Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

April 26, 2023

These Dark Chocolate Cupcakes have no refined sugar (just honey) and are a healthy dessert you can feel good about serving to your kids, or anyone for that matter!

One food misconception I hear all the time is that eating healthy means sacrificing the foods you love most. For example, a bunch of my friends don’t like to let their kids have snacks like cake or cupcakes for all the obvious reasons and so the kids have to miss out on fun things like chocolate cupcakes at birthday parties. I can’t think of many things more heartbreaking than seeing a little one at a party having to eat a banana while all the other kids’ faces are covered in chocolate frosting!

Well, here at weelicious, we’re always up for a challenge. Is there a healthy cupcake with absolutely no refined sugar that parents can be happy to serve their kids and even the most discriminating chocoholic will love? There is now! Enter these delicious and decadent Dark Chocolate Cupcakes!

Why I Love This Recipe

It’s easy: When I tested this recipe I did it every which way, and turns out this version was the best (and easiest) version we tried! It’s truly a dump in a bowl, mix and bake recipe that is absolutely delicious.
It’s healthier: Traditionally cupcakes are loaded down with sugar and not something you would want your little ones eating all the time. But these cupcakes are made with no sugar and sweetened naturally with honey. You’d never know it though by the way they taste!
Kid-approved: Since this recipe is so simple to make, it’s a great one to let your kid’s help you make! They’ll have a blast helping you in the kitchen and you can even let them lick the bowl. The dream!

The Ingredients

For The Dark Chocolate Cupcake

all purpose flour
baking soda
kosher salt
cocoa powder
melted butter or olive, avocado or vegetable oil
honey or agave
whole milk or plant based milk
apple cider or white vinegar

For The Chocolate Ganache

heavy cream
honey or agave
unsweetened chocolate bar or chips
unsalted butter

How to Make Healthy Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place all cupcake ingredients in a mixer or mixing bowl in the order listed in the recipe card and mix well to combine. Batter should be free of lumps. No need to sift the dry ingredients or place in separate bowls. This is a dump in the bowl, mix and bake recipe!
Fill greased or lined muffin cups with batter about 3/4 full.
Bake for 20-22 minutes for regular sized and 15 minutes for mini cupcakes.
Cool and frost with chocolate ganache.

Dark Chocolate Cupcake FAQs and Substitutions

Can these be made vegan? Yes! The cupcakes can absolutely be made vegan. Make them vegan by using oil instead of melted butter and almond or oat milk instead of cow’s milk.
What if I don’t have honey? You can use agave or maple syrup in place of the honey and still get a light, perfectly sweet chocolate cupcake.
Could I make these into a cake? I haven’t personally, but I’ve had a few readers convert this into a layered cake by doubling or tripling the recipe. Depending on the size of your cake you’ll most likely have to bake for a little longer than the cupcake instructions. You’ll know it’s done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
No eggs? Really? Yep! No eggs in these cupcakes. The baking soda and vinegar work together to leaven and bind the cake.
What kind of cupcake liners did you use? You can use any that you have on hand, but I’m newly obsessed with these silicon cupcake liners. They don’t stick at all and are reusable!

More Healthy Desserts

Peach Snack Cake
Berry Coconut Crisps
No Bake Cookie Dough Balls
Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites
Flourless Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins

Take a batch of these to your kid’s after school activities or make them for their birthday party and be the star of the show! Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments and tag me on social media if you make them!

Images by Ivan Solis