These 100% whole wheat chocolate cupcakes are made just a little healthier with less sugar (or honey!) and are incredibly moist. Can also be made with all-purpose or gluten-free flour and they’re naturally dairy-free.
I first posted this recipe almost 5 years ago. It’s my favorite chocolate cake or cupcake recipe and it’s ruined almost all other chocolate cake recipes for me. They’re never moist enough.
I do love my paleo chocolate cupcakes but they have a totally different texture and they can’t really be compared.
I thought I should try making this whole wheat recipe gluten-free so I tried them first with buckwheat. That resulted in some funky weirdness. They tasted… floral.
So then I tried them with Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour and they worked perfectly! If you use that, I really recommend going by the weight I list in the recipe rather than using measuring cups. I always recommend that, but especially when it comes to gluten-free flours. :)
For another delicious cupcake recipe using that flour mix, try these gluten-free vanilla bean cupcakes from Gluten-free Palate!
There are two ways you can make these cupcakes when it comes to sweetener: with sugar or with honey. The texture using sugar is mind-blowingly awesome. It’s the moistest chocolate cake ever. Kind of fudgy, even. Pretty much everyone who tastes this cake says it’s the best chocolate cake they’ve ever had.
The version with sugar is, in my opinion, tastier than the honey version, but with two cups of sugar, which the original recipes calls for, it’s kind of ridiculous. It also works with 1 1/2 cups sugar (but it’s even yummier with 2 cups!).
For another delicious whole wheat and honey recipe, try my whole wheat apple muffins! They’ve always been a big hit.
The honey version is almost as good. I used one cup of honey instead of two cups of sugar and it’s pretty awesome.
The taste is almost as good as the two cups of sugar version but the texture is like normal chocolate cake, and not like the super duper moist and fudgy original recipe. I’m thinking with the frosting, nobody would even notice.
And if you’re wondering if you can taste the whole wheat in these whole wheat chocolate cupcakes – definitely not! I’ve made them dozens of times and when I decided to replace all of the white flour with whole wheat (or whole spelt), nobody noticed. The gluten-free version also tastes the same as the all-purpose flour version.
I used this healthier cream cheese frosting to top these cupcakes off but this vegan chocolate fudge frosting would also be great! So would this chocolate cream cheese frosting.
And for a great chocolate + strawberry treat, this strawberry buttercream frosting looks amazing.
These cupcakes would also be the perfect base for these super cute bear cupcakes. :)
That’s it! If you try the cupcakes, I’d love to hear what you thought. Thanks! :)
100% Whole Wheat Chocolate Cupcakes (dairy-free with gluten-free option)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 24 cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar or raw sugar or 1 cup (320 grams) honey1
- 1 3/4 cups (210 grams) whole spelt, whole wheat flour, white whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour or 1 3/4 cups (236 grams) Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour
- 3/4 cup (85 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) milk of choice (but not canned coconut milk)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) olive oil (or canola oil or another neutral tasting vegetable oil that's liquid at room temp)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) boiling water (I know that sounds like a lot but I promise you, you need 1 cup!)
- 1 batch healthier cream cheese frosting (which is what I used on these - that recipe is enough for 4 teaspoons on each cupcake) or 2 batches vegan chocolate fudge frosting (for a dairy-free option - use 4 teaspoons of frosting per cupcakes)2
Cupcakes:
For the frosting:
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line 2 muffin pans with 24 liners.
- In a large bowl, stir together the sugar (if using honey, don’t add it yet), flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add eggs, milk, honey (if using), olive oil and vanilla.
- Mix for 2 minutes on medium and then stir in the boiling water. The batter will be almost as thin as water.
- Fill each liner just a little more than halfway full.
- Bake for 14 – 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with some moist crumbs, but no liquid. If you make the gluten-free version, you'll need closer to 18 minutes. If you make the whole wheat / all-purpose versions, you'll need more like 14-16 minutes.
- Let cool for 5 minutes in the pans, and then turn out onto a rack to cool. Let cool completely before frosting.
Notes
- I’ve also used 1 1/2 cups sugar and it was still sweet enough.
- Here is the original frosting recipe I had listed on this recipe:
– 1 cup (240ml) whipping cream
– 1 8-ounce package (225 grams) cream cheese
– 3/4 cup (98 grams) powdered sugar
– 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
– 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
In a separate bowl, using the same beaters, beat the cream cheese until soft and smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar.
Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of espresso powder in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I did this in a tablespoon). Add this to the frosting. If you want more coffee flavor, keep adding 1/2 teaspoon espresso / vanilla until you’re happy.
Fold in the whipped cream and frost the cooled cupcakes. Store frosted cupcakes in the refrigerator.
Adapted from One Bowl Chocolate Cake
Note: The pictures were updated in September, 2016.
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216 comments on “100% Whole Wheat Chocolate Cupcakes (gluten-free, all-purpose options)” — Add one!
7 comments are awaiting moderation!
These were amazing! I was just wondering if you have a whole wheat vanilla cupcake recipe?
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I unfortunately don’t. I’ve never had a good whole wheat vanilla cupcake. :( Sorry about that!
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! I will continue to hunt! Thank you for ending my search for a whole wheat chocolate cupcake!
Hi Erin,
These are still going like hotcakes. Everyone loves these. I did read where you said any milk but cocoanut milk.but I still had to ask. Can I use butter milk and vinegar to get a red velvet cupcake. I know there are other recipes for this but your cupcakes are the best. I only bake for friends and family and the people they give a cupcake to. Anyway thank you for all the great recipes.
Patti
Can I substitute oil with butter
You can, but the cupcakes wouldn’t be as moist. Butter is 80-82% fat and oil is 100%. So you’d be missing a lot of moisture!
