Lately I've been getting more and more reader requests for gum-free and oil-free recipe options, and so I've been having fun exploring that a little more and one of the outcomes is another one of my "funny" treats: these lovely gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free buckwheat zucchini chocolate cupcakes.
These turned out super moist, have an interesting texture and bounce, and are delicious -- sort of like a fudgey chocolate mud-cake.
Anywow, I'm a huge fan of buckwheat and zucchini in chocolate desserts, so I figured why not throw the two together -- sounds strange perhaps, but the results are phenomenal, I promise! :)
Now, if you're not a buckwheat fan -- it's story time! My friend Rosie, who happens to frequently be over to sample most of my desserts {lucker, huh? :)}, is a huge buckwheat hater. If I ever cook it in front of her, she turns her nose up at the smell in revolt. It's an odd thing because I absolutely adore the earthy smell of it myself -- but perhaps it's a case of what you've been accustomed to growing up. My grandma ensured I had a good buckwheat porridge at least once a week -- I still recall having to sit with her and sift out any un-husked the grains -- one of my "adult" childhood tasks :).
Anyhow, I digress... the point is that for some odd reason Rosie {and a few others I know} aren't huge fans of buckwheat. Well, when she tasted these cupcakes at first she went to turn up her nose and question whether there's buckwheat in there, but to my surprise she said she still liked them, and after polishing some off she asked for some to be packed up home with her, and by the time she reached home she was asking me if this recipe is already up on the blog because she wanted to make them herself for her family :) So not sure if this story may convince the buckwheat nay-sayers to give these a go, but there you have it -- you be the judge!
The zucchini gives these cupcakes incredible moisture and the cupcakes will keep their moisture, taste, and shape for days in the fridge, even without any kinds of fat or oils. I stored a few in the fridge reserved for a friend and they held up extremely well. They worked a treat with everyone who sampled them!
PrintBuckwheat Zucchini Chocolate Cupcakes
Super moist gluten-free zucchini cupcakes which resemble a chocolate mud-cake in texture. Vegan and Oil-Free.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 cupcakes
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Cupcake:
- 1 small zucchini {about a cup sliced}, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup buckwheat flour
- 8 soft medjool dates
- 8 tbsp maple syrup
- cream from 1 can full-fat coconut milk {about ½ cup}
- 6 tbsp cocoa powder
- ¼ cup coconut water {or non-dairy milk or water}
Frosting:
- 10 soft medjool dates
- 2 tbsp cacao powder
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ cup water {or non-dairy milk}
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- dash of salt
Toppings:
- Optional: cacao nibs, dried mulberries, some shaved chocolate, or other toppings of your choice.
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350F. Line a 6-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners, set aside.
- Place all cupcake ingredients in a blender and blend to combine {a food processor works for this too}. Transfer into the pan, dividing equally and topping the batter up all the way as high as you can without it spilling out.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven for approximately 45-55 mins, or until a skewer inserted down the center comes out clean. {Note: they will crack at the top while baking -- and will be covered up with frosting anyhow :) }. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack.
- Prepare frosting by blending all ingredients together in a blender until smooth. The frosting will be sticky, so spoon some evenly over each cupcake and then spread around. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Ashley says
Hi! These look so delicious and and healthy! I love cooking with zucchini and have only recently discovered how great buckwheat is. I saw that someone asked early on about a substitute for coconut cream but I did not see that it was ever answered. I, too, am needing to know if there are substitutes for coconut cream. I can sub coconut milk and oil but am not sure about the cream or butter. Thanks for your help!
Audrey says
Hi Ashley, I haven't tried these without the coconut cream, but I think Agi's suggestion in her question below was probably the best idea (a mix of some nut butter with a non dairy milk, so the nut butter doesn't weigh the dessert down to much). The coconut cream here basically adds a bit of fat and thickness to the cake. I think actually maybe a small pinch of guar gum could help as well (as that's something that's usually present in the coconut cream), but it might work without it as well. If you try it out, would love to hear what you did and how it turned out.
