogurt. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making these cupcakes!
Hello, if you don’t have yogurt on hand of any kind or even sour cream, is there somwthing else you can use to substitute?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Mercedez! Yogurt will definitely yield the best taste and texture, but if you can’t find any type (Greek, regular, even non-dairy!) in stores right now (I know how impossible that can be with the current events going on in the world right now!), then mashed banana, pumpkin purée, or unsweetened applesauce would work in a pinch. The cupcakes may have a slightly different texture with one of those substitutions, but they’ll still taste deliciously rich and chocolaty! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try making them!
Thats great cant wait I can use this as a base for other recipes as well
Thank you
It’s my pleasure Tahira! I’m always happy to help! 🙂 I’m excited to hear what you think of this recipe!
Can you use any different stevia than the vanilla creme stevia?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Maria! What’s the exact product that you’d like to use? 🙂
I was thinking about Stevia Sweet Crystal, it’s a sweetener that looks a little bit like sugar but is actually stevia.
Thanks for sharing Maria! It looks like Stevia Sweet Crystal is actually mostly erythritol with some stevia added in, so it’s 2X as sweet as granulated sugar. Is that what appears on the ingredients label of the product that you have? I haven’t had quite as good of luck with erythritol dissolving in milk for this frosting as well as the liquid stevia, but it still might be worth a shot! If you decide to try your Stevia Sweet Crystal product, then I’d recommend 4 tablespoons and reducing the milk to 4 tablespoons to compensate. You may need more milk, but it’s always easier to add more milk than it is to take some out of the bowl! 😉 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cupcakes if you try making them!
Had to do a couple of the adjustments as i can’t have milk so did unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and i’m not a stevia fan at all so substituted honey into the frosting. so my review is more on what I could do. I love the cupcakes. The frosting came out a little (or more a lot) thick. had to add a little extra milk to smooth it out. It is a little bitter, but I think that comes with not adding a bunch of processed sugars. If you love a dark chocolate taste, which is what it’s labeled as… this would be the way to go. Great recipe for a healthier dessert!
I’m glad you enjoyed these cupcakes Sarah! Thanks for taking the time to let me know! 🙂 That’s interesting that the frosting was so thick… I haven’t had that happen before, even when using honey or maple syrup. I’m really curious and want to solve that mystery! 😉 How did you measure the cocoa powder? Did you use a kitchen scale or measuring cups? If the latter, can you describe how you used the measuring cups to measure?
I used measuring cups and the fork method you recommended. It seemed to be fine with the cupcakes but yea.. the frosting became more fudge-like. It was fine when I added a little extra milk.
Thanks for sharing Sarah! I’m still a little puzzled why the frosting was so thick… But I’m glad the extra milk worked out! 🙂
The cupcakes were okay they had nice flavour, and were moist, but the icing was not. it was bitter, no flavour and was runny. i recommend adding icing sugar to the icing and maybe some butter, and less milk. but all and all the cupcakes were GREAT!
Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cupcake portion of this recipe Alex! That doesn’t sound like how the frosting is supposed to turn out at all, though, so I’d love to help figure out what happened! 🙂 Did you make the frosting exactly as written, using the same vanilla stevia that I did, or did you use one of the alternatives in the Notes section? What brand of cocoa powder did you use, and how did you measure it?
Hello! Can I use applesauce unsweetened instead of eggs? (Trying to cut back on cholesterol-intake.) thanks!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Laura! If your main goal is to reduce the cholesterol, then I’d actually recommend using 2 large egg whites (just toss out the yolks — the whites have no cholesterol!) plus an additional tablespoon of milk to compensate for the volume from the missing yolks. That will yield a slightly better texture than substituting unsweetened applesauce. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these cupcakes if you try making them!
Eggs despite containing cholesterol have been proven not to raise cholesterol so it actually doesn’t make any difference
Too much cocoa. Not enough liquid. Very bitter. Cocoa should have been more like 1/3 cup. More yogurt & milk. I added lots more of both & still inedible because of bitterness of cocoa.
I’m really honored that you tried making these cupcakes Kathy! Did you happen to scoop the cocoa powder from the container with your measuring cups, by any chance? When measured like that, you end up with 1.5 times as much cocoa powder as when you lightly spoon and level, and that extra cocoa powder is definitely causing the dry and bitter issues that you’ve experienced! If you don’t own a kitchen scale, here’s what I recommend doing for measuring cocoa powder (and flour, oats, etc!): use a fork to “scoop” up cocoa powder from the container, and lightly shake the fork back and forth over the top of your measuring cup to transfer the flour into it. Once there’s a small mound of cocoa powder extending past the rim of the measuring cup, then place the flat back of a knife against the top of the measuring cup, and gently scrape it across the top to get rid of the excess cocoa powder. Never “pat” the cocoa powder down with the knife or fork (and never shake the measuring cup back and forth while filling it either!). This fork method acts like a sifter (without dirtying another dish!) and guarantees you’ll add less cocoa powder to the batter, so you’ll end up with moist and tender cupcakes that taste rich and chocolaty — not bitter! Does that make sense? 🙂