Moist, fluffy, rich, and with ingredients unlike any cake you’ve seen before – these Healthy Chocolate Cupcakes will blow your mind!
Oh so you like healthy cake too? Or is it the frosting you came for?
Well whichever the cake/frosting reason you find yourself here, I’m very glad that you are so we can chat about how healthy and easy and deeeeeeelish and generally mind-blowing these little cakes are. I was thinking we’d start from the bottom and work our way to sprinkles, cool?
If you ask me which recipe I suggest starting with to anyone new to fruit-sweetened baking…
Or if you ask which recipe is my go-to for sharing with friends and family, vegan or not…
Or which recipe has been remade with more positive reviews than any other…
Or which you should make for your {insert celebratory event here} this weekend…
The answer to any and all of the above is the same: CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES. Do I have the stats to back up all those answers? Nah don’t need ’em. Because I’ve got chocolate-frosted chocolate cupcakes, and no one argues with the girl holding the cupcakes.
So if any dessert around here deserved a revisit/revamp/take 2/opportunity for me to gush on about how and why I love them so, it’s these guys.
Ingredients. They haven’t changed too drastically, but for a quick preview of the how-do-these-things-possibly-make-cake? list:
1. Medjool dates
2. Water
3. Rolled oats
4. Cacao powder
5. Baking powder
6. Non-dairy milk
7. Sea salt
8. Vanilla extract
Short, sweet, and definitely a case of the whole being way more magical than a simple sum of the parts.
Take 2 tweaks. There are a couple of ingredients I left out the first time in favor of keeping the recipe super simple. But those little things can make a big difference on flavor, so we’re not skipping them this time around. I also amped up the chocolate flavor because that is never not a good idea. And there are a couple of technique tips too that will make your life easier and your cupcakes better-textured.
If you ever needed proof of the power of a pinch of salt in sweet things, these cupcakes are it. As is salted caramel. And salted chocolate. But the topic today is cupcakes, so don’t even click those salted-stuff links. A pinch of salt paired with a teaspoon of vanilla extract makes all the difference between this recipe and the old one. It’s like chocolate to CHOCOLATE if you know what I mean. Deeper, richer, bolder, and just. plain. better.
Have you ever in your life said: “this chocolate cake is just a little too chocolatey”? Because I know I haven’t, and I’m guessing you are shaking your head as well. If you answered yes – are you sure you’re okay? So for this updated version, I made the cupcakes chocolatey-er (chocolatier? more chocolatey?) with more cacao powder. And never looked back.
Blend better. There is this thing that happens when you make the same recipe a zillion times and know it by heart and can do it with your eyes closed. No it’s not a mess that you can’t see because your eyes are closed. (Although that too.) The thing is you figure out the ideal, efficient, turns-out-perfect-every-damn-time way to do it. And at this point I’m pretty confident I’ve got blender cupcake batter all figured out.
The first time I made these cupcakes I used a food processor. But if you happen to own a certain brand of food processor of a certain capacity, there is a chance that combining dates + water in it could lead to date-water violently spraying all over your kitchen. I thought it was just me and my machine was defective or something, but nope turns out it has happened to others too. So for the sake of your walls, use a blender.
In the original recipe, I also say to “blend on high”. No, no no. I have since learned that high speed and excessive blending does terrible things to oat flour based baked goods, so actually blending on low speed and just long enough to combine all the ingredients works much better. And honestly if there are a few lumps left I’m not even worried about it. I’d rather stir those in by hand than risk gummy cupcakes from overly aggressive blending. So blend on low and as briefly as possible.
If you don’t have a blender that can handle no-bowl batter jobs like this, my best advice is to blend just the dates and water in whatever you’ve got and then do the rest of the mixing by hand.
Fudgier frosting. Perhaps the biggest transformation actually took place on top of the cupcake rather than inside. The original recipe featured a date-based chocolate frosting made up of just Medjool dates + non-dairy milk + cacao powder. But sometime between then and now I discovered that nut butter makes that mix of frosting things approximately 100000x better. So I’ll be adding that from now on ALWAYS.
Almond or cashew butter (the thicker/less runny the better!) is best for a nutty-neutral just chocolate frosting. But peanut butter…brb, lemme go grab a spoon! And while I’m gone why don’t you go ahead and blend up another batch to actually put on the cupcakes.