Agi says
Hi Audrey,
It looks super delicious! Do you have any suggestion how to make it coconut free? I thought of substituting the coconut cream with some nut butter and adding just water or plant based milk as the fluidic ingredient. What do you think?
Audrey says
Hi Agi, interesting question. I wonder if the nut butter might weigh things down -- maybe if it's diluted enough with a milk (as you suggest) it might work out. If you give it a try, would love to hear how it went.
Audrey says
Hi Agi. Ashley's question above just made me think that perhaps adding a small pinch of guar gum would be useful to the recipe (as that's normally something that's present in coconut cream). It's possible it'll work out without it though as well, but if you have some on hand couldn't hurt to add it in.
Chris says
Audrey, I'm going to try your suggestion because I'm allergic to coconut. How much nut butter would you add to how much plant milk? I'm thinking of trying cashew butter with almond milk. Thank
Audrey says
To be honest, your guess is as good as mine here :) as I've never tried it out. Just a hypothetical suggestion. If you figure out a ratio that works for you, do share please!
Brianna says
Audrey, yum. Yum yum. I did modify this a little as I didn’t have dates nor enough maple syrup. Instead using soaked sultanas and 6 of rice syrup and 2tbl maple syrup. Still just excellent thank you for the buckwheat zucchini combo. My new favourite.
Audrey says
Hi Brianna. Thanks so much for sharing your substitutions -- glad to hear that worked out well. Glad you're enjoying these :)
Rebecca Campbell says
I'm having a hard time not eating all of these.
Audrey says
Ha, so glad you're enjoying these! Thanks so much for your feedback. You're making me want to go and bake a batch myself right now :D
Monique Pablo says
If I could give this recipe 10 stars, I would. I have never before posted on one of these blogs (and I do a lot of cooking) but I just wanted you to know that your recipe saved the day for my daughter's fourth birthday! She was just placed on a super restricted diet last week and I was desperate to find a cupcake recipe that would accommodate her dietary needs. This one was perfect! Even though I am not a baker, I still managed to pull this off and the cupcakes tasted so good that I've had a bunch of requests for the recipe! Thank you so much!!!!
Audrey says
Oh that's amazing to hear -- so, so happy the recipe worked out for her birthday! :) Thank you so much for the lovely feedback!
rachel alter says
I made these for my partner's birthday this past weekend and I cannot believe how delicious they are!! The texture is just like a super moist cake...I suppose because that's precisely what it it!! Thank you!!
Audrey says
Thanks so much for the lovely feedback, Rachel. I'm so glad you enjoyed these :)
Catherine says
Thank you, it will be useful in several recipes.
Audrey says
That's great, Catherine. Glad it makes things easier :)
Catherine says
My comment could ne applied ti several of your recipes using dates : I don't have medjool, so I use regular dates that I soaked. So, I have to guess the amount on dates I need because medjool are larger. May you give a volume or weight for the dates? I really like your blog by the way, the pictures are so great that I want to try almost everything! And for buckwheat, I use it a lot, especially the whole groat. It grows well in Canada!
Audrey says
Hi Catherine,
Thanks so much for your comment. I'm glad you're enjoying the blog. Love buckwheat too!
On average 8 medjool dates = 1 cup, lightly packed. Weight-wise, 1 medjool date = 24 grams (or 0.8 oz).
Suswati Basu says
Unfortunately this was a bit of a disaster for me. None of the cakes cooked through, just the tops and so I had to throw the entire batch away! I had to cook it for a solid hour just in case.
I've heard that blenders can actually put too much air in the batter which causes it to collapse. Also only a small amount of batter should be put into the trays, so that it cooks through easily. It seems like an easy recipe but probably needs a bit more disclaimers.
Audrey says
Hi Suswati. Thank you for sharing and sorry the recipe didn't work out for you.
