If you’re allergic to cow’s milk (like me), you will LOVE these Almond Joy Inspired Dairy-Free Cupcakes. And, if you’re like my pickiest taste-tester ever, who is suspicious of any dessert labeled “dairy-free,” you will be surprised to find that YOU will LOVE these too! These are now Mr. Picky’s “all-time favorite cupcake.”
Almond Joy Inspired Dairy-Free Cupcakes – Decadent but Not Too Rich
Creamy, gooey and chocolate-y with coconut goodness, these cupcakes are decadent without being too rich.
Sometimes the best recipes are happy little accidents. I was trying to make Hostess inspired cupcakes one day, and I was experimenting with different fillings. One of them (this one) was oh-so-delicious but didn’t taste anything like what I was trying to achieve. I took one bite and said, “Wow, these taste like Almond Joy!” YES! So I shaved and chopped some almonds, added them to the top, and tasted again. YEP! And YUM!
I had to make them again the following week, just to make sure it all could be duplicated, and they disappeared before I could give any away to our neighbors …
Tips:
- Core and fill your cupcakes like a pro by investing $4-$5 in a cupcake corer like this one (I tried hollowing out the center of a cupcake using various other tools that were NOT created for this purpose before I broke down and bought one of these; my only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner).
- Icing can be tricky. My mom never used a recipe (she is amazing!) and just mixed until she got it to the right consistency. So, if it’s a little too runny, add a little extra powdered sugar (maybe 1-2 extra Tablespoons); if it’s too thick, try adding a tiny amount of extra almond milk at a time. If you’re adding liquid, pour it into a small bowl or measuring cup first to avoid accidentally pouring too much in (been there, done that!)
- Make sure you use the coconut oil at room temperature. Heating it makes the coconut flavor disappear, which is perfect when you’re using it inside something like banana blueberry muffins, but for these cupcakes you WANT the coconut flavor.
- If you have an egg allergy, there is a small amount of egg whites in the Jet brand marshmallow cream pictured above that I used. BUT Smucker’s makes a marshmallow cream/topping that does not have any eggs in it! Check the label, in case they change that …
- Hide one of these for yourself for later … because they’ll disappear before you know it!
| Servings |
cupcakes
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- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup hot coffee (regular or decaf)
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (I use Bragg's)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 1/3 cup marshmallow cream
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (room temp)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2 Tbsp almond milk (unsweetened original)
- 1/2 cup almonds (I use roasted, lightly salted almonds)
Ingredients
The Chocolate Cupcake
Filling & Topping
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- Preheat oven to to 350 degrees F
- Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl
- Add all the remaining ingredients and whisk until fully blended
- Put cupcake liners in your cupcake/muffin tin (12)
- Fill each about 3/4 full
- Bake 18-20 minutes
- Let cool
- Add all of the filling/icing ingredients to a clean bowl.
- Using a hand mixer or standing mixer, beat until blended thoroughly. If it's a little too runny, add a little extra powdered sugar; if a little too dry, add a very small amount of almond milk.
- Remove the center of each cupcake with a cupcake corer tool
- Push the core out gently with the fat end of a chopstick and save
- Fill the center of each cupcake with the filling and then add the top part of your core back to "plug" the cupcakes; this step doesn't affect the taste, but it does prevent the cupcakes from having a sunken middle look to them. 🙂
- Ice the tops with the same filling/icing (if a little drips down the sides, that's fine; if a LOT drips down, then your icing is too thin - add a little extra powdered sugar)
- Grate about half of your almonds on the smallest holes of your grater and then rough chop the other half. Sprinkle the grated almonds on top of each cupcake and then top with your rough-chopped almonds (use more or less almonds depending on your preference).
- ENJOY!!
© Kitchen Gone Rogue. www.kitchengonerogue.com
