These cupcakes are the vanilla to my chocolate.
Are you a chocolate lover? Or does vanilla float your boat? I’m guessing vanilla since you’re reading this…
I’m usually a chocolate gal myself, but I feel like certain occasions call for vanilla. Like… Easter or Mother’s Day or the Fourth of July. I have no idea why, but I feel like those are vanilla cake occasions. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are more chocolatey occasions in my mind. And Birthdays are a toss-up (I prefer chocolate, hubby prefers vanilla). Does anyone else get what I’m saying at all, or am I alone on Ashley Island over here? Just pretend like you know what I’m talking about, and we can eat cupcakes together on my island. And by “my island,” I mean my kitchen island…
These paleo-friendly vanilla cupcakes are just as tasty as my chocolate cupcakes. They’re light, airy, moist, and decadent. The cake itself is sweet and buttery – so good, you won’t know they’re made with paleo-friendly ingredients. You can eat them plain or frost them with whipped coconut cream or a simple buttercream (buttercream is not paleo, though). If you go the whipped coconut cream route, then definitely top the cupcakes with berries (you can top the buttercream with berries too – but the frosting itself is so sweet that you won’t really notice the sweetness from the fruit.)
One thing that’s pretty key to making these cupcakes: use parchment cupcake liners! Or silicone liners. These cupcakes – and most cupcakes using paleo-friendly flours – will stick to regular paper cupcake liners.
Make these paleo vanilla cupcakes for a special occasion, a special person or any day that you want to make a little extra special.
Ingredients
Paleo Vanilla Cupcakes
- ½ cup cup almond flour
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ÂĽ cup tapioca flour or arrowroot flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ÂĽ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup ghee or 1 stick butter melted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs room temperature
Frosting
Use whipped coconut cream to keep this recipe paleo, or make this simple buttercream frosting:
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- â…“ cup ghee
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons dairy-free milk of choice
- 1-2 teaspoons beet juice adjust to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl combine the dry ingredients (almond flour, coconut flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, salt).
- Add the maple syrup, melted butter/ghee, and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix well.
- Then, add the eggs and mix well.
- Spoon the batter into a cupcake pan (parchment cupcake liners work well). *See notes if using a cake pan.
- Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool.
Use whipped coconut cream to keep this recipe paleo, or make this simple buttercream frosting:
- Combine the sugar, ghee and vanilla extract into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low speed. Add the dairy-free milk and beet juice to the bowl slowly and continue to mix on low speed. If the frosting isn’t spreadable, add more milk. If the frosting is too thin, add a few spoonfuls of powdered sugar. Keep remaining frosting in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
- If you are using a cake pan instead of a cupcake pan then increase the bake time to 30 minutes.
Kelli says
These are perfect! A go-to birthday treat in my house! Thank you!!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Kelli, that’s so nice to hear! Thanks for letting me know how much you like these cupcakes 🙂
Connie says
Can I use raw honey instead of maple syrup?
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
I’m sure that’ll be fine to do 🙂
Jenna M Pilkington says
So yummy and moist! I used the recipe almost as is… I didn’t want to use coconut flour so instead I used another 1/2 cup of almond flour and I did use the arrowroot flour/starch. While I was waiting for the eggs to be room temperature (I recommend taking them out a while before you’ll be needing them I was waiting forever haha), I added more almond flour because the cupcakes were still way runny. Then I added the eggs and it made the batter a little liquidy but not too bad (I also think my eggs were extra large, or just bigggg so I’d recommend using regular sized eggs). This recipe turned out well and I was very pleased. I will make again!! 🙂
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Jenna, glad you liked this! And it’s good to know it worked with your modifications. Typically coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid, so good to know it worked well even without it.
Rebecca Jones says
Made these today and they came out great! For the frosting I used coconut sugar instead of powdered white sugar, and it came out more like a glaze than a frosting but has a delicious maple-like flavor that really compliments the cupcakes! YUM. These will be a go-to for me. Thank you!
My Heart Beets says
Rebecca, I’m so glad you liked these cupcakes! Good to know about the coconut sugar – a maple glaze sounds delicious!
Lisa Salvatore says
Hi it’s been awhile since I’ve reviewed…I always love your recipes! These cupcakes came out SO good!
I used Ghee to keep it dairy free for my nephew, and they are delicious!
Thank you, as usual.
My Heart Beets says
Thanks for the review, Lisa! I appreciate it 🙂 I’m so glad you liked these cupcakes!
Connie says
Hi, can I replace the maple syrup with coconut sugar?
My Heart Beets says
Connie, I haven’t tried this but think it’d be fine – let me know how it goes 🙂
Dorothy says
I used 1/3 cup honey to avoid a heavy honey flavor and a 1/2 cup mix of grass-fed butter, coconut oil and avocado oil (I was low on butter but didn’t want the cake to come out too coconutty). Came out great. I made this in an 8″ for a little birthday cake. It was a little over an inch thick so I was able to slice it into two layers and frost. (I may look for a smaller cake pan for a higher cake, bc the overall size was great for a small group who just want a small treat.) SO cute with vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles. My plain vanilla 9-year old nephew liked it better than the packaged desserts on the table and even asked for a second slice.
My Heart Beets says
Dorothy, I’m so happy your 9 year old nephew liked this! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Ellie says
Phenomenal recipe! Thank you so much. MAKE IT PEOPLE! 👏🏼
My Heart Beets says
Ellie, I’m so happy to hear that you made and liked these cupcakes so much! 🙂
Marie says
Can I use sugar instead of maple syrup?
My Heart Beets says
Yup! 🙂