Hi Erin,
I just wanted to let you know I made the chocolate cupcakes the ones with the boiling water. I use Bobs Rd Mill 1to 1 baking mix. I also use xylitol a cup and 1/2 aprox and one tbls of pure stevia. These things were a huge hit. They came out great. I only got 18 cupcakes. I could have gotten 20 but I filled them up almost to the top but they were still great. The xylitol’s absorbers more water so that is why I got less but still so good and fudge and my pickey neighbors had no idea they were sugar free and gluten free and vegan because I used almond milk.
I just bought a 5lb bag of xylitol Birchwood. I even found it at Walmart. I made my ganach with it but I’m concerned that it is different in taste to the other xylitol. My ganach didn’t taste the same as the first one. I was hoping maybe you knew if they tasted different. I did forget to add a little pure stevia though. It had little cooling after taste. I used enjoy life chocolate chips and xylitol and heavy cream oh and vanilla a tsp. Taste good but I felt like I had to use more of the Birchwood. I do not have any experience with the Birchwood like I do with the regular xilitol. If you have any suggestions let me know. I also made a cheese cake with the xylitol the chocolate one from Northern nester. Came out great as well. I just wanted to let everyone know they can use the xylitol in these cupcakes and they are a little thicker but still amazing. You rock
Thanks for this recipe! I subbed bananas for the eggs to make this plant-based and used 1.5 cups of sugar to offset the sugar in the bananas. Baked these in an air fryer at the same temp for 15 minutes. Still scrumptious but predictably more dense.
In an air fryer?! Whaaaat. I had no idea that this was possible! What a great idea. I love that you were able to sub bananas for the eggs. Did you weigh or measure them? How much did you use? I’d love to try that. Thanks a ton for your feedback! I’m glad that they worked well.
Awesome muffins! Can we use all purpose flour and whole-wheat flour equally, instead of adding one type of flour only?
I’m sorry for just now seeing your question! Yes, you can mix the flour types. :)
No problem, thank you!! Loved these muffins :)
You’re welcome! I’m glad you liked them! :)
I can’t wait to try this recipe,I love that it uses wholewheat flour. Have you added zucchini’s to the chocolate cupcakes?
I hope you’ll enjoy them! Adding zucchini won’t work (it’d make them too moist and soggy) but I have a whole wheat chocolate zucchini cake recipe and whole wheat chocolate zucchini brownies that you could try. :)
Thank you so much for a quick reply, I will check out those recipes too.
I make these cupcakes every year for my husband’s birthday. We love them! (Side note: I blend 400g dates with the other liquid ingredients, instead of using the sugar, for a little healthier twist.) This year my son wants to make dad a cake instead. Have you ever made these into a cake? If so, which size cake pan did you use, and any changes to cooking temp?
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your comment! It landed in spam for some weird reason. I’m so glad your husband enjoys them enough to have them every year! You can make this recipe using 2 8″ round pans. I’ve forgotten the baking time. Probably around 25 minutes but start checking at 20 to be on the safe side. I’m sorry again for the slow reply. :(
loved it
Glad to hear that! Thanks for your feedback. :)
Hey
It’s a nice recipe
Did you just use whole wheat flour or it was mix of all purpose flour and wheat flour
Hi again! I replied to this via email but in case anyone else is wondering, you can use 100% whole wheat or 100% AP flour or any combination of the flours listed. :)
YUMMYYYY!!!!!
This recipe tasted soooo good! I used jaggery and honey and it still worked! I made a cake and 7 cupcakes with the batter and it was soo good. EVERYONE loved it!! I will make this again. Instead of the frosting, I made a glaze out of powdered sugar and milk. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm
Thanks for the tip on jaggery! I’ve never tried that. I’m so glad that it worked well and that you liked it! Thanks for your comment. :)
I tried so many while wheat sugar free muffins, and this was the best, absolutely perfect. Thank you for the recipe dear. But can i substitute cocoa powder for more flour and make it vanilla cake?
I’m so happy you liked them! But unfortunately you can’t make this into a vanilla cake. :( The whole recipe would need to be reworked. Sorry about that!
I was putting big hopes I can do that :( unfortunately, so do you know another recipe for vanilla cake with whole wheat flour and sugar free, I can use honey or maple syrup as a sweetener.
Sorry but I don’t. I’ve never had a good healthy vanilla cake. :(
Hello erin :)
I wanted to ask you if I could use liquid jaggery if I don’t have honey.
Hi there! I’ve never actually used that so I really don’t know. Have you used it in place of honey before? If so, I bet it would work. Enjoy. :)
Hello Erin,
Thanks for sharing this absolutely delightful recipe. I use the exact same proportions and baked a very chocolaty and moist cake instead for picnic with our friends today. I also added some choco chip and the cake was mind blowing !
The only issue I faced was that my microwave oven wouldn’t set to the exact temperature – it’s either 170 C or 180C, so I kept it at 170 and baked the cake for a total of 55 mins.
Hi there! You’re welcome for the recipe. :) I’m so glad that it worked out well at a different temperature and in cake form. And added chocolate chips are always a good idea. :D Thanks for your feedback and my apologies for my very slow reply!
Wohoo, i just have to make them for my mothers birthday this week after reading so many positive comments! :)
I just wonder if I can use erythritol instead of sugar? Cause some of us are alergic to sugar and honey. :) Normaly I use it in most of my baking but just want to be sure for this, cause I’ll be making a muffin tower and need a lot of them. 😜 Thank you and wishing you a magical week! 😊
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your question! Especially since it was for your mother’s birthday. :( I don’t use erythritol (it gives me gut issues) so I really don’t know. Can you use maple syrup? I think that would work. Sorry that I can’t be more helpful and I’m really very sorry again for my slow reply. I’m not usually this bad!
Hi!
