These “chocolate” cupcakes are moist, fluffy, and simply delicious! They’re gluten dairy, and egg free plus paleo and AIP compliant!
We recently celebrated a few birthdays and it got me craving a simple AIP cupcake. One that I can eat sans reactions.
Now, are you here because you’ve been dying for an AIP allergen-friendly cupcake too? Well I got you covered!
You are definitely going to to want to make these. They will hit the spot, and make birthday celebrations on a restricted diet a whole lot better…
Because everyone deserves a cupcake!
These cupcakes were inspired by my banana muffins, one of the most popular recipes on the blog. They often are praised for having a great texture especially for being paleo and AIP!
I knew I could use it as a base for creating a “chocolate” (carob) cupcake and I gotta say, I was right! Totally patting myself on the back right now š
What you need to make these “Chocolate” Cupcakes
Dry Ingredients
- Green banana flour – I’ve used this flour in several recipes, including fudgy avocado brownies. I feel it gives a gluten-like texture to gluten free baking!
- Tigernut flour – you know this is a fave flour of mine! I use it often in my baking recipes. It’s nut-free too, as tigernuts are tubers, not nuts as the name suggests.
- Carob – I’ve only used carob in this recipe, but I’m thinking cocoa would work as well, if you tolerate it.
- Arrowroot Starch – although the green banana and tigernut flours provide starch I find the addition of arrowroot helps the texture of these cupcakes.
- Gelatin – I personally use great lakes gelatin!
- Baking soda – helps these cupcakes rise!
- Salt – gotta balance out the flavours with a bit of salt!
Wet Ingredients
- Bananas – not only do the bananas help to bind but they also help keep these muffins moist and add some natural sweetness.
- Coconut oil – it’s my baking oil of choice!
- Maple syrup – my sweetener of choice, I am Canadian after all š
- Vanilla Extract – pure vanilla extract is best!
- Apple Cider Vinegar – this interacts with the baking soda helping these cupcakes rise!
Icing (optional)
I find the icing really makes it a cupcake! But you can definitely leave it off though and they’d still be tasty. Possibly more like a muffin but still delicious nonetheless.
- Palm shortening
- Maple syrup
- Coconut butter
Yield: 6 cupcakes
Chocolate Cupcakes (AIP/Paleo)
10 minutes
30 minutes
15 minutes
55 minutes
These “chocolate” cupcakes are moist, fluffy, and simply delicious! They're gluten dairy, and egg free plus paleo and AIP compliant!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1/3 cup green banana flour
- 1/3 cup tigernut flour
- 1/4 cup carob powder
- 1/4 cup arrowroot starch
- 2 tbsp gelatin
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 medium bananas, mashed
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, softened or melted
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Icing (optional)
- 1/2 cup palm shortening
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Grease 6 muffins cups (I use a bit of coconut oil).
- Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl mix together all wet ingredients.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Separate the batter into 6 muffin cups.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
- Icing: add icing ingredients to a blender (if coconut butter is extra hard you can warm it in the microwave until softened – 10 seconds at a time, before adding to blender) and whip on high until well incorporated.
- Allow cupcakes to cool before applying the icing.
- Enjoy!
Which palm shortening do you prefer?
Spectrum! Nutiva is good too but spectrum will make a white icing š
I’ve never bought banana flour, but this sounds delicious! Can you tell me what’s different about this flour? Is there another flour that might work as a substitute? I know that can be very tricky!
Cassava may work! Some people don’t tolerate cassava though so green banana flour is a good option for that reaso. Also I find it is one of the AIP flours that seems to work closest to wheat flour, in my opinion. But I’ve had readers comment on my banana muffins that cassava worked fine as a substitute! Hope this helps š
Hi Rebecca, Thank you for all your wonderful recipes! Is there an alternative for the palm shortening in the icing that you can suggest? It is not an ingredient I ever use or am familiar with – I mostly use coconut oil in baking Thanks!
Hi Alexis,
I wouldn’t substitute the palm shortening in this particular recipe. But you could definitely use a different icing recipe on the cupcakes! I have a couple that do not use palm shortening, you’ll find them here in my Gingerbread Bites (AIP/Paleo) and my Peaches and Cream Plantain Cookies (AIP/Paleo) recipes.
Great, thanks so much for your reply and suggestion for another icing recipe. I will definitely use it instead. Turns out I can’t even find palm shortening out here where I am in B.C. Looking forward to some cupcakes – such a novelty when following AIP!
I am out of coconut butter. Can I use something else for the frosting?
You can probably add a few teaspoons of arrowroot starch!
Can I substitute collagen for gelatin in your recipies?
No unfortunately it won’t work as they have different textures. The gelatin acts as a binder like an egg would. Collagen will not do the same!
We have reintroduced eggs successfully. Can I use eggs in this recipe instead of the gelatin?
I have not tried it, but I’m thinking it would work!