The nut butter addition also means this frosting thickens and sets as it chills, so if your frosting seems too soft to pipe right after blending pop it in the fridge for a bit first. And after frosting you definitely want to chill the cupcakes before serving so the frosting doesn’t start to soften again. If you aren’t opposed to it, a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil blended in will make it set that much better too.
This recipe started out as “everything-free cupcakes” but that name never felt quite right. While they are free of oil, gluten, nuts, dairy, eggs, and refined sugar, they do still contain things. Very good things in fact like dates and oats and cacao! So while whipping out a word like “best” seemed a bit over-confident back then, three years and many reviews later I, without hesitation, dub them The BEST Healthy Chocolate Cupcakes. Boom.
Update to the update! The below photos are from a batch I just made swapping the 1/4 cup almond milk with coconut oil and it made them even richer and more delicious. Or 1/4 cup of your favorite nut or seed butter would work too.
If you try them, either leave a comment and rating or snap a pic and tag me on Instagram to tell me if you think they live up to the title.
So now you can be that person at the party who waits until after everyone takes a bite to say: “Oh btw, that chocolate cake you’re stuffing your face with is made of fruit and oatmeal!
The BEST Healthy Chocolate Cupcakes
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 cupcakes 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: american
Description
Moist, fluffy, rich, and with ingredients unlike any cake you’ve seen before – these Healthy Chocolate Cupcakes will blow your mind!
Ingredients
- 1 cup Medjool dates (200g or about 12 pitted)
- 1 cup (240g) water
- 1/3 cup (35g) cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup (125g) oat flour*
- 1/4 cup (60g) non-dairy milk**
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
- 1 cup Medjool dates (about 12)
- 1/2–2/3 cup non-dairy milk
- 1/2 cup nut or seed butter (almond used)
- 1/4 cup cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
- Pinch of salt
- Optional: sprinkles for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Combine the dates and water in a high speed blender. Blend on high until smooth.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Blend on low speed briefly until just combined. DO NOT over blend.
- Divide the batter between 6 cupcake tins that have been lightly coated with oil. (I do not recommend paper liners because this recipe is oil-free and they will stick.) Fill each so it is level with the top of the pan.
- Smooth the tops with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for approximately 25 minutes at 350F.
- Remove from the oven. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool completely of ideally chill overnight before frosting.
- For the frosting, combine all the ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Start with 1/2 cup of milk and add more only as necessary to get it to blend, you want it as thick as possible. Transfer to a piping bag and chill for at least 1 hour to thicken.
- Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes, or spread with a knife. I recommend storing the cupcakes unfrosted, and frosting right before serving.
- Top with sprinkles and enjoy!
Notes
*For a grain-free option: Replace the oat flour with 1 1/4 cup almond flour. Add 2 tablespoons tapioca, corn, or arrowroot starch. And replace the non-dairy milk with 1/4 cup of any nut/seed butter.
**For a richer cupcake, replace with 1/4 cup nut/seed butter or coconut oil.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 32g
- Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 51g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 4g
Keywords: baking, easy, healthy, chocolate, birthday, vegan, gluten-free, sugar free
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Now THIS is how you start a Tuesday!! Haha! Now you know why I always want to add vanilla and salt to everything, lol! It really DOES make a huge difference. To me, salt is such a crucial ingredient, particularly for chocolate because otherwise the flavor can be a bit dull, so I’m loving this revamped chocolate cupcake! And you know how much I love my nut butters so I’m especially excited about the fudgier frosting, because to me, there is no such thing as too much chocolate fudgy goodness. My hubby is not a huge chocolate fan and when I make desserts sometimes he says “way too much chocolate”, that is when I know I’m on the right track, lol. And yay for baking and learning new things…it’s amazing all the things I’ve learned over the many years that make me want to go back and change some things…but it’s all in fun. I’m so happy you shared this new version! I’m even more chipper now that all this beautiful chocolate is staring me in the face!
Yes I’ve learned a lot in the past 3 years when it comes to baking, I was realizing that while writing this. Dull is the perfect word for it, it’s amazing the difference those two little things can make! Bahahaha I need a chocolate meter like that in my life, because I’m with you–no such thing as “too much” 😀 Well I hope you channeled all that chipper-ness into some delicious cookbook recipe creation 🙂
OMG–I thought I had said my final goodbye to cupcakes since they had stuff in them that I couldn’t really justify eating! Oilfree! Refined sugar free! Gluten free! And looks to be 100% delicious. Can’t wait to make them. Will report back once a day.
