June 8, 2012
(last updated June 21, 2020) 
Thank you for such an enormous and wonderful outpouring of love on my birthday! You all know how to make a gal feel special. Thank you so much, and I’m glad that the turning 30 theme struck a chord with many of you.
Yesterday, I showed you my absolutely scrumptious birthday gift to myself: chocolate avocado cupcakes with chocolate avocado frosting.
Inspiration from this recipe comes from the lovely Nicole, who recently posted a smashing recipe for gluten-free chocolate avocado cupcakes on her blog. I thought they were beautiful and ingenious; it had never occurred to use avocado in a baked good, but what a wonderful way to add healthful fats to a batter! In the end, I used a mix of avocado and oil in my recipe (Nicole used avocado only), but I still loved the idea of adding a whole foods fat source to a cupcake, all the while keeping it light and fluffy.
Since I was using avocado in the cupcake, it felt perfectly reasonable to use avocado on the cupcake, too. I’ve made many a batch of vegan chocolate icing with a standard mix of confectioner’s sugar, Earth Balance or vegan shortening, and almond milk. It’s great, but truth be told, I’m equally happy with a batch of chocomole. It’s one of my favorite raw dishes, and it’s every bit as good on top of cupcakes as it is eaten with a spoon. You can use any icing you want for these cupcakes, naturally, but I’d encourage you to give the chocomole a shot!
Here’s the recipe.
Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes and Frosting
Author -Yields: 8 cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 Hass avocado, peeled and flesh scooped out
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (such as safflower, grapeseed, or canola)
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Avocado Icing
- 2 large Hass avocados, halved, pitted, and flesh scooped out of skins
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or agave
- pinch fine sea salt
- pinch cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 8 muffin tins or line them with cupcake liners.
- Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
- Place your avocado, sugar, oil, water, and vanilla in a blender and blend till smooth. Add this mixture to the dry batter. Whisk until the batter is evenly mixed.
- Pour batter into a greased muffin tin. (This recipe yields 8 cupcakes, so pour it into 8 of the tins!) Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- While cupcakes cool, mix all icing ingredients in a food processor or a high speed blender till smooth and creamy. Ice the cupcakes and serve!
Notes
Leftover cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
In place of all-purpose flour, you can use a trusted gluten-free baking flour mix.
I’m sure that many of you are wondering whether or not you can taste the avocado in here? Well, you can probably taste it in the icing. But not in the cake! You won’t taste a thing, but you will get the benefits of all those healthful, polyunsaturated fats. Win, win.
These cupcakes epitomize the creativity that comes from using whole foods in your baking. I hope they make you (or someone close to you) as happy as they made me. I rarely bake anything fancy for myself, but I’m so glad I treated myself to these. I’m a lucky birthday girl.
Have a great start to the weekend.
xo
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Adding 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp warm water) to the batter along with the other wet ingredients miraculously turns this 8 cupcake recipe into a 12 cupcake recipe while adding additional nutrients and not degrading the texture of the final product in the least. 🙂
Great to know!
I put one or one and a half eggs in as my child is having egg in baked goods to outgrow egg allergy and she loves this recipe. But before I used to use No Egg egg replacer as we are in Australia.
Yum these look so good! I love the idea of using avocados in something sweet.
Wow these look unbelievable! I’m such a chocoholic, so I can’t think of anything better than snacking on some of these – and the frosting sounds divine! I love that you used avocados! Mmm!!
Still haven’t tried avocados in a dessert. I love them, but still iffy on dessert. Guess I should just bit the bullet and do it. Then again, I can’t stop myself from eating them plain raw.
These look so good! I can’t wait to make them!
Ah! These are perfect!
I’ve never tried avocado in a baked good before, but if it involves chocolate I’m sure it’s delicious!
Interesting for me, sounds delicious i might say, i love avocados, but never tried using it like this.
These look so yummy! Avocado and chocolate…. oh my goodness!!
Count me in for anything with avocado or chocolate in it. This is obviously a win since it has both :D.
Haven’t tried baking with avocado yet but these look great.
I love this idea of using avocado for the main fat. Next time I have avocados, I’m definitely making this.
Hi i have made these choc avocado muffins without eggs and they are amazing. My daughter can have bakef eggs now so how many eggs if not using egg replacer? Thank yoi
Hi Gena
The first time I made the chocolate avocado cupcakes they turned out great and my little girl and I loved them. This time I forgot to add the coconut oil. I hope they still turn out they are cooking in the oven at them moment. I am having so many baking flops lately! I think I used a little more than half an avocado so hopefully this helps. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi, I was wondering if palm sugar or turbinado could be a replacement for coconut crystals/Demerara sugar and also could I replace an egg for the Ener-G egg?
Thanks! Trying to make these for my daughters 8th birthday!
Hi Gena, I think the idea of using avocado in chocolate is marvelous. I made frozen raw desserts using cacao and avocado which had a pretty good shelf-life due to me freezing it. I was wondering how long these cupcakes with the frosting lasted? Thanks! 🙂
-Jessica
yay! this is the #1 search on google for ‘avocado cupcakes.’ just the blog/recipe i was looking for, actually 🙂
How sweet of your friend to make you a birthday treat! Thanks for the GF book suggestion. I feel like I’ve just mastered vegan baking WITH gluten, and now I’m at a loss for how to handle it gluten-free. I’m excited to delve into the realm of using more whole foods like avocado in my recipes!
