Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Protein packed, gluten-free chocolate cupcakes made with quinoa.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (370 g) Quinoa, cooked and cooled (about 1/2 cup uncooked - and cook the Quinoa in water, not broth)
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (4.2 g) pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (169.5 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (124.4 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (I use dark cocoa powder)
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon (6 g) baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line your cupcake pans with cupcake liners. Fill any empty cupcake spots with a little water. For the cake option, spray two 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Spray again. Set aside.
- In a blender or food processor, combine the cooked Quinoa, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and butter. Blend until the mixture is smooth and silky.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix the ingredients for about 30 seconds.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the Quinoa mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Turn the mixer off, scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for another 30 seconds on low speed.
- Fill your cupcake liners about 2/3 full with the batter. I like using a large cookie scoop to distribute the batter evenly. For the cake option, pour half of the batter into one pan and smooth out the batter with an offset spatula or spoon. Pour the rest of the batter into the second pan and evenly spread the batter.
- Bake cupcakes for 12-14 minutes. Bake the cake layers for 20-25 minutes (check at 20 minutes with a toothpick).
- Let cool completely before adding frosting.