Do you think I can use silicone cupcake liners or do you think oiling the pan would be better?
Cupcakes are BACK! Either will work, I’ve made them in a silicon muffin pan many times and they always come out fine. But a little coconut oil is always a good insurance policy against having to eat them out of the pan with a fork lol. Can’t wait to hear what you think 🙂
If I have date nectar how much should I use instead of using the dates and water?
Date nectar won’t work here since it doesn’t contain the date fiber it’s more of a syrup. If you have storebought date PASTE that would work! But you really need date paste for this one unfortunately.
I am making this recipe for my 7 year old cousins birthday, and I am wanting to use cupcake liners to make it look nice. Any recommendations?
These will work in cupcake liners, you can spray/oil them a little bit to make sure they come off clean!
With what can I substitute medjool dates??
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The next best would be other dried fruits: prunes, raisins, dried figs. They will all taste much fruitier than dates, but still be delicious 🙂
Hi! I love your recipes so badly! I visit your blog & Instagram website and your amazing ideas really impressed me, especially that you use basic ingredients, which every single reader can buy without any problems. I’ve already saved some recipes and I’m going to try them, but unfortunately, I’ve got one problem – I don’t know exactly how to understand “cup” : ( I’m from Poland, we don’t use this term in our kitchens often and I want to keep appropriate proportions, so I hope that there is a chance to give me a small tip how I can deal with it – maybe in relation to number of tbsp? I’d be very grateful for your help : )) All the best! : )
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There’s a converter on Google Xx
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Can you make this into a cake instead ?
Sure! I’ve baked it in an 8 inch round cake pan many times, works very well. Just add 5-10 mins to the bake time 🙂
Hi Maddie! Ah yes, measuring is so different all over the world it gets tricky. For just about any ingredient you can always google xxx cups to grams (or whatever measurement you are most familiar with) and find a good estimate that way. But if you want to relate it to tbsp, one cup is always 16 tbsps. Hope that helps 🙂
instead of “cup”, just consider it 250 mL or 1/4 of a litre 😉 since metric measurements are a bit more popular in Europe no?
Would these work as a single cake?
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Yep it does work as a cake too! If you 1.5x all the amounts it fills a 9″ cake pan quite well, although it takes a bit longer to bake (about 30-35 mins) Enjoy!
Thank you! I am making these now!
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OMG I legit have this same recipe on my blog in my Fudge Ripple S’mores Muffins!! Too funny!! Date lovers think alike!
This is an old one from years ago re-shot, but dates do make for amazing muffins!
Ahhhh gotcha!! Always good to bring back an old favorite! Hope you’re doing well, Nat!
Oat flour is not gluten free and even if you buy the gluten free version from cross contamination it still has in its natural composition molecules that are very alike with gluten a can make a lot of problems to celiac and gluten sensitive people. Is there a flour that can be a substitute for the oat?
You could try it with a GF blend, or I’ve had readers make them successfully with quinoa and buckwheat as well🙂
Hi!
I’m having company over this weekend and I was trying to decide what to make the kids for a special treat and then THIS appears in my inbox! 😃
One of the girls can’t have oat flour, do you think almond or coconut flour would work?
Thanks so much!
Ah perfect timing 🙂 Coconut flour will not work, almond is a much better bet. However almond flour doesn’t bind very well on it’s own so I recommend combining it with corn starch or tapioca starch so they aren’t too crumbly. Maybe try 1 cup almond flour + 2-4 tbsp of either of those starches. Hope that helps and good luck!
Any suggestions for making the cupcake base vanilla?
Has anyone tried to leave out the Cacao Powder?
I have a vanilla version here that you can make as a full cake or cupcakes: https://www.feastingonfruit.com/healthy-vanilla-cake-chocolate-fudge-frosting/
Just baked this today. Sooo yummy! I used medjool dates in the cake and figs in the frosting since I didn’t have enough dates for both. My blender isn’t high speed so the fig seeds made it a little crunchy which is alright but next time I’ll try prunes or dates. Also only used 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter since my partner doesn’t enjoy peanut butter favoured icing normally. But overall a wonderful recipe!!
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I am SO happy that you tried and liked them!! Prunes or dates (or even raisins!) will definitely blend smoother, but I love the taste of figs with chocolate so I bet that was really yummy still. Thank you for the great feedback, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the batch, Nisha 🙂
Are they supposed to be gooey on the inside??