I made these yesterday and they came out so well! Super moist and pretty. Everyone in the house loved it. I couldn’t find baking soda, hence used baking powder 4 times the required amount of baking soda (in total 7.5 teaspoons). Also for the frosting i just used peanut butter mixed with normal butter. Will definitely make these again!
I’m happy that they came out well! And that’s an interesting sub. I’m glad that it worked out well! Your frosting sounds delicious. :) Thanks for the tip and for your feedback!
I made this for my son today who has food allergies (I used almond milk). I absolutely loved it but he didn’t so much. I think it’s because he’s never tasted chocolate before. If I omit the cocoa powder, will the cake still come out ok? I’m thinking he may like it more of it wasn’t chocolate, but I loved how fluffy and moist this cake was so I don’t want to look for a totally different recipe.
I’m sorry for just now seeing your question! I’m happy you enjoyed them. :) Unfortunately, you can’t just omit the cocoa powder from a chocolate cake to make it a vanilla cake. It’d have to be totally reworked. Sorry about that! I wish I had a vanilla cake recipe to recommend but I’ve never found one I really love.
Has anyone tried substituting applesauce for the eggs? Or do you have a vegan gluten free cupcake recipe?
Sorry for just now seeing your question! I’ve never tried that but I do have a recipe you could use! Check out the base of these football cupcakes. They’re vegan and if you use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 GF Baking Flour, they’re gluten-free, too! That’s how I make them and they’re amazing.
Hello!! Can I sub the sugar/honey with Splenda granulated sugar? Thank you!
Hi there! I’ve never used it before. Do you usually use it as a 1:1 replacement for white sugar? If so, I’m guessing it’d work here. :)
Yes it says it is a full replacement for regular sugar in recipes. Thank you. I will give it a try
I made it and loved it. Its too much “Splenda” flavor for my girls so I will play around with it and use brown sugar or something else.
That’s good to know! Thanks for coming back to let me know how it turned out. :)
How would measurements be adjusted for a double layer standard round cake?
Also for vegan chocolate frosting recipe?
You can use two nine inch round pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. I’m guessing you’d need to double the frosting but haven’t tried it and can’t say for sure.
Hey, could I add bananas to this recipe to make a banana chocolate cake? Absolutely great recipe btw, I make it all the time!
I’m happy you enjoy it! :) Unfortunately you can’t just add bananas to a recipe without adjusting a bunch of other stuff. But I do have these whole wheat chocolate banana muffins if you want to try those. :) Thanks for your comment!
Dear my grandson loves chocolate muffins. Can I replace butter for oil
Thank you 🙋
I haven’t tried it but I think it’d work! I hope he’ll enjoy them. :)
Hi, this recipe sounds great and I plan to try it soon. Could you please clarify-when you say mix for 2 mins, is that using a stand mixer/hand mixer or just whisk by hand? Thanks much !
Hi there! Sorry for the slow reply. Always just mix by hand unless the recipe calls for a hand mixer. :) You don’t want to overbeat the cupcakes, muffin, etc. batter! Hope you’ll enjoy the cupcakes and sorry again for the slow reply.
Used this recipe to make one round cake (halved the recipe). Absolutely delicious and by far my best chocolate cake. I reduced the sugar a tad bit and felt the sweetness was just right to eat without frosting. Thank you!
Oh my. I have no idea how I just now saw your comment! Sorry about that. I’m very happy to hear that you liked the cake and it’s great that it worked well with less sugar. :) Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
The best!
In the place where I live now, it’s very hard to get all purpose flour. The only available flour is atta flour (which I have just figured out that it is whole wheat flour). And everything I baked becoming too dense. I almost desperate in baking and I still have 5 kg of this flour!
Then I found this recipe. I made this but with 1.5 cups of sugar. My cupcakes could not stand for more than 1 day. Everyone loves it even without frosting. It’s sooo moist and light. I baked it in a cupcake shape, in a loaf shape, in a square pan, in every kind of pan available.
I will stick to this recipe.
Thank you so much! <3
I love that you bake it in every kind of pan! That’s great. :) And I’m happy you finally have something to make with your flour! This whole wheat carrot cake is also a great option. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
OMG!! I didnt make cupcakes, i did a regular cake in a loaf pan. just put a bit less water and used coconut oil. they are amazing! moist, loft, fluffy. We love it! It is now a go to recipe for sure. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you liked it! What size loaf pan did you use and how long did you bake it for? I’d love to try it out! Thanks for your feedback. :)
Just one of those we make meatloaf in, maybe 3×8 inches. it took a bit longer to cook, i dont usually keep track. if the cake is starting to smell, another 10 min it will be fully cooked.
Awesome! Thanks for the reply. :)
does one cup of honey make the cupcakes too sweet?
Nope. Otherwise I wouldn’t have called for 1 cup of honey. ;)
Just made this recipe.. looks and smells great… I can’t wait to taste it… thank you for sharing the recipe…
And thanks for your feedback! I hope you enjoyed them. :)
These came out absolutely perfect! I ran out of olive oil so I had to use 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil. I also used pure local maple syrup instead or sugar or honey. I used a little over 1/2 cup maple syrup. The batter was very thin as you said, but the finished product was perfection! This will certainly be my go-to recipe! Thank you for sharing! :)
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the cupcakes and that they worked out well with maple syrup! That’s good to know. Thanks a bunch for your comment. :)
Hi Erin! Me and the kids love this recipe. I use 3parts honey to 1 part maple syrup as the sweetener. Just wondering, do you have a banana muffins recipe similar to this?? Or any ideas how to modify this to make it banana chocolate without it being too sloppy?? Would I just add extra flour with the bananas do you think?? Thanks again for this recipe,I always have some frozen for school lunch boxes and a yummy treat when I’m craving
So happy you all like them! :) I’m in the process of moving and haven’t had internet since Sunday. I just got it on my phone but getting you the links is challenging. Just google “texanerin banana muffins” and you’ll find two options. :) Adding bananas to this recipe would require a lot of reworking. Thanks for your comment!
