These moist, fudgy sugar-free whole wheat chocolate cupcakes are delicious and healthier than your average cupcake! They are made with whole wheat flour and stevia and are topped with a decadent whipped chocolate ganache! Get your chocolate fix without feeling guilty!
Stevia is a popular plant-based sweetener and sugar substitute. It's something I've been meaning to experiment with for a while, so I came up with this recipe. I have to say I was quite impressed with the results!
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What do these sugar free whole wheat chocolate cupcakes taste like?
The whole wheat flour has a subtle but unique nutty flavor and the stevia isn't overly sweet, which I love!
One reader suggested adding the stevia a teaspoon at a time and tasting it to your desired sweetness before baking, which makes a lot of sense considering the fact that not all stevia products are the same - some are stronger and sweeter than others.
What I absolutely love the most, though, is the whipped chocolate ganache! OMG, it's delicious!
Whipped ganache has a very light, airy, mousse-like texture. It's silky smooth and rich with a deep dark chocolate flavor. Whipped ganache is great for piping. For these cupcakes, I used a Wilton 1M tip, but you could use a knife or an offset spatula to spread the ganache on top.
To make these sugar free whole wheat cupcakes, you'll need:
Whole Wheat Flour: I used a light whole wheat flour, which is milder in flavor than the darker one.
Stevia: I used stevia powder.
Salt: I always use salt to enhance the flavors.
Leaveners: I used both baking powder and baking soda.
Unsweetened cocoa powder: This gives the cupcakes an intense chocolate flavor.
Vegetable oil: I used a light vegetable oil to help keep the cupcakes moist.
1 egg: I use organic eggs.
Buttermilk / Sour Milk: If you don't have buttermilk, you can add some vinegar to the milk, mix and let it stand for about 5 minutes.
Hot black strongly brewed coffee: This really brings out all the chocolate goodness!
Chocolate: I used good quality bittersweet chocolate with stevia, but you could use unsweetened chocolate which doesn't contain any sugar.
Whipping Cream: Make sure it contains at least 30% fat, otherwise it won't whip properly.
TIPS FOR PERFECT WHIPPED GANACHE
- First of all, make sure you whip the ganache right before you want to frost the cupcakes; otherwise it becomes too firm to pipe.
- Make sure you chop the chocolate into really small pieces so it melts faster. Put the chocolate in a heat-proof (or microwave safe) bowl.
- When you heat the cream, make sure you don't boil it. You want to heat it to the point where tiny bubbles appear, but it's not boiling. When you pour the hot cream over the chocolate, make sure it covers all of the chocolate and then let it sit for about 2 minutes without touching it. Stir the chocolate until it has melted. If you see that there are still a few chunks of chocolate that haven't melted, put the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and then continue to mix it until the chocolate has melted completely. You could put it in the microwave, but I prefer melting it over simmering water because it's the best way to avoid scorching the chocolate.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours, until the chocolate has thickened. Trust me, it's well worth the wait! If you're in a rush, though, you could put it in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes, but keep an eye on it every 5 minutes or so because it can get firm really quickly and if it gets too firm, you won't be able to whip it.
- To whip the chocolate ganache, use a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Whip it for about 3-5 minutes, starting on medium speed and then increasing to high. You don't want to mix it any longer than 5 minutes because you'll split the cream, which means it separates and curdles and becomes grainy. If, however, you do split the ganache, don't panic! Just heat a few tablespoons of milk and whisk it into the chocolate mixture until the ganache comes back together again!
How to store these sugar free whole wheat chocolate cupcakes
I keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
I hope you enjoy these sugar free chocolate cupcakes!
~Voula
Let me know how these sugar free whole wheat chocolate cupcakes turned out for you in the comments below!
I'd love to hear from you!
Recipe
Sugar-Free Whole Wheat Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the whipped ganache
- 400 g (14 oz) good quality bittersweet/semisweet chocolate with stevia (or unsweetened chocolate), chopped
- 200 ml (¾ cup) whipping cream
For the cupcakes
- ½ cup 125ml) buttermilk (or make your own by adding ½ a tablespoon vinegar to ½ a cup of milk. Stir and let it stand for about 5 minutes before using.)
- ½ cup (50 g / 2 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup (125ml) hot black strongly brewed coffee or hot water
- 1 cup (127 g / 4.5 oz) whole wheat flour
- ½ cup (100 g / 3.5 oz) stevia powder*
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
Note:
For best results, please read through the full post before beginning the recipe.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
- Line a 12-cup muffin/cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
Make the ganache
- Heat the whipping cream (but don't boil) and pour it over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for about 2 minutes to melt the chocolate. Whisk the mixture until it's smooth and the chocolate has melted. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours, until the chocolate has thickened.**
Make the cupcakes
- Whisk together the unsweetened cocoa with the coffee until combined. Set aside.
- Whisk together the whole wheat flour, stevia, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Add the egg, buttermilk, and vegetable oil to the cocoa mixture and whisk until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. The batter should be thin.
- Fill the cupcake liners halfway.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool.
Make the whipped ganache
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, whip the ganache for about 3-5 minutes, starting on medium speed and then increasing to high. Do not overmix.
- Put the ganache into a piping bag and pipe onto the cooled cupcakes. I used a Wilton 1M piping tip for the cupcakes in the pictures.
- Enjoy!
naeelah stewart
It's a great recipe, but my stevia is very sweet and i added 1 tbsp, which made the cupcakes have the strong aftertaste of the stevia. So if your stevia is very strong, I would recommend adding 1tsp at a time and taste-testing.
Voula
Hi, Naeelah! Thanks so much for your feedback! I will add it to my post. You're right about stevia, some do have a stronger taste and are sweeter than others!
LB
Are you using pure stevia (a liquid) or powdered stevia (which is mostly erythritol)? Check the ingredients on the granulated "stevia" you're using. Because you might not have made this recipe with stevia, but rather a blend that was only 1% stevia...
Please share the brand you used. Thanks!
Voula
Hi, LB! I use a Greek brand by Zografos. I never mentioned it on the blog because most of my readers are from the US and since I live in Greece, I don't have access to a lot of American brands. According to their website, their powder is a blend of steviol glucosides and sucralose. There is such a huge variety of stevia products out there! That's why in the notes of the recipe card I suggest tasting the sweetness before baking. Hope this helps! Thanks for reaching out!
Ann
These cupcakes were delish! I decided to sweeten the cupcakes with Allulose instead of Stevia. Allulose is only 70% as sweet as sugar. So I doubled the amount of sweetener-- and that worked just fine--no aftertaste. Thanks for posting this recipe!
Voula
Yay 🙌! That's wonderful to hear! I'm so glad you enjoyed the cupcakes and that the Allulose substitution worked out so well. Thanks for sharing your baking experience! 😊❤️