May I ask if you modified or substituted anything in the ingredients or steps? I'm curious to figure out why it might not have worked out.
Connie says
They look beautiful, the icing is great, but the cupcakes themselves are quite bland.
Audrey says
Hi Connie. Thanks for sharing your feedback, and sorry these didn’t work out for you. Did you change anything in the recipe at all?
Dianshan Ee says
Just wondering if it's possible to use oat flour instead of buckwheat? Got loads of oats in my kitchen and hope to use them up in this recipe - looks really good. As to the frosting, was thinking of using chocolate coconut whipped cream instead for a more similar texture to frosting. Hopefully it works.
Audrey says
I think both would work great (oats in place of buckwheat, and chocolate coconut whip for topping). Have fun :)
Dianshan says
I tried making them with oat flour - they rose a little while baking in the oven but after some time, it sank terribly and became really flat. Yours looked while fluffy and thick. Could it be the flour that is the reason? Taste wise, I thought it tasted more like fudge cake than cupcakes
Audrey says
Hmmm... interesting. I wonder if it was the oat flour substitution or something else..? I haven't tried it myself, but couldn't see any reason why it wouldn't work, as nutritionally they are close in terms of things that usually matter in baking. One difference I can think of is that I find oat flour is sometimes ground a bit finer compared to buckwheat -- maybe it's one of those things causing the difference? In which case more would need to be used.
Otherwise, sometimes oven temperatures can cause things to rise fast then sink quickly. Not sure if you know if your oven is temperature stable or not (I test mine with an oven thermometer), but maybe that could be a cause as well?
In terms of texture these are very moist, sort of like mud-cake, which is a cross between cupcakes and fudge. I think the way you described it it probably didn't hit the right texture because of the sinking and flatness, but just wanted to say the original is indeed quite moist -- so not exactly like a typical cupcake. You can see in the sliced picture what mine turn out like.
Sorry it didn't fully turn out, but I appreciate you sharing the results -- now we know oats might not be the best sub here.
Dianshan says
I did wonder if I needed to add more oat flour as I felt the mixture could do with a bit more dry ingredients. Was also thinking maybe I could have omitted the 1/4 cup of coconut water as the mixture was already liquid enough without. I guess if one increases the amount of oat flour it could work. But the taste was good though
Audrey says
Good the taste was still alright -- at least it didn't go to waste then :)
But yes, one or the other would be how I'd approach a fix too -- either more dry ingredients, or reduce the coconut water/liquid. Let me know if you make it work with an alternative if you decided to give it another try with oats, as it's always good to know what works and what doesn't.
eleni says
honestly your website ...! well done girl, it is amazing! will try one of your recipes today..
Audrey says
Thanks very much, Eleni :)
Tina says
Audrey I have made these a quite a few times now and I love them sooo much. I especially love them out of the fridge, they are like a mud cake cupcake, so decadent and delicious. I was not use to the buckwheat flavour and now I’m looking at other uses for it, thank you to you. I'm liking the path of no gums required either. The first couple of times I made these, the bottom of the cupcake rised in the middle!! Oh my oven causes me grief with GF baking, but now I lower the temperature and they have come out with a flat bottom!! I love a chocolate and orange combination, so the last time I made these, I substituted some of the water for freshly squeezed orange juice and added some orange zest (for the cupcake and frosting) and they were absolutely amazing.
Audrey says
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback and for sharing your variations, Tina! Chocolate orange sounds amazing -- doing that next time myself :)
Sylvie says
They look so fabulously rich inside!
Audrey says
Thanks Sylvie ♥
Sam @ SugarSpunRun says
These cupcakes are simply beautiful, I can't believe they're made in such a healthy wholesome way!
