For many years during my childhood, we hosted my birthday party at one of the smaller swimming pools in town. We invited a few of my classmates and our family friends, and we tied colorful balloons and spread out plastic tablecloths on a couple of the wooden picnic tables scattered around the pool.
My friends and I spent as much time in the water as we could: playing Marco Polo, diving for plastic rings on the pool’s floor, and doing cannonballs off of the edge to see who could make the biggest splash. Yet when the lifeguards blew their whistles to signal the start of the 15-minute adult swim, we didn’t mind quite as much as usual…
Because that meant snack time — and Mom let us eat special snacks at my birthday parties! Instead of our standard graham crackers, peanut butter, and apple slices, she let me pick out crunchy pretzel rods, potato chips, and a couple of different types of candy to share with my friends, so we always looked forward to those with giddy excitement.
Then towards the end of the afternoon, when the lifeguards blew their whistles yet again, we eagerly clambered onto the picnic table benches for birthday cake. It came in a big pink cardboard box, and Mom usually took me to Costco a few weeks before to pick it out.
Even back then, I often selected a chocolate sheet cake with extra sugary chocolate buttercream frosting, and the bakery scripted “Happy birthday, Amy!” across the top. (I’ve been a chocoholic my whole life!) Sometimes Mom even let me pick out an “upgrade” after flipping through the binder of cake designs, which meant the bakery added a few pastel pink frosting roses, colorful sprinkles around the piped frosting border of the sheet cake, and maybe even two or three plastic Disney figurines on top.
As the birthday girl, my parents let me eat whichever slice I wanted at the pool… But that was nearly impossible to pick! Should I ask for the corner piece with the most frosting ruffles? The one with a buttercream rose? The slice with my name on it??
Thankfully, we generally ended up with some leftover cake, so I could usually eat my “second” choice piece for an after dinner dessert the next day… And I thoroughly enjoyed every last crumb, even scraping all of the frosting and cake morsels off of my plate with my fork and licking the fork clean.
Yet as an adult, I find that most store-bought bakery chocolate cakes taste much too sweet… And even a little bland. Almost like watered down chocolate, rather than deep, rich, incredibly decadent chocolate cake.
So for my birthday this year, I’m baking myself a batch of these homemade Healthy One-Bowl Dark Chocolate Cupcakes! They taste unbelievably rich and decadent, where each bite bursts with chocolate flavor. They’re also supremely moist with just a hint of brownie-like fudginess!
Unlike those store-bought cakes, these healthy chocolate cupcakes contain no refined flour or sugar… Including those gorgeous swirls of chocolate frosting on top!
And since it’s my birthday… It’s totally fine to eat two, right?? 😉
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY ONE-BOWL CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
Let’s go over how to make these healthy one-bowl dark chocolate cupcakes!
You’ll start with — you guessed it! — one mixing bowl. In that bowl, you’ll whisk together a teensy bit of melted butter or coconut oil, a couple of egg whites, and a pinch of salt.
Unlike traditional recipes that call for ½ cup of butter or oil (if not more!), you merely need 1 tablespoon for your batch of cupcakes. That small amount really helps keep your healthy one-bowl chocolate cupcakes low calorie and low fat!
Stay tuned for what ingredient you’ll use to keep them moist…
But first, you’ll add two sweeteners to your mixing bowl! Yes, two. I know it’s rarely fun to track down multiple ingredients, but I promise it’s worth it to make these healthy one-bowl chocolate cupcakes! And here’s why…
The first sweetener you’ll need is liquid stevia. It’s one of my favorite ingredients. You’ll also use it in all of these recipes of mine! Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean eating friendly!). It’s also really concentrated. You just need 1 tablespoon to sweeten your entire batch of cupcakes!
However…
Something about cocoa powder or chocolate seems to mute stevia’s sweetness. Even when I added more liquid stevia to the batter, the cupcakes never tasted any sweeter. It’s as if there was a sweetness threshold, and no matter how much additional liquid stevia I stirred in, the cupcakes still tasted exactly the same.
So that’s where the second sweetener comes in! You’ll use confectioners’ style erythritol, which is also a plant-based and no-calorie sweetener. Unlike stevia, erythritol typically sweetens cup-for-cup like regular sugar.
By adding ¼ cup to the batter, the erythritol seems to magnify the stevia’s sweetness. The result? Your healthy one-bowl chocolate cupcakes taste perfectly rich and sweet — and so much better than those bland store-bought bakery cakes or cupcakes!
