Creamy chocolate maca ice cream cupcakes sweetened with dates and frosted with fruit. This decadent HCLF vegan recipe is healthier than it looks!
The cupcake for when you don’t feel like baking.
For when you don’t feel like turning on the oven or using any flour or sugar.
But for when you do want a dessert that can cool you off after a day of sun-soaked summer adventures. For when you want messy melty finger-licking chocolate decadence. For when you want to swirl on sky-high frosting so it is impossible to take a bite and keep your nose clean. For when you want to take two because it’s mostly just fruit underneath that cupcake costume.
For all those times you need these Double Chocolate Ice Cream Cupcakes.
Double Chocolate Ice Cream Cupcakes
You could argue it’s not technically a cupcake, but it’s doing a very good job pretending don’t you think? It’s really more cupcake-shaped ice cream. Or like an ice cream cake but in miniature.
To keep this recipe fruity, I used a blend of non-dairy milk, dates, frozen bananas, and protein powder for the main “cake” part. The low water content of dates mixed with the creaminess of bananas keeps the cupcakes from freezing rock solid like plain nicecream would.
I used the Sprout Living Epic Protein in the Chocolate Maca variety to flavor these ice cream cupcakes, but you could use plain cacao powder + maca powder instead. Or any vegan chocolate protein powder you like. The protein powder does add an extra creaminess boost as well.
The frosting is my favorite date chocolate frosting, you’ve seen it around here before. The wonderful fact that dates do not freeze solid keeps the frosting nice and creamy as well.
Chocolate ice cream + chocolate frosting. I personally love the phrase “double chocolate”. When it comes to chocolate the more the merrier! But when I stop and think about it, I rarely have single chocolate. Chocolate nicecream–I add chocolate chips. Chocolate cupcake–I add chocolate frosting. Chocolate cookie–let me chocolate dip that. Chocolate bar–you can be sure I’ll have at least 2 pieces!
My friend Demeter from Beaming Baker and I decided that when something is “double chocolate” food math dictates you should eat twice as many. And you can’t argue with dessert multiplication. If you need more double chocolate frozen sweetness to apply this rule too, then I suggest you tackle her Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Popsicles next!
Let’s make these frozen fruity beauties already…
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PinIngredients
Base
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 6–8 pitted Medjool dates
Cream
- 2 frozen bananas
- 1 cup plant milk
- 6 pitted Medjool dates
- 2 scoops Sprout Living Chocolate Maca Protein Powder*
- 1/4 tsp vanilla bean powder**
- Optional: 2 tbsps mini chocolate chips for sprinkling on top
Frosting
- 12 pitted Medjool dates
- 2/3 cup plant milk
- 2 tbsps cacao powder
Instructions
- Base: Combine the ingredients in a food processor. Process until it forms a sticky ball. Divide into 6 and press into the bottom of your cupcake molds lined with plastic wrap.
- Cream: Blend all the ingredients on high until smooth. Pour into the cupcake molds on top of the base. Fill almost to the top. Sprinkle on chocolate chips if using. Freeze overnight (or at least 8 hours)
- Frosting: Soak the dates in the milk for 30 mins before blending. Blend on high until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag or plastic bag. Refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, frost your cupcakes then freeze for another 1 hour.
- Remove from the freeze a few minutes before eating. Enjoy! Keep in the freezer.
Notes
Or 1/4 cup cacao powder + 1 tsp maca powder
*Or 1 tsp vanilla extract
More handheld ice cream! Cinnamon Streusel Ice Cream Bars
If you are reading this in the middle of winter and you don’t want to risk brain-freeze for a cupcake, try these instead: The Healthiest Chocolate Cupcakes
These pack in so much goodness! Ice cream AND double chocolate? Yes, please!
I know right, it’s kind of a no-brainer 🙂 Thanks Becky!
These look amazing!! Perfect for a hot summer day when you don’t want to heat up the house by starting the oven but still want something decadent and sweet. Yum!
Which is pretty much every day for me right now lol 😀 Thanks Amanda!
This are the cutest things! I doubt anyone would believe just how healthy these little beauties are!! AND I LOVE the double chocolate!!