Hi Gena, I’ve not commented on your blog before but I love getting your emails and your recipes are fantastic and so inspiring, thank you so much 🙂 I really appreciate you posting a GF version of this recipe, but I am highly intolerant of xanthan gum, have you any suggestions for an alternative to the xanthan? Other than the xanthan the cupcakes sound amazing, would love to be able to try this recipe out! 🙂
These cupcakes as are so so wonderful. 🙂
Happy B-day!!! (I know..late..) anyhow I hope you had a great time (it seems you did;)…
Good to know I have a fellow L.O.T.R nerd in you:) So we can bounce quotes back and forth;)
Super Sunday loving hugs!
yum, I love cupcakes! So much…
Avocado cupcakes? glorious! looks like a fantastic birthday treat – hope you had a wonderful day 🙂
…just wanted to wish you a Happy belated Birthday. All the very best to you. May all of your wishes come true.
I think there’s drool on my computer screen..Is that a problem?? Not if chocolate avocado cupcakes are involved 😀
These look simply amazing, thanks! It’s been so long since I’ve had a cupcake that I might just need to break down and try this! 🙂
I’ve seen different versions of this before. Considering those are two of my favorite things, I’m placing my order with you now for delivery for my birthday in August 😉
And Happy Belated Birthday! Welcome to the 30 Club!
Oh yes…these are just wonderful!
Hi Gena, this looks so yummy, cannot wait to try. Is the baking powder 3/4 tbs?
teaspoon! Sorry — I’m fixing that now.
Happy Belated Birthday! Love your site
Happy belated birthday, Gena! I hope you plan on treating yourself all weekend- You deserve it!
happy belated gena!
hope it was a good day; that raw cake looks amazing. i admire you so much for this journey of unknowns and uncertainties; you will certainly do amazing things no matter where life takes you.
yum, love cupcakes! glad you had a wonderful birthday full of yummy cake!!
These look to die for! Thanks, Gena. Happy Birthday again =) … also, that is so nice one of your post-bacc friends made that cake for you. It’s beautiful and that’s one of the best gifts you can get!
Thanks for posting, yum! One question when you get a minute. Did you mean 3/4 teaspoon or 3/4 Tablespoon of baking powder? (It just says 3/4 baking powder on both recipes). Sorry to bother you w/ such a little thing, but I figure minute amounts of acid are important in baking, and I’d love to make them for my mom’s birthday and not mess them up;)
3/4 tsp! So sorry — fixing now.
Avocado frosting is a classic here, discovered in a book of Ani Phyo, it’s just so smooth and nobody would guess what’s in it. Just perfect!
Hey Gena!!
I just wanted to let you know that I entered the giveaway by accident because I don’t live in New York 🙁 I commented in that post for other reasons! I’m so embarrassed, it is kind of funny though, Is the first time I’ve ever won anything and it was an accident :/
Ha — that’s OK. Thanks for letting me know, Libia.
Thanks for the shout out! Those cupcakes are really making me hungry right now…it’s been a while since I’ve made an avocado frosting, and I you just inspired me to make it happen!
I think I will have to make these for my upcoming birthday. Yum and I can’t say no to avocado.
never tried baking with avocado. these look great. save me a GF one! I really want that book too. love brittany’s blog, a lot of her baked goods are dairy and egg free therefore vegan too.
Look amazing! I just tried chocomole recently and it’s safe to say that I’m obsessed.
Question: You don’t mention the 1/4 C. oil in your instructions, but is it safe to assume that you blend that together with the other wet ingredients?
Have a great weekend Gena!
Yes! Sorry about that.
Bceuase I only eat whole foods I have always used avocado in replacement of oil and “butter” and its suprising well the recipes turn out!
These little cakes look great!
I hope you had a wonderful day yesterday, you certainly deserved to be spoilt!
Lisa x
wow, that all looks amazing. Now I need to hunt down some chocolate for this craving until I get around to baking these…
Thank you SOOOOOO much for posting this! They look so wonderful! I can’t wait to make them myself!
I was lucky to sample Nicole’s version and they were delicious. Fudgy, moist and chocolately without any taste of avocado. I love all the birthday treats! Yum!
Do you think a flax or chia seed “egg” would work instead of the egg replacer? I want to make these ASAP but don’t have egg replacer handy!
Yes, you can certainly try that!
These look UNBELIEVABLE! Thank you so much for taking the time to create and test a gluten-free version, too. I love how thoughtful you are for your readers who have different dietary needs! 🙂
Quick question: does the frosting recipe make just the right amount to frost the cupcakes, or is there any extra?
There’s a bit of extra!
What is coconut crystals or demerara sugar? Do they have less calories than regular sugar?
Happy BIrthday Gena! What a wonderful bday treat! Those cupcakes look wonderful. Mmmm, I could definitely eat a whole bowl of chocolate avocado frosting 🙂
I could live off of chocomole. Almost. It is so good.
I did a giveaway for Iris’ books last week on my site! They are so helpful…love the tips and recipes…glad you’re enjoying them, too.
And these cupcakes. And frosting. WOW! Avocado makes anything so moist and creamy; love that you used it in these!
Gotta love the fact that the birthday cake’s recipe starts with, “Yesterday was my 20th birthday! Yay!..or not?! I’m getting old and it’s not a nice feeling.”
I don’t want to read what this blogger will have to say about turning 30…
Anyway, happy belated birthday! The cupcakes look great, can’t wait to give them a try.
Happy belated birthday to you, Gena! I’m also finding GF vegan baking to be an interesting challenge, and I’m glad my cupcake recipe inspired you to create something new. Your versions look fabulous. I love the frosting.
Thank YOU for such wonderful inspiration!!!!
Looks scrumptious! Do you have any suggestions for alternatives to the “Ener-G egg replacer”?
You can try flax meal, though I don’t love it for lighter cakes & cupcakes.
Don’t tell on me…I just licked my computer screen.
Happy belated birthday!
wow thank u for sharing a GF version!! much appreciated! they look outrageous!! mmmmmm!