Hi Erin,
Your recipe sounds fab. Its my moms birthday tomorrow. I wanna do these lovely cupcakes for her. Unfortunately enough she can’t eat eggs. Any substitute you can suggest?
Thanks
Prity
Hi Prity! Thanks. :) I haven’t tried any egg subs in these, sorry. I normally use chia eggs but since I haven’t tried them in these, I can’t say for sure if it’d work.
I made these tonight and they are probably the best cupcakes I’ve ever made!! Just out of curiosity, why the need for boiling water? I like to learn the reasons why for to learn. 😊
Woohoo! So happy that you liked them so much. :) I had no idea what the answer was so I googled it and found this, which has some ideas. Thanks for your feedback!
I’ve made these cupcakes several times and they are so good I’ve made them my staple chocolate cupcake recipe. They’re so good I eat them by themselves without frosting. I’ve made batches with less sugar and 1 1/2 c. of sugar are my preferred amount, but 2 c. of sugar isn’t too sweet either. The are really moist and the pourable batter actually makes it easier to handle for me. Easy and delicious. This is the first recipe I’ve made from ou and I look forward to making more.
Yay! I’m happy to hear that they’re your staple cupcake recipe and that you’ll be trying more of my recipes. :) I hope you’ll enjoy them just as much as these cupcakes! Thanks for your comment.
Thank you so much for the recipe!
You’re so welcome! I’m happy you seemed to have liked them. :)
Thank you Erin for this recipe! I made them for the first time for my little guy’s fifth birthday today. I am doing the honey version. I just took them out of the oven and I am amazed at how they actually rose and baked from such a thin batter!! I have this strong feeling we will be making these again…take care!!
I hope that they were enjoyed at the party and that your son had a great birthday! Thanks a bunch for your comment. :)
Can I bake this in a 8 inches cake tray?? Loove for this recipe..I have been searching for a whole wheat chocolate cake recipe sweetened with honey
You can use two nine inch round pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. :) Or you can halve it and use an 8″x8″. I’m not sure of the baking time. Hope you’ll enjoy it!
The cake came out really well and I used honey. Do post more recipes using whole wheat and honey as sweetner. I will definitely make many more of this cake.Want everyone to taste it. No one who had could guess its made of whole wheat and honey!
I’m so happy that it was a hit! I also like whole wheat + honey. :) You should try these whole wheat cinnamon apple muffins next! They’re also honey sweetened and super yummy.
Love love love these. Used agave nectar.
Moist and fluffy. Amazing!!!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Aww, yay! I’m so happy that you enjoyed them! Thanks for the tip on agave and your comment. :)
Hi, can I use 1 cup of coffee instead of the water? I want to make this cake for my son’s birthday and want to know if this will rise enough with whole grain whole wheat king Arthur flour? Thank you in advance.
Hi there! That would work and should be quite tasty. :) I haven’t tried that specific brand of whole wheat flour in this exact recipe but every other brand I’ve tried works just fine!
Thank you so much. I will let you know how it turns out.
Sooooooooo yummy and moist! I used King Arthur whole wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups of sugar instead of 2 and added chopped walnuts to my batter. They were delicious!!!!!!
Yum! Chopped walnuts sounds like a great addition. :) I’m thrilled that you liked them so much! Thanks a bunch for your comment. :)
Claims that this is the best gluten-free chocolate cake ever are NOT over rated. I have made this recipe several times and each time, the cupcakes are fantastic.
For Canadian readers, I use Bulk Barn’s 1:1 gluten free flour mix (in place of Erin’s suggested Bob’s Red Mills) and the results are great. I also freeze any leftover cupcakes 24 hours after baking. The flour I use takes on a faint “beany” under-taste on day 2 that slowly increases as days go by. Freezing prevents this.
Wow, thanks! I’m thrilled that you like them so much. :) Thanks again for leaving the tip for the Canadian readers! I’m sure that’ll help others. And good to know about the beany taste and freezing them! Thanks for your two comments today. :)
I think I need to do some baking today. These look delicious, I’ve been craving sweet things lately and this will fit the bill perfectly.
I think you do, too. ;) I hope you’ll enjoy them! They should definitely satisfy your sweets craving. Thanks for your comment!
hi :-) can I use natural unsweetened cocoa/hershey’s cocoa powder for this recipe? thank u
Sure! That’ll work fine. I just prefer the darker kind. Enjoy! :)
I love this idea for a kids’ birthday party! Healthier but not quite the texture of paleo baked goods is perfect for little ones (and adults alike)! YUM!
Thanks! I bet little ones would like my paleo cupcakes, too. ;) But it’s hard to compete with wheat!
YUM!! I love using whole wheat and spelt. You are right the weight measurements can make a difference. When I tested those recipes for your cookbook I did one by cups. I had ground my own wheat and it was so light and airy it was not enough flour. It didn’t turn out so good. Then I weighed the flour and it was a big difference. Might not have been so much had I not just ground my own instead of using store-bought.
Exactly! It’s super important to weigh your ingredients and especially when you grind your own flour. :) I hope you try these! I bet you’d love them. :)
Made these for a family bbq on Saturday and finished them off on Wednesday and they were JUST as moist and delicious. Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!
Wow, they lasted a long time. :) That’s great. And I’m happy they were enjoyed at the BBQ! Thanks for your comment.
The best chocolate cake I have ever baked. Moist, rich, and full of goodness.
Yay! I’m so happy you liked it. Thanks for your comment!
Best recipe ever!! I used water instead of milk and a tad less sugar. Sooooo good. I made a quadruple batch and it was GONE in 2 days. Thank you!
Woohoo! I’m so happy that you liked them. :) Thanks for your comment!
Amazing texture and totally loved it..thanks for a recipe.