Thank you Laurina! Pair them with you Twix cookies and we would have the most deceptively healthy dessert duo 🙂
Okay, but all of those times that you listed: that’s all relevant for me, like… RIGHT NOW. 😉 Natalie, I have really got to look for more sun-soaked adventures. With the summer going the way it is, there’s just no excuse for my vampiric look. Lol. This summer though, baking, the oven, and any other hot stuff that doesn’t involve a tub just doesn’t fly with me. As a result, I will be needing not two, but FOUR of these cupcake costume wearing desserts of double chocolate d’awesomeness. And since you managed to do your fruit-sweetening wizardy on these beauties, why don’t we just kick that four up to a six. Okay, make it an even seven. 🙂 You and me, we were meant to be double chocolate, double dipping, double d’awesome friends. Now all we need to do is move next to each other. It’ll be like a vegan Willy Wonka factory (eh… without the freakish hijinks. Lol). Thank you for the shoutout my friend. <3 Imagine our double chocolate desserts high-fiving each other right now. 😉
Well then you NEED all the cupcakes!!! I don’t think the vampires would accept me as one of there own yet, but I am pretty embarrassingly pale for July too. It’s even worse when you live in the freaking sunshine state. I’m like a Florida vampire or something. If only there was better wifi outside, I would be more tan lol. Sad but true. Haha yes hot substances in large tubs only please! And if anyone has a giant vat of hot chocolate, yes that does count 😀 I mean no matter the season you’d be crazy to say no to that. Which leads right into your Willy Wonka reference, which oddly came up in a post I was just writing this morning. That movie has a creepy edge to it, so yes let’s leave that stuff out and just keep the chocolate river 🙂 We were definitely meant to be double chocolate friends, our minds both work in the same sweet logic kinda way. It’s a very happy thing that Pinterest led me to your awesomeness! We still gotta work on the whole neighbor thing 😉 Now excuse me while I go blend up some more cupcakes to fill your ever increasing order! xx
These are just too cute Natalie! I love ice cream cups and make some double chocolate ones but never added frosting on top like this make cupcakes, SO CUTE! The piped frosting looks so pretty, I love using those piping bags and tips, I have so many of them. I loved the video and music too, my favorite part was the end where you piped the frosting on. I’ve used Sprout Living’s protein powder before and it’s one of the best out there. I don’t really use protein powders anymore but if I do, theirs is the best! The Vanilla Lucuma is to die for!
I am really enjoying ice cream in cup form, it’s so much easier to just grab and eat without having to bother with bowls and scoops that things. I love when you mention one of your older recipes in your comments because I always have to go look for it and I always discover delicious things in your archives I never knew existed 🙂 Those Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Cups of yours look like heaven! I think frosting might be too much even, they already look so rich. But it does have that impressive look that is good for video haha! Yes I love the Vanilla Lucuma too! I honestly don’t care about the protein aspect of protein powders so much, I just like them as an easy way to make smoothies and things extra creamy and thick 🙂 Happy weekend Brandi!
There is no way I would ever argue with dessert multiplication especially where chocolate is concerned! These little cupcakes look fabulous….I want 10 x 10 ;O)
Why couldn’t math class have been this delicious?? I’m sure we all would’ve paid much better attention! 🙂
You are seriously a little genius! This is so perfect for those hot summer days when you don’t want to be anywhere NEAR an oven but still want something resembling a cupcake <3
I'm always impressed by the way you use such minimal, simple, natural and whole ingredients to create such beautiful desserts.
Yep that’s pretty much exactly why this happened lol. In Florida that is every day for about 5 months! But sometimes I get bored of just sipping smoothies…plus frosting 🙂 Thanks Aimee!
Love the recipe and what a wonderful video! It’s a beautiful dessert and deliciously healthy too!
Thanks Nicole 🙂
I definitely need these in my life! So cute, so delicious, so not sharing! 🙂
Haha I don’t blame you one bit!
Anything with double chocolate and ice cream is good in my book! These are so adorable and I love that they are small enough so that when I eat 5 I won’t feel as guilty….or will I? LOL!! What a perfect summer treat!
Well I’ve had 3 at once and zero guilt, so I think 5 is definitely an achievable goal lol. It’s practically like drinking a chocolate protein smoothie…yep that’s what I tell myself 🙂
This is the PERFECT summer cupcake, Natalie! And I love your food math, I totally agree. 🙂
Hahaha as a fellow chocolate fan I knew you’d understand the logic 😀 Thanks Linda!
Creaminess on creaminess on oats? I’m all in! This looks like my perfect dessert Natalie. Can you make a vanilla version, too? 🙂
Oooh I love the thought of a vanilla version, definitely on my list now! Thanks Alisa 🙂
These are sooo epic!!!!! I want a huge bite right now!
Thanks Ceara 🙂
These look absolutely gorgeous, Natalie!! I wish I could just grab one from the screen! <3
They are just sitting there all chocolate frosted begging to be picked up and devoured! Thanks Sina 🙂
This looks so wholesome and delicious. I need it in my life now. The icing sound especially tasty and easy.
Thanks Casey! Yep it’s pretty much the laziest frosting there is…hence its my favorite?