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Sam <3
Kat from curlsnchard.com says
Oh Audrey, I'm sitting in the library right now and am seriously craving chocolate cupcakes :D I earlier read Natalie's delicious ice cream with cupcake pieces recipe and now yours. I think I need to go out and get me something to get rid of this craving now :D
Audrey says
I think all libraries should be well-stocked up on chocolate cupcakes in general -- I don't think anyone would complain ;)
Alison @Food by Mars says
How gorgeous, Audrey! I love love love buckwheat flour and this sounds so good, pinned!
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Alison. Always happy to find fellow buckwheat enthusiasts ;)
chrysta@noshed says
omg yesssss! I've been on a buckwheat kick lately and this a great new recipe to try out. Ive been really experimenting with her grains/flours and such and its so much fun. Plus I love zucchini. These are beautiful and I can't wait to make up a batch.
Audrey says
Thank you Chrysta -- and happy baking :)
Jana @ The Vegan Monster says
Hey Audrey, Now I finally had time to look at this recipe that you've mentioned! What a great idea! Your photos always look sooo amazing! You know, I used to avoid buckwheat flour. But one day I ran out of my favourite flour and had to use it. Just to find out that it wasn't that bad after all. Now I use it in all my baking and love it! You mentioned eating buckwheat porridge when you were little. How was that made, please? All the best, Jana :)
Audrey says
Hi Jana. Thanks so much!
I still have buckwheat porridge sometimes, though not in the same way as what I had as a kid. My grandma used to make it by boiling the groats in milk + dumping a heap of sugar in. My current favorite way of making it is by bringing some water to a boil {maybe 1/2 cup}, adding ground up buckwheat groats {not a flour, but ground into little bits} {about 1/4 cup}, throwing in some raisins and cooking it for about 10 minutes until the water is mostly absorbed. Then I add some non-dairy milk in + a big dash of cinnamon + 1-2 tbsp maple syrup. Mix it all up and that's it. You can also do a no-cooking overnight version {mix all ingredients together in a glass bowl or jar and place in the fridge overnight to enjoy in the morning}. I like the cooked version better though -- porridge should be warm in my books :)
Rosie says
Yay it's up on the blog!!!
I was just thinking of these and how I wish I still had them in my possession. I feel a bit guilty since you gave me a few to take home and I didn't share them with my husband or daughter :) Now I can make them - although, I somehow feel they would taste better already made from your oven - even with their subtle buckwheat taste! ;)
Audrey says
Haha, no worries. Thanks Rosie :). Putting it on my list to make these again soon {with the mental note that there needs to be more than 6 next time so there's plenty to share ;) }
Harriet Emily says
These look incredible Audrey! There's nothing I enjoy more than a chocolate cupcake, and I love that you added zucchini to them!! These look so moist and delicious, what a perfect treat. Buckwheat flour is definitely one of my favourite flours to bake with, it adds such a great texture. What a brilliant recipe :)
Audrey says
Thank you Harriet <3 Agreed on the chocolate cupcake and buckwheat flour love :)
The Vegan 8 says
Oh I love anything with chocolate Audrey!! They are beautiful! Wow, these look super dense and almost fudgy! Are they the texture of a raw type of cupcake? I thought they were raw at first until I read the directions. I love how you decorated them too. I have buckwheat in my fridge but I honestly haven't baked with it much, but I have baked with a large amount of flours and am a pretty versatile baker, so buckwheat is actually on my to-do list this year to try more, because in the past of trying it, it is just TOO strong of a flavor and texture....it almost tastes like sand to me, lol. But just like with anything, in my experience, when used in the right recipe and the right ratios, any flour CAN work! Thanks for the inspiration friend! xo
Audrey says
Hey Brandi, thanks so much <3
They're not like a raw cupcake in texture, but they are very moist. And totally agree on the buckwheat flour -- when out of place it sticks out like a sore thumb, but when you play up its earthy flavor it can be amazing. I love combining it with chocolate or with warm spices. Can't wait to see your future buckwheat creations :)
Nóri | ingeniouscooking.com says
Oh, my... some of my favorite ingredients in one muffin (buckwheat, zucchini, chocolate...)! I guess they wouldn't keep so well for days in my frdige. ;)
Audrey says
Hehe, I know, right? :) They wouldn't keep long in my fridge either unless I was trying to save them for a special purpose...