Awesome! I’m happy they came out well. Thanks for your feedback!
I dont have cocoa powder, can I sub it with dark chocolate bars in anyway? Thanks…
That unfortunately won’t work. You really need cocoa powder for this recipe! Sorry about that.
Hi Erin, out of curiosity,,,will the eggs not get scrambled in boiling water?
They won’t! Promise. :)
Hi Erin,
Thanks for the recipe. I made the cupcakes this afternoon and they turned out delicious! I grow some chocolate mint in my backyard so I decided to sprinkle some shredded leaves in the batter (yum!). I didn’t make the frosting, but sprinkled some chocolate chips on top. Double yum! This one is a keeper. Thanks again!
Hi Yany! I’d love to try these with chocolate mint. That sounds delicious. :) Thanks for the tip and for your comment! I’m so happy that you enjoyed them. And my apologies for the slow reply! I just got back from vacation and wasn’t able to access the page from my laptop where I approve and reply to comments. Sorry again!
Hi again Erin! Not a problem. Hope you enjoyed your vacation! I am trying another of your recipes today (the zucchini chocolate brownies)… Can’t wait for them to come out of the oven… I am trying to keep my baking to once every two weeks or so, but it’s so hard with all these yummy recipes. Keep them coming! :)
Hi there! I did indeed, thanks. :) And ooh… I hope you enjoyed the zucchini brownies! Those are a favorite of mine. Thanks a bunch for your nice comment! :)
This is my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe!! Could it be made it into a cake?
So happy you like them! They’re my favorite chocolate cupcakes / cake ever. You can bake these in two 9-inch pans for about 30 minutes. Maybe check at 25 minutes to be on the safe side. I mentioned you in my latest post! Did you see? :)
I did see that! I made this recipe in a 13×9 and baked it for 30 minutes. I used my KoMo to mill fresh white wheat! Turned out great, just like the cupcakes.
Happy Birthday to me!
I hope you had a great birthday! And thanks for sharing the baking time for a 9×13. :)
Made these and they are the most delicious thing i have ever baked in my whole life! For the cupcakes I used whole grain spelt for the flour, 1 cup of maple syrup in place of the sugar, cacao instead of cocoa and for the frosting i used 1/3 cup maple syrup instead of the sugar, doubled the vanilla and omitted the coffee powder. So easy to make.
Wow! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed them so much and I love your healthy subs. :) Especially the switch to maple syrup! I’ll have to try that next time. Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
Absolutely delicious (cooked and raw! – couldn’t keep my fingers out of the bowl!) I made it with 1/2 cup coconut sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup agave nectar. Also I used Chapati flour and it turned out amazing! Will definitely make this again as I doubt the 24 cupcakes and 6 Madeleines will last too long in my house.
Haha. I love the batter, too! I’d never heard of Chapati flour before but it sounds interesting. I’m so happy you enjoyed the cupcakes! Thanks a ton for your feedback. :)
I found this recipe last week and have already made two halved batches of the cupcakes using sugar(not the icing-I went for chocolate on chocolate). Absolutely delicious. Thank you!
I’m so happy you enjoyed them! You can never go wrong with chocolate frosting on cupcakes. ;) Thanks for your feedback!
The cupcakes were moist. The batter was runny looking but it all worked out. I did not use the icing either. I substituted honey for sugar. I might add more honey next time.
It’s supposed to be runny, almost like water, so the batter was fine. :) I’m happy you enjoyed the cupcakes! Thanks for your feedback.
Erin, you struck gold! …And now so have I. I thought I would never be able to fully enjoy another chocolate cupcake without stressing over the processed and refined ingredients within. I made your cupcakes (the honey version) exactly as instructed and they came out perfectly! They were moist, springy, and heavenly. Not sure where people are getting the sticky outcome from. My cupcakes did sort of glisten, but were by no means sticky. I used 100% whole wheat pastry flour and I only had to bake for 14 minutes. I used extra virgin olive oil, though I was really tempted to use coconut oil instead (especially since someone else used it successfully), however I try not to steer away from a recipe the first time I make it ESPECIALLY when it comes to baking. Great recipe! This is definitely a keeper!
Oh, I forgot to mention that I did not make the icing. It had a couple of ingredients in it I was not comfortable with (i.e. cream cheese and powdered sugar). I will keep searching for an icing recipe, however these were great without any icing.
I don’t like the powdered sugar, either. :( But I’m with you – I like these even without the icing!
I think only one person mentioned the sticky thing and I kind of know what they mean. They’re not sticky really but ultra moist and like you said, they glisten. :) And that’s awesome that you like to follow the recipe the first time you make it! Most of my readers seem really good about that but I read so many comments on other blogs saying that they changed every other ingredient and the end product was the worst XYZ they’d ever had. I wonder why. ;) Thanks a ton for your feedback! I’m so happy that you enjoyed them.
Tried out this recipe for my birthday last weekend; used honey (trying to cut down on refined sugars in my diet) and they were a total hit! I will definitely be trying out more of your recipes; I love that there’s multiple healthy adaptations/substitutions :-)
Thank you! It’s good to know that the options are appreciated. :) I’m so happy that these came out well for you. Thanks a ton for your feedback and I hope you had a great birthday!
That was the wonderful cake it turned out to be. Thanks for giving a healthy bite. one question though. It is little sticky.. is it supposed to be like that? otherwise it was just awesome.
A little stick sounds about right. You could bake it a little longer to see if that makes it less sticky! Thanks for your feedback. So happy you liked the recipe!
Hey,
I made it again and this time it was perfect ? .
Just wanted to know one more thing , can we make vanilla cupcake also with wheat flour ?
If yes then plz let me know the ratio of all ingredients.
Thanx a lot ?