Not that I’m biased or anything. 😉
Hint: I buy my liquid stevia online here and my confectioners’ style erythritol online here!
Tip: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, I highly recommend using the same liquid stevia that I do!
Time for that special ingredient that makes your healthy one-bowl chocolate cupcakes so moist! If you’ve looked through any of my other recipes before, then you probably know what it is…
Greek yogurt! Greek yogurt is another one of my favorite ingredients in healthy baking. In this recipe, it adds the same moisture to your cupcakes as extra butter or oil but for a fraction of the calories, and it also gives your healthy one-bowl chocolate cupcakes a protein boost!
After stirring milk into your mixing bowl, you’ll turn to the remaining ingredients. These include unsweetened cocoa powder, white whole wheat flour, baking powder, and baking soda. No melted chocolate needed to make these healthy one-bowl chocolate cupcakes… Which means they’re really easy and quick to make!
Just a couple of quick notes about these remaining ingredients! You really want to use regular unsweetened cocoa powder (like this!), not Dutched or “special dark” cocoa powder. Those latter two actually taste more muted and bland compared to regular unsweetened cocoa powder. Besides, you’re actually adding more cocoa powder than flour, and that really helps make these healthy one-bowl dark chocolate cupcakes taste exceptionally rich, decadent, and chocolaty!
Tip: Regular unsweetened cocoa powder is also called “natural unsweetened cocoa powder” or “unsweetened cocoa powder” (without the “regular” part!). It’s lighter in color than Dutched and special dark cocoa powder, but it has a stronger and richer chocolate flavor. It’s the type of cocoa powder that I use the most in my baking recipes!
And in case you’re unfamiliar with it, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. They both have the same health benefits, like extra fiber, but white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture (closer to all-purpose flour!). That lets the moist, almost fudgy texture of your healthy one-bowl chocolate cupcakes truly shine!
Tip: Remember, it’s extremely important to measure the cocoa powder and flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. ← That’s the one I own and love! Too much of either will dry out your cupcakes, and too much cocoa powder will also make them taste bitter. I promise it’s worth taking the few extra moments to measure properly!
Another quick tip for you! Sprinkle the baking powder and baking soda over the cocoa powder and flour before stirring them in. This helps prevent the leaveners from clumping, which means your healthy chocolate cupcakes will bake evenly.
But before you add the batter to your cupcake liners… You must coat your cupcake liners with cooking spray. This is not optional! Low-fat batters (like with this healthy-one bowl chocolate cupcakes recipe!) stick to liners like superglue. If you coat your liners with cooking spray, they peel away from your baked cupcakes much more easily!
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE FROSTING FOR CUPCAKES
Then while your cupcakes bake, it’s time to make your healthier chocolate frosting! It actually starts with more Greek yogurt. No butter or powdered sugar in this chocolate frosting!
I’ve discovered that not all brands of Greek yogurt work well in frosting recipes. My current favorite is FAGE. It’s exceptionally thick and creamy, not one bit thin or watery, which creates a great buttercream-like consistency. It also has a mellower flavor than other brands.
But to make sure this Greek yogurt chocolate frosting is just as stiff and pipe-able as regular buttercream, you’ll actually mix it with instant pudding mix. Yes, I know it sounds like a strange ingredient for frosting! But the instant pudding mix actually thickens the Greek yogurt while your frosting chills, so you’ll be able to pipe it onto your cooled cupcakes in gorgeous swirls.
Tip: If you can’t find or don’t want to use instant pudding mix in your frosting, then check the Notes section of the recipe for two alternative chocolate frosting options!
Then you’ll use a bit more unsweetened cocoa powder to really boost the chocolate flavor in your Greek yogurt frosting, along with more liquid stevia to sweeten it. Super simple — and it only takes 2 minutes to prepare!
Now all that’s left to do is grab a piping tip, top your cupcakes with extra tall swirls of frosting, and…
Enjoy your healthy homemade chocolate cupcakes! And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amys.healthy.baking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy one-bowl dark chocolate cupcakes!
Healthy One-Bowl Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
FOR THE CUPCAKES
- 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp (15mL) liquid stevia (see Notes!)
- ¼ cup (36g) confectioners’ style erythritol (see Notes!)
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (270mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ¼ cups (100g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- 1 cup (120g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
FOR THE FROSTING
- 2 cups (480g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt (see Notes!)
- ¼ cup (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
- 2 servings (16g) sugar-free, fat-free chocolate instant pudding mix (see Notes!)
- ⅝ tsp liquid stevia (or adjusted to taste – and see Notes!)