Nope, definitely not. Are they gummy or just way too moist? If they are gummy, it’s likely from blending the batter too much. Oat flour will turn really gummy really fast if you blend too much, so maybe consider blending just the dates + water and mixing the rest by hand. Was your batter similar in texture/thickness to that in the video?
Yes maybe that’s the problem..was not the same a bit softer.. I mixed in thermomix.. I just baked a bit longer and they seem ok and maybe will be ok once cooled? They still divine!
I am new to baking and made this amazing recipe for the fourth time. Each time I’m getting better at it. My problem is that I can’t eat all 6 muffins in the same day. The first one that I eat right from the oven is perfect – light, fluffy and delicious. However, by the next day the remaining 5 become heavy and chewy – similar to a fig bar. I’ve tried leaving them out overnight and refrigerating but neither method retains the moistness. Any suggestions? (FYI – I don’t frost them).
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Fourth time–that can only be a very good sign🤗 I know exactly what you mean, and honestly don’t have a great answer. Baked goods are better when fresh, it’s just a fact. And it seems to be even more true with vegan/healthier baked goods. You could half the batch of course, but that would just mean more work. Personally with these I just refrigerate them and expect more of a brownie texture after the first day. Sorry, wish I had a good answer but I haven’t found any tricks for this yet either😕
Glad to know I’m not doing something incorrectly with the recipe. This morning I took one from the refrigerator and put it in the microwave for 20 seconds. It definitely improved the texture a bit. These muffins have become my favorite treat on my journey towards a ‘no added sugar’ lifestyle!
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I’m glad the microwaved helped! On that note, you could even try reheating them in the oven for a bit. I’ve never tried it, but perhaps it would restore a little of that freshly baked magic. I’m so happy to hear they have been helpful in your journey, best of luck to you!
Nothing a little vanilla banana frozen cream can’t fix. 😉
These came out SO delicious! Even my son and husband loved them!
I made mini cupcakes in a silicone tray so they popped right out. Very easy recipe, thank you so much!
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YAY!! Entire family approved–I love it 🙂 Thanks for the awesome feedback Laura, hope you guys enjoy the rest!
Hi!
Have you tried to sub dates + water with apple sauce? Do you think that’d work? It so, how much apple sauce do you think would work for this recipe?
Thanks! 🙂
I haven’t tried it and I worry it might not be sweet enough, dates are quite a bit sweeter than applesauce. If you want to try it it would be a little over 1 cup. Good luck!
Hi
I tried these cupcakes today… but
A) my batter was not as thick as yours
B) my muffins and my frosting were both darker than yours
C) there is strong bitter aftertaste to the cupcakes
D) they were very chewy… not soft and spongy
Where do u think i went wrong? I was superrrr excited about this recipe… please advise how i can improve upon this
Thank you
Hmmm it’s hard for me to pinpoint the problem since I wasn’t there, but her are some thoughts…
1. By “not as thick” do you mean it was more runnny/liquidy? If so that is likely what caused them to be chewy or gummy inside instead of fluffy. Check your measurements and maybe add more flour or skip the nondairy milk if everything else seems right. The batter should be quite thick, not pour-able. Also what kind of dates did you use?
2. Bitter aftertaste is almost always caused by too much baking soda or powder. You did use powder, correct? Not soda? Baking powder does expire as well and will not work if it’s been open too long which can lead to a lack of fluffiness too.
3. The color likely had to do with your brand or variety of cocoa, what kind did you use? Any kind should be fine, but some may be darker and more bitter than others.
Hope that can maybe help you pinpoint the problem!
I did use baking powder n that too a new pack… maybe i could reduce it a little?!? U think that would work to eleminate the bitter aftertaste? If yes then how much should i cut back? Cant wait to retry 😃
You could try scaling back to 2 tsps, although that may affect this rise/fluff. Good luck!
my batter was very runny, maybe this is why they didn’t bake after an hour… I measured same amounts as in the recipe, so maybe should add less water?
Hmm I’m not exactly sure what the problem is, that’s never happened to me before. But yes I would try less water!
What can i do if i need more than 6 cupcakes?
Double all the amounts and make a dozen!
Made these tonight in a plant-based whole foods cooking class I teach at a local college. The students loved! Thank you so much!