I’m happy that they worked this time! I knew something had to be wrong last time. :) You can make vanilla cupcakes with whole wheat flour but not using this recipe. For that, you’d need to google “whole wheat vanilla cupcakes.” Good luck on your next whole wheat attempt. :)
Hey
Yesterday i made this chocolate cupcake. it took more then half an hour (around 45 minute) to bake it completely. And the final result was good but not satisfied. Cupcake top was very hard and inside little sticky sticky. Plz suggest me what should i do. Thanx ?
Hello! Did you make any changes at all to the recipe? If you didn’t, then perhaps your oven is off because these cupcakes (and all other cupcake recipes) don’t take anywhere near 45 minutes to bake. I’ve made this recipe at least 20 times and never had them take longer than 17 minutes. And it looks like none of the other reviewers had issues with them, either. If you used an oven thermometer to ensure that your oven isn’t running low, then you must have accidentally added too much liquid. Just yesterday I made some cupcakes and wondered why they weren’t rising. I had forgotten the baking powder! Mistakes like that happen to everyone. ;) I hope you try again because they’re really delicious!
Just made these, they are delish, made a different frosting. Don’t forget to sift the cocoa powder, so you don’t get little bits of clumped chocolate.Thnx for sharing your recipe.
I’m happy you liked them! Thanks for your tip and feedback. :)
Just made these and I reduced the sugar to only one cup. But Then I started worrying they wouldnt be sweet enough and threw in 3 packets of stevia, lol. They turned out great! Very moist! Will make again. Thanks for the recipe.
I love reducing sugar when possible but I probably wouldn’t halve the sugar in a recipe unless you want it to come out very differently than the original recipe. ;) I’m happy it worked with some added stevia! Thanks a bunch for your feedback.
I just got done making these but I subbed the whole wheat flour for the Krusteaz one-for-one gluten free wheat flour and they came out so well! I love to bake cupcakes but have a friend who’s gluten free and I’m so excited to be able to include her. Thank you!!!
That’s so nice of you to bake something gluten-free for your friend! I hope she’ll enjoy the cupcakes. :) Thanks so much for the tip on making these gluten-free and for your feedback!
so if i wanted to add vinegar in this sort of make a whole wheat red velvet what would u recomend? should i sub buttermilk for the milk and add vinegar to soda?
There’s so much cocoa powder in these that red velvet wouldn’t work (red velvet cakes have much less cocoa powder). And adding vinegar, buttermilk and baking soda to the recipe would require totally reworking the recipe so the easiest thing to do would be to find a red velvet cake recipe and just use white whole wheat flour. :)
Are your grains freshly ground? Can I substitute applesauce for the oil?
No, they’re not. Please go by weight if you want to use freshly milled flour. I’ve never subbed applesauce for oil in these cupcakes but I wouldn’t recommend subbing all of it. Maybe 1/3? But again, I haven’t tried it so it’s just a guess!
Can I use cocoa powder instead of espresso powder?
I haven’t tried that but it may work. If I were you, I’d just omit the espresso powder. No need to sub anything in for it. :)
Isn’t espresso a type coffee? If I’m correct, what can I use in it’s place? I hate coffee.
You can just omit it. :)
I made these for my twin daughters’ second birthday, and they were a hit! I modified them a little: used 1/2 c. coconut sugar and 1/2 c. honey; used coconut oil; soaked the pastry flour overnight in a mixture of yogurt (couple tablespoons) and coconut milk to sub for the 1 c. of milk. They were great–moist and sweet enough without frosting. (I did drop a few chocolate chips in each cupcake of the second dozen.)
So modifying the recipe for soaking the grain (as per Nourishing Traditions) works well! I just added the wet goods to the soaked grain, mixed the cocoa powder with the leavenings and salt and then added that in, and then added the boiling water last of all.
Thanks for a great recipe!
I love that you soaked the flour first and that it worked out! I need to try that. I’ve always been hesitant to try and I have no idea why. Thank you so much for the tip and your feedback! I hope your daughters had a great birthday. :)
Hi, second attempt at ur cupcakes.. Super yumm.. Only issue.. They spilled from the moulds and didn t get a round top.. Did I over mix?
It sounds like maybe the liners were filled a little too much. Next time, fill them a little less and see if that helps. You won’t get much of a dome with these cupcakes but they shouldn’t spill! I’m happy you enjoyed them. :)
Hi, made your chocolate cupcakes for the first time and they were absolutely decadent! My whole family loved them. I can’t believe how dark, rich and moist the cakes were and the frosting was also delicious. I was a bit thrown with the water thin consistency of the chocolate batter but it came out wonderfully. Thank you for this recipe, it will be the only chocolate cake I make. I have a question – did you ever make this recipe with a bundt pan? I have a regular size bundt pan and also a 6 cup smaller bundt (for half the recipe). I’d like to try making the cake in these pans but am unsure of the baking time. Any help with this would be appreciated, we have 2 more birthdays this month!
Thanks again,
Mary
P.S. I just pre-ordered your new book on Amazon coming out next Spring; can’t wait to get it!
Hi, Mary! I’m so happy that the cupcakes came out well for you. :) I’m with you on not wanting to make any other chocolate cake recipes after trying this one! I’ve made this recipe in a 12-cup bundt pan but don’t remember the time. I remember one person saying that they did it for 35 minutes, but that seems quite short (though I could be wrong!) I’d check at 35 minutes and every 5 minutes after that. And I really have no idea about the 6-cup pan but I’m guessing it won’t be that much shorter. I hope that the birthday boys and girls will enjoy the cake! Thanks so much for your feedback and for ordering the book. :)
Yum yum yum… Loved them as much as my kids. I made mini cup cakes though. Kept them for 12 min. They’re a bit sticky… Is it how they r supposed to be or I should have kept them longer? The toothpick had come out clean though.