Instructions
- To prepare the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners, and coat the liners with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, and salt. Whisk in the vanilla extract, liquid stevia, and erythritol. Stir in the Greek yogurt. Stir in the milk. Add the cocoa powder and flour, then evenly sprinkle the baking powder and baking soda across the top of the cocoa powder and flour (to prevent clumping). Gently stir until just incorporated.
- Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners. Bake at 350°F for 22-25 minutes or until the centers feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes bake, prepare the frosting. Add the Greek yogurt, cocoa powder, instant pudding, and liquid stevia to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Cover the top of the bowl with foil, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, pipe the chocolate frosting on top just before serving.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Mint Chocolate Cupcakes
♡ Healthy Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting
♡ Healthy Vegan Mini Chocolate Cupcakes
♡ Healthy Cinnamon Apple Cupcakes
♡ Healthy Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
♡ Healthy Funfetti Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
♡ Healthy Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy cupcake recipes!
Hi, Amy. First of all, love your recipes since I have sweet tooth but still want to watch my sugar and calories intakes. I have one question regarding the frosting. Is it possible to use xanthan gum to replace the pudding mix to thicken it? Thanks!
I’m so honored that you’re enjoying my recipes, Kiki! That truly means a lot! 🙂 Yes, that’s possible to do! However, while it does work as a thickener for this frosting, I’ve found that xanthan gum creates a strange texture — almost elastic-ish and gummy. I didn’t really care for it, which is why I prefer the instant pudding mix. However, if you’re not able to use the pudding mix, and you don’t mind the texture difference, then you can substitute 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum instead.
I’m really excited to hear what you think of these cupcakes if you try making them!
Hello Amy! Looking forward to making this. Do you think I can use oat flour instead? Thanks!
I’m honored that you’d like to try this recipe, Toni! I typically don’t actually that substitution in my cupcake recipes. This is because gluten is the protein in wheat-based flours that helps baked goods rise and maintain their shape while cooling. Oat flour lacks that, so when you substitute it for wheat-based flours in my recipes that rise (like cupcakes, cakes, muffins, quick breads, etc!), your baked goods will often turn out denser and may collapse while cooling. Does that make sense?
However, if you don’t mind that texture difference with oat flour (where your cupcakes may collapse and turn out denser), the flavors will still remain the same! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you decide to try making these chocolate cupcakes!
Made these today and kept them dairy free with Kite Hill vanilla unsweetened greek yogurt, unsweetened almond milk, and 1.5 TBSP of Wayfare whipped butter – delicious!! The texture is just lovely and the taste is good, too. Topped them with Wayfare cream cheese mixed with powdered Lakanto and some vanilla. Thank you SO MUCH for your amazing recipes!
It’s my pleasure, Ginia! Thank YOU for taking the time to leave such a sweet comment — you made my day! 🙂 I’m so glad you loved these cupcakes. I haven’t had a chance to try plant-based Greek yogurt yet, so I really appreciate you sharing that it worked. That’s great to know!
These are yummy! Two of my favorite things, Chocolate and cake. I made these last night and frosted them this morning. Chocolate cupcakes for breakfast? Absolutely! The recipe makes a lot of frosting, as do all i have made so far. It’s not a problem for me. Usually I’m scraping a bowl to have enough to do all my cupcakes. I use a jumbo size silicone muffin pan and no papers. I only get 6 cupcakes but they come right out and look so nice. I don’t bake them any longer. I moved into this house about 1 1/2 years ago and one of the unopened boxes has my cake decorating supplies. My hubby doesn’t care what they look like though.
I don’t do Instagram.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cupcakes, Melanie! I love your style too… Cupcakes for breakfast sounds fantastic to me! 😉 Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with converting the recipe to 6 jumbo-sized cupcakes instead. That’s great to know!
(And if you took a picture of your cupcakes, you’re welcome to email it to me instead! I know not everybody uses Instagram. 🙂 )
I so love your website! I spend most of the night scouting for which recipes to try. I read in this recipe that honey can be substituted for the liquid stevia or brown sugar for the same amount of honey. Can that be done in all recipes?
It means a lot that you’d like to try another one of my recipes after making my carrot cake cupcakes! It actually depends and varies with the recipe. In general, in the Notes sections of my recipes that call for liquid stevia, I try to include the best alternative sweeteners and the necessary modifications you’ll need to make in order to use them. It can’t always be done for everything, so check there for the exact info that you’ll need for each particular recipe! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these cupcakes if you try making them too!