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YAY!!! I am so happy to hear it, thanks for the feedback Sherry🙂
Oh HELLO! My inner child and my inner chocolate-lover (which are probably one and the same) are screaming with excitement to make these 🙂
I have both of those inner personalities too and they were ALL OVER THEM🍫🍫🍫 Thanks Haley!
Absolutely love this recipe but I just can’t get my batter and frosting super smooth… any suggestions??
Xx
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What kind of blender are you using? That will make all the difference for smoothness. A few chunks in the cupcake batter will not matter, but for the frosting you can try soaking the dates in the non-dairy milk before blending to make it easier to blend and smoother.
I’m SO excited to try this! What adjustments would you recommend for baking it as a loaf? I have a 10×8-ish inch loaf pan. Thank you!
I do not recommend this one in a loaf pan, loaf cakes without eggs are tricky so I am afraid the center will not bake through and end up mushy. You can do it in a square (8×8 or 9×9 inch) cake pan though, just add an extra 5-10 minutes to teh baking time!
My kid is allergic to nuts so i can’t use any kind of nut butter. Can i use margarine instead? Coconut oil?
Thank u so much.
Sílvia
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I would not recommend coconut oil, but coconut butter would work and margarine probably would too although I haven’t tested it personally. You can also just skip the nut butter and add 1/4 cup non-dairy milk. Hope they turn out well!
Very good cupcakes. It seemed like they improved after sitting for awhile. I liked them the first day but really liked them the second day. They have a wonderful deep chocolate flavor and are hearty so I felt like I ate something substantial. The frosting was wonderful. I also put it on some toast. I’ve never had the popular chocolate spread stuff from the store before so I can’t compare, but it was very good on toast. Thanks for the recipe!
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Thanks for the feedback Bex, I am so happy you liked them! I love them the next day too, especially chilled–they taste fudgier and more brownie-like. Oooh that is a wonderful idea to use the frosting with toast! I mean really there is no wrong way to eat healthy chocolate frosting 🙂
Can’t wait to try these! Can I use regular dates instead of medjool and if yes how many?
Sure! It depends on the size, but you want about 1 cup PACKED. The dates I use are approximately 23g each so 276g total if measuring by weight is easier. Hope that helps and they turn out perfectly!
They look so cute! 😛 The frosting on these looks stunning! So smooth and creamy 😀 Can I have a couple please?
Hehe of course my fellow chocolate lover! And very wise to not think that one will be enough 🙂
I’m making these this weekend and have both Garbanzo Flour and Banana Flour on hand… could either of these work in this?
Hi Michelle! Hm so I don’t have a lot of experience (or any actually) working with garbanzo flour so I can’t say how that one would be. It may work, you would just have to experiment. Banana flour will not work here unfortunately, it would give the cupcakes a really gummy texture. I do have a different banana flour cake recipe that you could make into cupcakes if you wanted (https://www.feastingonfruit.com/banana-flour-chocolate-chip-cake/), but for this one almond or oat or all-purpose is best. Sorry!
SO happy with this recipe. The texture was moist, not gummy. Almost like brownies, but still like cake. I used a date sweetened tofu chocolate pudding icing that I make all the time, so it was more intuitive and easy. Topped it with sliced banana. I will be making these often (: (: (:
THANK YOU!
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I am so happy they were a delicious chocolate success Elizabeth!! Yes you described it perfectly–somewhere between brownie and cake😋 Oooh that frosting sounds amazing! I used to make tofu pudding all the time it has such a lovely light texture I imagine it would be a delish contrast to these cupcakes. Thanks for the feedback and enjoy many more batches to come🤗🤗
My daughter has a sensitivity to vanilla (among other things). Can I substitute almond extract or maple syrup instead? Thanks!
Absolutely! I would go with almond extract personally, it will delicious with the chocolate and you really don’t need any additional sweetness 🙂 I hope you both like them!
Hi Natalie!
I love the idea of these cupcakes and would like to try them out, they look beautiful!
Question: I already have date past on hand (I try to always have a jar in my fridge:)), so what amount would you recommend if the date paste is already prepared? Still one cup and omit the water?
Thanks in advance! cant wait to bake these!
Ha never without date paste at the ready–you sound like me😊 You can use about 1 1/4 cup date paste in place of the water and dates. Unless you date paste is really thick compared to what’s show in the video, what ratio do you use when you make it? If it’s quite thick you may need to add some water, it should be a fairly thin date paste for these. Hope that makes sense and helps!