I wouldn’t say sticky but more like super, super moist and okay… maybe heading in the direction of sticky. ;) If the toothpick came out clean, I’m sure they were done. Thanks for the feedback!
I just wanted to say that this is my go to chocolate cupcakes recipe! I love how they’re so moist, yet still with whole wheat flour. Have you ever tried making a mint frosting for these?
I haven’t tried making a mint frosting! Sounds like something I need to think about for winter time. Thanks for the tip and the rating! So happy that you enjoy the cupcakes. :)
Made a test batch for my 5 year old’s birthday party. Looks like we finally found our cane sugar free cupcake! Will do a kid friendly frosting.
Sehr lecker. Danke! (BTW, he attends a German preschool here in Los Angles, Dad is from Germany.)
I’m so happy that you liked the cupcakes! I hope the kids will enjoy them, too. :) And so neat that your son goes to a German preschool. It’s good to know that such things exist should we move back to the US one day!
Awesome!!
I used 1/2 sugar and 1/2 honey. Also used Coconut oil instead of olive. Healthy never tasted so divine!!!
I’m so happy that you liked the cupcakes, Kathi! And great to know that coconut oil works. I’ll have to try that! Thanks so much for the feedback. :)
I made these cupcakes today,But without frosting. Yummmm. Thanks for the recipe.
So happy that you liked them! Thanks a ton for the feedback and the rating. :)
Any thoughts on how long these will keep? can I make them Thursday night for a Saturday morning birthday party, if I put them in the fridge? I am going to make these for my son’s third birthday party–very excited about the recipe!
That should be fine! They’re very, very moist and last for quite a while. If you’re low on fridge space, store the unfrosted cupcakes at room temperature and then frost them Saturday morning. I hope your son will love them! :)
Thank you so much! I love your blog!
Whoops. Sorry I didn’t see this! Thanks so much, Laura. :)
These were at hit at the birthday party today! I made them Thursday night as planned and then frosted them at the last minute today with sweetened whipped cream–yummy! The birthday boy loved them! and I got 30 out of the recipe, so I’ve had plenty of extras to do taste tests. thanks so much for a great recipe!
I’m so happy that it worked out well! :) And I’m thrilled to hear that the birthday boy liked them too. :) Thanks so much for the feedback!
Oh my goodness, I love you! I was frantically trying to find the perfect healthy chocolate cupcake recipe for a birthday party and I so I decided to go with yours and I am SO glad I did. These cupcakes were BEAUTIFUL. Texture was soooo moist and fluffy, not whole grainy in the slightest. I used Swerve sweetener in place of the sugar. It measures and bakes just like sugar with no aftertaste. This is definitely my new go-to cupcake recipe for sure! The guests at the party were all talking about my cupcakes, they were a hit! Thank you sooooo much! <3
Sorry for the slow reply, Kim! I’m so happy that these worked out with Swerve. That’s awesome. :) And don’t you love it when people are ooh-ing and aah-ing over your healthier baked goods?! Best feeling ever! :D Thanks a ton for the feedback. I really appreciate it! :)
delicious… I made mine with whole grain freshly ground spelt flour, a mix of olive oil, coconut oil and melted butter ( as my olive oil is local and very green and strong tasting), a mix of milk and coconut milk, and a mix of unrefined sugar and rice syrup ( instead of honey, which I believe should not be cooked ).
I also used some melted cooking chocolate mixed in with the wet mix, as I was low on powder.
So many variations from the recipe, but the cupcakes are about as yummy as I have ever made. so rich and moist and fudgey, my kids loved them, I’ll be tagging the recipe… Thanks!
Wow, that’s great that all your subs worked out! I’m so happy that you enjoyed them. :) And adding melted chocolate? Yum! Thanks so much for the feedback! I’ll have to look into the honey thing.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have been agonizing over what cupcakes to make for my daughter’s 4th b-day party tomorrow. She wanted chocolate cupcakes with strawberry (pink) frosting. We have cut out all processed foods and so you can imagine the joy I had when finding your blog for whole grain cupcakes! I made the cupcakes today and they were a HUGE hit. She LOVED them and my husband could not tell they were made with whole grain spelt! Fabulous, tender and moist! I halved the recipe and used 1/2 cup of coconut palm sugar and 1/4 cup of local honey and they were great! I will be making another batch tomorrow before the party since I know they are perfect and passed the test from my daughter. Thank you for creating a dessert I feel good about serving my kids and their friends (and myself too, of course) I made a butter cream frosting to go on top made with butter, eggs, honey and fresh strawberry puree to make it pink! Perfect!! Also loved that you put the weight of all the ingredients. SO helpful!! you rock!
First of all, I hope your daughter had a great birthday! I am so happy that you made her these cupcakes and your frosting sounds really nice. And you’re welcome for the weights of ingredients – thank you for saying something about that! You’re one of maybe, 3 people, to have mentioned it. Thanks so much for your feedback and your extremely nice comment! I really, really appreciate it. :) Oh and great to hear about coconut sugar + honey working. I’ll definitely have to give that a try!
I have been looking for a whole wheat cupcake for my daughters party and I came across these…oh my goodness! I made a trail run without frosting since I didn’t have the stuff on hand and we ate 90% of them that night! I did use 1 cup coconut sugar since I was low on regular sugar and they came out amazing! I am excited to do another trail with frosting this time, because…well…I…I mean we, need to make sure they still taste ok ;)
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!!
Haha. I like how you think, Brajee! You definitely need to try out another batch to make sure the frosting is edible. ;) Thanks a ton for your feedback and I hope your daughter has a great party! Oh and it’s great to know that coconut sugar works. It’s now my favorite sweetener but I haven’t gotten around to making these with it. So thanks a bunch for that tip!
