COPYCAT HOSTESS CUPCAKES – LOW CARB, DAIRY-FREE, GLUTEN-FREE

COPYCAT HOSTESS CUPCAKES – LOW CARB, DAIRY-FREE, GLUTEN-FREE
Copycat Hostess Cupcakes. The classic childhood treat made over to be low carb, dairy free and grain free. Healthy indulgences!
Today is my 41st birthday. And you might think I made these low carb dairy-free Hostess Cupcakes to celebrate but I did not. See, in order to bring you a recipe, I have to make it, photograph it and write about it several days or even weeks in advance. So these pretty little things were actually made several weeks ago, and they weren’t with my birthday in mind at all. I just wanted them. Waiting until my birthday to make them was just not good enough for me. And really, should we have to wait for birthdays or other special occasions to eat cake? I think not.
I made these dairy-free for no other reason than I wanted to. I don’t have any issues with dairy myself and copious amounts of butter, cream and cheese pass my lips on a daily basis. But I’ve had a can of coconut milk in the fridge for some time, for the express purpose of making low carb coconut whipped cream. I thought it would make a great filling for some copycat Hostess Cupcakes. And I figured since I was going that far, I might as well go whole hog and make everything dairy-free. Food intolerances often got hand in hand, sadly, and many readers have expressed that they have a dairy intolerance along with a gluten or wheat intolerance. I am nothing if not accommodating to my readership!
Copycat Hostess cupcakes made low carb, gluten free, dairy free and grain free. A healthy indulgence!

INGREDIENTS
CUPCAKES
  • 2 cups almond flour
  • 2/3 cup dark cocoa
  • 1/3 cup coconut flour
  • 1/3 cup meringue powder (unsweetened powdered egg whites)
  • 1 tbsp instant coffee (optional, improves chocolate flavour)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda OR 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (omit if using baking powder)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup Kelapo coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup Swerve Sweetener
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp Stevia Extract
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (omit if using baking powder)
CREAM FILLING
  • 1 15-oz can full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
  • 5 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener, divided use
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
  • 2 1/2 tbsp Kelapo coconut oil
  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • 3 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
DIRECTIONS
CAKE:
  1. Preheat oven to 325F and line 15 muffins cups with paper liners (parchment ones are best for non-stickability). I realize this is an awkward number of cupcakes but it's how the recipe came out! I did my last 3 after the first 12 were baked.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut flour, meringue powder, instant coffee, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, beat coconut oil with sweetener until well combined. Beat in eggs, vanilla extract, and stevia extract.
  4. Beat in half of the almond flour mixture, and then almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Beat in remaining almond flour mixture until well combined.
  5. Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full with batter and bake 18 to 22 minutes, until just firm to the touch and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Remove and let cool 10 minutes in pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  7. Using a knife or a 1 inch round cookie cutter, core each cupcake and cut just the top off each core (to put back on the filled cupcakes).
CREAM FILLING:
  1. Remove can of coconut milk from the fridge and flip it upside down. Open can and pour off all the coconut water (reserve for smoothies or some other use).
  2. Scoop out all of the coconut cream and place in large bowl.
  3. Add 3 tbsp powdered sweetener and vanilla extract and beat until it resembles whipped cream.
  4. Spoon filling into center of each cupcake and then top with thin top from cupcake cores. You will have some leftover cream filling and will use some of it for the white squiggles across the top.
  5. Refrigerate cupcakes while preparing ganache.
CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
  1. Melt coconut oil, chocolate and sweetener in a small pot over low heat, stirring until smooth.
  2. Stir in cocoa powder until smooth.
  3. Let sit 20 to 30 minutes until thickened, (but don't let it completely cool or it will become too hard - you want it thick enough to spread over the tops of the cakes).
  4. Remove cupcakes from fridge and use a spoon to spread ganache over the top of each. Chill until set.
  5. For the white writing across the top, mix 2 tbsp of leftover coconut cream filling with remaining 2 tbsp powdered Swerve until smooth.
  6. Spoon into a plastic baggie with the very tip cut off and pipe onto cooled cupcakes in whatever design you wish.
  7. by Carolyn
RECIPE NOTES
Serves 15. Each cupcake has 12 g of carbs and 6 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 6 g.
295 Calories; 26g Fat (73.8% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 61mg Cholesterol; 248mg Sodium

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