These are very very good! I have been on a hunt for a healthy cupcake without added sugar or sugar alternative. These are the winner after 5 different recipes. They are very moist and have a nice crisp outside and the flavor is very nice. It is hard to believe that they have no added sugar. Yum!
YAY!! I am so glad they were a success! You deserve a delicious win after 5 tries–I admire your commitment to the healthy cupcake finding mission 🙂 Yes dates so amazing right!? Thanks for the awesome feedback Cassie!
Hi Natalie ! I’m a huge fan of your recipes and creativity! I watch all your videos but this is my first time commenting, since this recipe is too good for me to not post a review.
I doubled the recipe and made these in a 9×13 cake pan for a dinner party. Left them in the oven for a little over 30 mins; they were spongey in the centre when I took them out. The texture was more like a fudgy brownie, which is great because I’ve missed brownies so much since going vegan! All of my older (non-vegan) guests especially loved them, and they could all have some since they’re “everything-free” 😉 No one could tell they have dates in them. As for me, my life is changed. I recently gave up refined sugar for my health and skin, and have been feeling deprived ever since 🙁 But not anymore! These remind me of the little fudgy brownies I’ve had from 5 star restaurants before going vegan, except that they’re so much better for you.
The frosting is heavenly, I had a hard time trying to not lick it off the spatula 😛 I think it could also be a great substitute for a healthy Nutella, which I’ve also missed.
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe😘
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Hi Zinny! Thank you or the kind words and support, and I am THRILLED to hear that you loved this one🤗 A big pan full of cupcake sounds so yummy haha, but yes they are a bit more dense and fudgy so I’m sure cut into squares they were very cakey brownie reminiscent. Aw that makes me so happy that everyone could have a piece, healthy but delicious baking is the best. Oh I always eat at least a few finger-fuls of frosting straight from the blender, and yes especially if you used hazelnut butter it would be SO much like nutella (but sweetened with fruit!) Well I hope your health is improving and now you can have sweet treats and beautiful glowing skin all at once😊 Thank you for the lovely feedback and happy holidays❤️
Can you freeze these
I’ve never done it since they never make it past a few days in my house, but you could certainly try it! If anything they may be a bit drier and more dense after defrosting.
Hi, I’ve put in charge of making valentines cupcakes for my 2 year old sons preschool class. I’m looking for a healthier alternative and these look super great!! My question is about the non-dairy milk. Is that like, coconut or almond milk? Thanks!
Hi Caitlin! Yep, almond or coconut milk or any kind of milk really you can even use dairy milk if you like. Good luck and I hope they turn out a delicious kid-approved success 🙂
Thank you so much for the great recipe Natalie! I made them today along with the frosting. I only had peanut butter which tasted fantastic! I was afraid to fill 6 muffin cups so full so I spread it out to 10, smaller cupcakes. My oven is small and not the greatest so I worried about them getting too dark before baking, well they came out great! My husband has worries about his gallbladder so we’ve tried to eliminate fats and he gave up eating chocolate. His favorite was my chocolate cake, so to FILL the house with the smell of chocolate cake today was great, and he liked them! He doesn’t like a heavy texture cake though, like I do, but he still liked them. I don’t have a good blender and my food processor broke, so it was hard to get the dates ground properly, but I got there in the end! Thanks! I’ll share your site on facebook!
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YAY!! I am so so happy you tried these🤗 More cupcakes is never a bad thing, and I bet the pb frosting tasted delicious on top. Mmmm one of my favorite aromas too! They are a bit more dense than a classic cake, but I am glad your husband still enjoyed them too. Soaking the dates in the 1 cup water for 30 minutes or so and then blending it all may help with the chunks too. Thanks for the feedback, Mary!
Hi Natalie,
Just came across this website and seems you have a huge healthy option for a foddie in me. Do you have the option of filtering out recipes based on the ingredients ? I am more keen in trying your muffins which have oats flour base or may be those that use appluesauce .
This place is a heaven for foodies who want to eat healthy. Great job
Hi Laxmi! You can certainly search for any ingredient that you want recipes for, that would be my best recommendation. I don’t have any sort of fancy filtering system set up unfortunately, but that would be awesome. I hope that helps and you try something yummy soon!
Thanks , I somehow missed the search on this page.