Thank you! I am new to this blog and am very impressed. Just made these and have to be the moistest cupcakes I have tried. Truly better than anything you can buy! I did a different icing, with melted chocy and coconut oil as my fiancé isn't a coffee fan. So good :)
Hi Beccy! I'm so happy that you liked the cupcakes. And melted chocolate and coconut oil sounds lovely. :) Thank you so much for leaving feedback and stopping by to say hi. I do love hearing from new readers! Makes my day. :)
Lori – Yay! So happy that you liked them and that the brown sugar worked out. I bet boyfriend couldn't even tell they were whole wheat, could he? :) Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate the feedback!
These are great! I didn't have any white flour on hand, and found your recipe after searching 'whole wheat chocolate cupcakes'. I also didn't have white sugar or enough honey, so I used 1 1/2 cup brown sugar and they turned out fabulous. My bf and I like dark chocolate anyhow so we like it slightly less sweet and more on the rich side. yum.
Rubecca – I don't know because I never use it. Could you maybe try half sugar, half Stevia? I really don't think the consistency will be the same but good luck. :)
Hey Can we use stevia in place of sugar or honey will that make a difference to the consistency of the cupcakes?
Amy – You should definitely try these! But I'd try the sugar version if your family isn't used to whole grain / reduced sugar stuff. When people ask me to make them a cake, I always use the sugar version of this but still use 100% whole wheat and nobody has noticed. Just be careful not to overbake! It loses it's really amazing texture if you do. Good luck. :)
I'm been wanting to make whole grain cupcakes…but afraid no one in the family wanna try it. LOL….silly me. I'm sold on your descriptions. I'm gonna give this a try and just don't mention these are made with whole grain and see what my family would say. I have a thing with the chocolate mocha beans too. Shhh….
Dianne – Wow, thanks! Did you use the honey version or sugar? And if you used sugar, how much did you use? I'd love to hear if it worked with less than what's written. Thanks a bunch for the comment and referring people over here. :)
Great Healthy Recipe!! I love that it uses whole wheat flour and olive oil! Everyone is asking for the recipe and I`m directing them to your website!!
Kathy – To be honest, I think it'd be more like the honey version. And since one cup of honey is supposedly sweeter than one cup of sugar, I'd be worried that it wouldn't be sweet enough. Even with one cup of honey, it was just slightly sweet. I'd be willing to experiment for you on the weekend if you like. Let me know and I'll try it out! :)
I made these cupcakes last night with only 1 cup of sugar and they were amazing. I also used macadamia oil instead of olive oil. My husband couldn’t believe how fudgy and chocolatey they were.
Macadamia oil sounds amazing! I’ll have to look for that. I’m happy you two enjoyed the cupcakes and thanks so much for the feedback! :)
My family is extremely health-conscious, so whole-wheat is great! I was wondering how the cupcakes would turn out with 1 cup of sugar- would it still be gooey, or more like the honey version? Thanks!
FoodEpix – Thanks!
La enredadera – Thanks a bunch! They're not that unhealthy so you can eat one or three. Doesn't matter. :)
bananamondaes – Thanks! I'm happy you found me too. :)
So glad I stumbled across your blog. Great recipe.
I also love the mocha bean, I can only eat one, or two, or three… I have to eat them all!!
The cupcakes (coffe beans or not) looks really cute!! And with that ingredients, they must be really good!!
These cupcakes look so good. Would love for you to share your pictures with us over at foodepix.com.
Nicole – Thanks! I'm so happy people like the mocha beans. Germany never has any cool baking things so I'm super excited to have found something neat. :)
These cupcakes look very, very tasty! I love those chocolate mocha beans on top. I've never seen them before now, but they're such a cute topping for the cupcakes.
Asmita – Thanks! :)
Miryam – It works with 1 1/2 cups of sugar. I wrote that in the recipe but I guess people don't really read the recipe unless they're actually baking them so I'll add it to the description. Thanks for the idea! I bought the beans that way. I found them in the racks at Aldi during "baking week." :)
I think you'd also like the cupcakes with 1 cup of honey. I know honey is still sugar, but 1 cup of honey is better than 1 1/2 or 2 cups of sugar I guess. I just went and ate another one. I promise you wouldn't be disappointed!
These look awesome……just curious to know if you have tried to decrease the amt of sugar before. Do you think they would still be ok with just say 1 1/2 cups? Those coffee beans on top look really good as well did you coat them on cocoa powder or something? Beautiful Picts :-)
What a healthy take on cupcakes. These look gorgeous!!!
Nora – Thanks! I've been planning on trying out some gluten free donuts but I can't find the ingredients anywhere. Not even online! I'm working on it, though. One day I will post something that you could possibly eat should you feel inclined. :)
These look incredible!!! Yum yum, nice job! And your photos are droolworthy…props on using honey,I love using honey as a sweetener :)
Katrina – Thanks. :)
Julie – Thanks! And that's great. One good thing about Germany is that whole grain baking is really cheap here compared to other countries. Thanks for stopping by. :)
Hi there Erin, these cupcakes look like fun. I will follow your site as I am interested in knowing little more about grains and less sugar will not hurt me either. Cheers!
Wowzers, these are lovely! They are so pretty!!
Heidi – Thank you! I really hope you do try them out one day. Please let me know if you do. :)
The cake really doesn't require much work! But if you're referring to taking pictures… I spent almost three hours trying to get a few good shots and ended up with a couple decent ones. I suppose only practice can help that problem. Thanks again for calling my beans non-ridiculous. :)
I'm speechless. These look so incredible! I'm saving this recipe because I know I will use it one day on a special occasion. I can tell how much work you put into this and I am so impressed! And those beans on top look so good – totally not ridiculous :D
Oh well? No! No oh well! :)
The honey version is still super delicious. Maybe I shouldn't have been so critical.
Anything that is described as fudgey, I will eat! Fudgy is my favorite word when it comes to chocolate, but 2 cups of sugar does sound like a lot…oh well!