Sooooo… vegan desserts…that are gluten free. That’s a big ask, don’t you think? When I decided that I would ditch gluten to improve my health, I was not expecting to miss sweets as much as I did. Literally, everything that sounded appealing had gluten. cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pancakes (that’s a lot of cakes!)…they all have gluten. I literally had to relearn how to cook baked goods (and pancakes).

How intimidating does that sound?

After all of my research, I decided to start off slow with a basic Vegan Chocolate Cupcake with a Coconut Whipped Cream. Mostly because I really, really wanted cupcakes.

Thankfully, these turned out amazingly well.

Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

Original recipe adapted from All Recipes

• 3/4 cup cassava flour
• 3/4 cup super fine almond flour
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 cup water

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake tin with liners (I prefer these reusable silicone liners) and set it aside.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside. In the bowl, use a hand mixer to blend together the honey, applesauce, vanilla and vinegar. Slowly add the dry ingredients, then the water.

Fill each cupcake cup 3/4 full. I use a large batter scoop to make this super easy. Bake 16-20 minutes, then remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack. While the cupcakes are baking, you get to make the frosting. Luckily you only need two ingredients!

The Frosting

• 1 can full-fat coconut milk (refrigerated overnight)
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

It’s important to refrigerate the coconut milk overnight, so do not skip this step! Get bonus points for chilling your mixing bowl by putting it in the freezer for 15 minutes before you make your frosting.

Scoop the coconut milk from the can and into the mixing bowl, leaving the clear coconut water at the bottom of the can.

Whisk the coconut milk until it starts to thicken slightly with a hand mixer. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time and beat the frosting until it just thickens. Scoop your frosting into a piping bag. Pipe your frosting on top of your cooled cupcakes.

Top with fresh fruit, such as strawberries, raspberries, or currants for a little extra oomph.
These cupcakes so moist and full of flavor. I honestly do not miss the gluten.

What is one thing you miss since going gluten free?