I tried the muffins and they turned out yummy. Must say, You make magic with the healthy ingredients . Good luck to you. Happy to find this website.
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No worries! I’m so happy liked these cupcakes and that you found me and my healthy sweet stuff over here too 🙂 Happy monday!
Hi Natalie,
Can I use pited medjool dates for this or doesn’t it have to be the ones that aren’t pited??
Does*
Pitted is great!! Saves you a step😊
I really love this recipe! Already made it twice and about to make it for my daughter’s birthday. For the frosting I use hazelnut butter, its expensive but the result is a healthy nutella like topping! Delicious! Thanks a lot for this recipe!
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YAY!! I am so happy to hear you are enjoying these🤗 And omg homemade “nutella” frosting sounds ridiculously amazing on top–that is a great idea. Thanks for the feedback and i hope your daughter’s cake comes out perfect🎂
these were great! i substituted tahini for the nut butter in the frosting due to not having another option and it was surprisingly good! thanks for sharing- it worked really well!
I have a vegan food and health blog at http://www.whitedragonorganics.com pop by and say hey!
Oooh the tahini frosting sounds so yummy, that pairs wonderfully with chocolate. Thanks for sharing Samantha, and lovely to meet you😊
Hi there,
I would love to make this recipe for my daughter’s 2 year birthday party this weekend. I have a couple quick questions!
1) what modifcations would you make for mini muffins?
2) (this may be stupid but…) are the dates dried like prunes? Or are they fresh dates? Is that even a thing? Clearly I have never worked with dates before…
Thanks!
Kirsten
I’m so happy you are going to try these! As for the questions:
1) For mini muffins all the ingredients would be the same just the bake time will be shorter. 15 minutes at 350F is usually perfect.
2) Dates do come dried and fresh, but even the fresh ones will look similar to a dried fruit (that’s just how they are). Either will work here, but fresh tastes best and is easiest to blend. The ones labeled baking dates are usually dried, but medjool dates are what you want. Usually they are in the produce section or the bulk bins.
Hope that helps and you and your daughter both love them!
Do you recommend storing these, or any other fruit containing cupcakes in the refrigerator (even before frosting)? How long do are they good for?
Yep they will definitely keep longest in the fridge, although they do become more dense/brownie-like once chilled. I recommend eating them within 3-4 days, they will become more dry with time. Hope that helps 🙂
Hi Natalie, if I wanted to make this into a cake, should I double the recipe and bake it longer? For how long, then? Thanks!
To fill a 9″ cake pan I usually find 1.5x the ingredients to work out pretty well, but doubling will probably be okay too and make it a little thicker. I’d recommend about 35-40 minutes, but toothpick test the center just to be sure! Happy baking 🙂
Loved making these ! Turned out fab ! I got about 8
Do these freeze well ? Would be ideal to make and freeze instead if giving everyday in row on makinb to my 4yo
★★★★★
I am so happy they were a success Dee! They do freeze pretty well, a little more dense and brownie like afterwards but still yummy 🙂
Thanks heaps !
I just made these with the modification for grain-free cupcakes. They were quick and tasty. They were perfect! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
I am so happy you liked them, Pola!! The grain free version is my favorite😋 Enjoy the rest!
My husband just tried these and he loves them! But he’s counting macros for his wellness program. I ask on his behalf: what are the macros for the modified version (using almond and arrowroot flours)? Thank you!
Just calculated it for ya:
Thank you, you’re the best! 🙂
My family doesn’t like almond butter or any nut butter but I want the icing to taste nice, what can I substitute for the butter that will still keep a nice flavour without overpowering anything?
The nut butter is more for texture than flavor, the higher fat thickness/richness makes the frosting really creamy and hold its shape. Try using coconut cream (just the solid part from a can of full fat coconut milk) instead and omit the nondairy milk. Only add a little bit of milk if absolutely necessary to get it to blend. Hope that helps!
Is it possible for you to amend your recipe instructions regarding the correct blending technique so that anyone not bothering to read the notes doesn’t muck up the recipe. It was only by chance that I read that you have since discovered that you should blend on low speed and for minimum time.
I will bake these tomorrow, so excited!
I was just wondering, how long can you store the frosting, can I already make it a day ahead?
Thanks! 🙂
Yep, you can definitely make the frosting ahead of time! I actually prefer that, it thickens up in the fridge a bit and works even better. Enjoy!