Steph @ Steph in Thyme says
Lllloooovveeeee! Chocolate and zucchini go perfect for one another, and the cake portion sounds so moist and light! Curious about gum-free and the many requests you've been getting. Is the reason allergy to gum? (Assuming we're talking about xanthan gum).
Audrey says
Hi Steph. Yes, a lot of people are sensitive to xantham gum and guar gum these days. I tend to use guar because it's a bit of a cleaner product in my opinion {made from guar root} whereas xantham is a processed bi-product of corn {which is why I suspect a lot of people are sensitive to it in the first place}. But yeah, in a nut shell, it appears that people with weak digestion or food allergies are also often sensitive to gums and are looking for gum-free recipe alternatives. There are other products out there that can be used instead {like psyllium husk, etc.} but it wasn't necessary in this recipe.
Sheena @ Tea and Biscuits says
I really need to try buckwheat flour in baking, but I haven't seen it for sale very often where I live. Your cupcakes look fabulous, I'm going to share them with my GF friend who is always looking for egg free recipes, I know she would love them!
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Sheena. Buckwheat flour has a very distinct flavor and when used right it can be incredible + it's very nutritious. I hope you find some to play around with sometime. You can also make your own by grinding down buckwheat groats, but I usually manage to find ready-made flour at the shops. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe with your friend -- appreciate it!
Melissa @ Vegan Does It says
Whoa! I was really surprised to see just how moist these look without any oil! Looks amazing and there's chocolate so I'm convinced hehe!
Audrey says
Thanks Melissa -- I'm quite pleased about that in this recipe myself! :)
Natalie @ Feasting on Fruit says
These look extra super DUPER moist! I'm not a huge buckwheat fan, but when there's chocolate too I'm sold! I completely agree with your buckwheat story time. It's all about what you're used to, especially going bak to when you were a little kid. If only I hadn't been raised by possibly the pickiest mom around ;D haha
Audrey says
Hehe. Well, my mom was not picky at all -- it was I who was picky. Both my grandparents had been through the thick and thin of the World Wars and they were super affected by it for life {especially in terms of fear of food scarcity} -- like to the point where they thought if I didn't eat a bucket of porridge for breakfast when I was visiting, I might starve! :) And that was just breakfast... I wasn't too happy about that as a kid, but some habits stuck nonetheless -- like the buckwheat porridge {though still not in buckets ;) }. Funny how some things you think you "hate" as a kid turn out to be your favorites as an adult :)
Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes.com says
A buckwheat flour hater? No such thing! I love buckwheat too but definitely don't use it as much as I should. I'm sure the zucchini adds lots of moisture to these cupcakes, which look stunning btw. I would have never guessed that they were oil-free! Awesome recipe! sharing :)
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Vanessa! :) I agree -- buckwheat is awesome ♥
Nissrine @ Harmony a la Carte says
Love the look and sound of these and buckwheat is awesome when used right. As for childhood food memories, can you say hummus and tahini??? Yum..all day every day. Obsessed for life.
Audrey says
Oh, yes -- hummus and tahini all the time for me too :) And I agree that buckwheat just needs the right accompaniments to make awesome {and hearty} treats.
Chrystal @ Gluten-Free Palate says
Audrey,
These cupcakes look divine! Do you ship ;-) I will have to make these soon.
Cheers,
Chrystal
Audrey says
Hehe, I don't ship, but will share for smiles :) Thanks Chrystal!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Buckwheat and zucchini are kinda my baking essentials! Haha! This is a fabulous cupcake! So beautiful...o and of course chocolate cupcakes always win!
Audrey says
Thanks Rebecca -- I know you're a kindred spirit when it comes to alternative flours :) {even though buckwheat is not even that alternative...}