Wanted to love this recipe but it was inedible. Followed the recipe, including ingredients you suggested exactly as written only subbing whole wheat pastry flour. Also made the chocolate frosting recipe… not sure what happened but the cupcakes and frosting were completely inedible with artificial sugar taste. Yes, I know it’s low fat and no sugar but I was hopeful this would be my go to recipe. So sad 😢
It means a lot that you tried my recipe, Julie! That sounds disappointing and not like how these cupcakes should turn out. Some people are much more sensitive to the taste of stevia (my mom is one of them — she can detect it in anything, even when nobody else can!), and it sounds like you may be one of them.
I’ve included some other sweetener options in the Notes section of the recipe that can be used in place of the stevia. Perhaps one of those might be better for you and your taste preferences?? Using any one of those won’t change the difficulty of the recipe! (Or the fat content either, if that’s important to you!) 🙂
Alternatively, if there’s another no-calorie sweetener that you prefer, I’d be happy to help figure out if you could use that in place of the stevia instead. Just let me know the exact brand and product name, and I’ll do a little research on it!
Thank you so much for your quick response 🙂 I did not realize some people were that sensitive to Stevia. I definitely must be one of them!!! I have not tried using a monk fruit sweetener yet. I’ve been using Swerve products for the most part. Any tips or suggestions for using it? Looking forward to trying the recipe again and others.
It’s my pleasure, Julie! I’m happy to help. 🙂 I’ve used Swerve’s products as ingredients in all of these recipes of mine (either their granulated sweetener or confectioners’ style sweetener or both!), but I haven’t used it as the sole sweetener in any of my chocolate cupcake or chocolate cake recipes. Sometimes erythritol can cover up the chocolate flavor of cocoa powder and make those chocolate baked treats taste not quite as chocolaty as when made with other sweeteners or in combination with other sweeteners (if that makes sense!).
You’re welcome to experiment with using solely Swerve’s sweeteners to make these cupcakes, if you’d like though! I just can’t personally vouch for the results. My best guess would be to use ¾ cup of Swerve AND reduce the milk to ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons as a replacement for the liquid stevia. (That’s in addition to the ¼ cup of confectioners’ style Swerve already in the Ingredients list!)
If you do decide to experiment, it’s also really easy to make a half-batch of these cupcakes instead of a full dozen, if you’re concerned about how the cupcakes will turn out. 🙂
I’d love to hear how that goes if you end up trying it!
I made these today, had trouble with frosting. How do I measure 2 grams of sugar free pudding,. It was not clear. The package is 4.5 oz. I just eyeballed half the mix. Frosting did not come out right. Would appreciate your input. Thanx.m
Recipe calls for 2 servings of choc pudding for frosting. I really didn’t understand what that meant. Could you clarify it ? Thanks
It means a lot that you tried our recipe, Gussie! We’re happy to help troubleshoot any issues that you experienced. In order to do so, we have some questions for you!
Could you describe the taste and consistency of your frosting? Was it too liquidy and runny, too thick and stiff, not enough of a chocolate flavor, etc?
What’s the exact pudding mix (brand + full product name!) that you used?
What’s the exact Greek yogurt that you used? (Some brands yield better a better frosting consistency and taste than others, which is why we ask!)
How long did you beat the frosting ingredients together with a mixer?
How long did you chill your frosting before topping the cupcakes with it?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but we’ll have a much better idea of what happened and how to fix it once we know your answers to all of them! 🙂
Thank u so much for getting back to me. I used choc fudge sugar free instant pudding.I used chobani Greek non fat yogurt.I used liquid stevia. I used my electric mixer for 2 minutes, and put it in fridge, for 3 hours. Was runny, and I added more stevia. What did I do wrong?
Thank you for sharing this additional information, Gussie! I seem to be missing the brand of the fat free, sugar free instant pudding that you used. We ask for that detail because it’s actually a critical bit of information! 😉
Was it Jell-O brand, the kind that comes in a small blue cardboard box with a net weight of 1.4 oz? If so, did you use approximately half of the dry powder in the brown paper packet?
Also, just to double check, did you use Chobani plain nonfat Greek yogurt? (Some people have substituted vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt instead, which can affect the frosting’s consistency, so I like to double check!)
What brand of liquid stevia did you use?
How much extra liquid stevia did you add when the frosting was runny after chilling for 3 hours? Did you use your electric mixer to incorporate it again? (Generally, adding liquid will make the frosting more runny and loose, not thicker or stiffer!)
Thanks so much for your patience — we’re nearly there and have almost solved the mystery! 🙂