Fudgy Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

These are the best gluten free chocolate cupcakes! They're soft, fudgy, moist - aka everything you hope and dream a homemade cupcake tastes like. Don't let the lack of gluten fool you! These cupcakes are so decadent, you won't even miss the gluten. Trust me, this will be your new go-to cake recipe for birthday parties and every other special occasion!

I highly recommend fancying these gluten-free cupcakes up with a vanilla, chocolate, and espresso swirled Swiss Meringue Buttercream!

For more cupcake and chocolate cake recipes, try Small Batch Vanilla Cupcakes, Lemon Meringue Cupcakes, Dairy Free Chocolate Cake, and Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Cake.

Why you'll love these gluten free chocolate cupcakes

• Fudgy, Moist Texture: No one likes dry cake, and these are anything but that! he combination of two types of cocoa powders and a pound cake-style method, these little cakes are loaded with chocolate flavor.
• Flat Cupcake Tops: These cupcakes bake up perfectly flat, so there's no need to trim the tops. 
• Scale-able: If you'd like you can absolutely cut this recipe in half to get about 7-8 cupcakes or double it for 30 cupcakes!

Ingredient Notes

Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below. Here you'll find notes on why I chose certain ingredients, as well as ingredient substitutions. 

• GF 1:1 Flour: Gluten-free baking can be tough and not all gluten-free flour blends are made equally! Both Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour's gluten free 1:1 flour never fail me.
• Cocoa Powder: I used a combination of dutch process and black cocoa powders for an extra rich chocolate experience.
• Baking Powder: Be sure your baking powder is fresh by testing it some water.
• Butter: Use high-quality butter, such as European-style butter for best flavor.
• Sugar: You'll need about 1 ¼ cups of granulated sugar.
• Eggs: Be sure your eggs are at room temperature before adding them to the batter.
• Sour Cream: You can also use plain whole milk greek yogurt or buttermilk.
• Oil: I recommend using light-tasting extra virgin olive oil, but any neutral oil will work.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this gluten free chocolate cupcake recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

Step 1: Batter. Make the cupcake batter by creaming together the butter & sugars, then mixing in the eggs & vanilla extract, and alternating adding the dry & wet ingredients. 

Step 2: Bake. Fill the cupcake pan with 5 tablespoons of batter in each cupcake liner. Smooth out the batter and tap on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake for about 24 minutes. 

Step 3: Cool. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack. 

Step 4: Frost. Decorate as desired!

Expert Baking Tips

• If you do not have black cocoa powder, you can use an equal amount of dutch process cocoa powder, making it a total of 63g or ¾ cup.
• Use a neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola oil. I recommend using light-tasting extra virgin olive oil.
• It can be difficult to tell exactly how much to fill a cupcake tin, so to make it easier I recommend adding 5 tablespoons of batter to each. I used a 2 tablespoon & 1 tablespoon cookie scoops. 

Frosting ideas for these cupcakes

• Swiss Meringue Buttercream
• Peanut Butter Frosting
• Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
• Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Storage Tips

Store these cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. You can also wrap each cupcake in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag to store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x