Moist Chocolate Sweet Potato Cupcakes
These Chocolate Sweet Potato Cupcakes are rich, moist and the perfect sweet treat. Mixed all in one bowl, naturally sweetened, and done in 20 minutes, these cupcakes are dairy-free and easily gluten free. Top them with rich sweet potato frosting for an extra decadent dessert.
I am a deep and true dessert lover. Through and through. Last year, in celebration of my birthday, I added my favorite Chocolate Beetroot Cake to the blog. I love how veggies can add so much goodness to decant, celebration-worthy desserts and decided to make it an annual thing!
Sweet potatoes are something I especially love to bake with, since they add so much moisture and natural sweetness to a bake. My chocolate sweet potato cookies, sweet potato muffins, and sweet potato banana bread are among some of my personal favorite TNN recipes (and your’s!). So this year for my birthday, I will be chowing down on these amazing Chocolate Sweet Potato Cupcakes topped with decadent and delicious chocolate sweet potato frosting.
These chocolatey and rich cupcakes have just the right amount of sweetness and moisture thanks to the mashed sweet potatoes mixed into the batter. Mixed all in one bowl, they are made with whole grains, cocoa powder, sweet potatoes (of course) and just a little maple syrup and coconut sugar to truly make them an amazing treat. Baking up in just 20 minutes, they are insanely delicious topped with easy (but so decadent) chocolate sweet potato frosting. Easy to make gluten free, naturally dairy-free, and making a batch of 12 insanely delicious cupcakes….this recipe will be a celebration go-to for you!
Frequently asked questions
Can I make these gluten free?
Yes! I’ve had great success making these with Bob’s Red Mill’s cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend.
Can I make this recipe as a cake instead of cupcakes?
I haven’t tried that out yet but I bet you could! I’d pour the batter into a greased 9-inch round cake pan and bake at the same temperature for about 30-35 minutes.
What’s the secret to a moist cupcake?
Not over baking! While you want your cupcakes to be cooked through, people tend to over bake their goods…leading to dry blah cupcakes. Bake your cupcakes until they have an internal temperature of 205°F. Then take them out of the oven and let them cool. They will be moist and delicious.
Can I use canned sweet potato in this cupcake recipe?
Canned and pureed sweet potato is one of my favorite time saving hacks in the kitchen. However, it is a much thinner+ wetter consistency than homemade cooked/mashed sweet potato and makes the cupcakes a bit too moist.
If you do need/want to use canned puree in this sweet potato cupcake recipe, use 1 cup of flour (instead of 3/4 cup) to help balance the texture out.
What’s the best way to cook sweet potato for baking
I have found these methods below bring out the natural sweetness in sweet potatoes the best, making them perfect for prepping your spuds for these cupcakes and other baked goods.!
To roast sweet potato: Preheat oven to 425℉. Wash sweet potato thoroughly, pat dry, and pierce 3-4 times with a fork. Place on a baking sheet and roast until tender, 45 to 50 minutes.
To microwave sweet potato: Wash sweet potato thoroughly, pat dry, and pierce 3-4 times with a fork. Place potato on microwave-safe plate and microwave 5 minutes, turning halfway through. If your potato isn’t fork tender after 5 minutes, continue microwaving in 30 second increments.
To cook sweet potato in the Instant Pot: Wash sweet potato thoroughly and pierce 3-4 times with a fork. Place the stainless steel trivet in your Instant Pot and arrange potatoes in a single layer. Pour in 1 cup of water and place lid on your pressure cooker. Cook on HIGH for 20 minutes and naturally release the pressure once cook time is up.
To cook sweet potato in the slow cooker: Wash sweet potato thoroughly and pierce 3-4 times with a fork. Place in your slow cooker with a cup of water. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours. You’ll know they are done when you can easily puncture the skin of the potato with a fork.
Suggested Adaptations
Make these sweet potato cupcakes gluten free. Use your favorite gluten free flour blend in place of the wheat flour in this recipe. I like this one best!
Make them egg-free. I have not tested these using an egg substitute. However, in the past I have had success using a flax “egg” to replace the eggs in similar recipes.
Add some extra chocolate. Stir 1/3 cup mini or regular chocolate chips into the cupcake batter before baking.
How to melt chocolate for sweet potato frosting
Microwave: Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave them for 30 second intervals at 50% power, stirring in between each interval, until chocolate is melted completely.
Double Boiler: Pour the chocolate chips into a metal bowl. Place bowl on top of the saucepan with water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Bring water to a boil, stirring the chocolate as it melts. Continue stirring over the heat until completely melted and smooth.
Other veggie-loaded treats to bake up!
- Chocolate Beetroot Cake (with raspberry whipped cream)
- Chocolate Avocado Mousse
- Zucchini Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes
- Sweet Potato Chickpea Blondies
- Pumpkin Brownies
- Healthy Carrot Cake Bread
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Moist Chocolate Sweet Potato Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Sweet Potato Cupcakes
- 1 cup cooked, cooled, and mashed sweet potato, see below for cooking instructions
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup avocado oil, or melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut sugar , or other granulated sweetener
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ cup white whole wheat flour, or whole wheat, all-purpose, or gluten free flour will work too
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350℉ and line a standard muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, the 1 cup of mashed sweet potato, oil, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and vanilla. Mix in the salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Using a spatula or large spoon, stir in the cocoa powder and flour until all the ingredients are just combined.
- Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup or scoop to evenly divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake until cooked through and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Once cool, frost cupcakes with chocolate sweet potato frosting, as desired. Frosted cupcakes are best eaten within an hour. Unfrosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or frozen, well wrapped, for a month.
So yummy! I used canned sweet potato with the full cup of flour and these were delicious and moist! Big hit with my husband and one of my sons 🙂
Yay! So glad to hear that, Patti!
Maybe a stupid question, but do you peel the sweet potatoes before mashing? And if you make these as mini muffins, how much do you adjust the cooking time? I assume the temp of 205 still holds even if it’s a mini?
Thanks!
Yes, definitely peel them first. If you’ve made them already, what were they like? What kind of frosting did you use?
Sorry I am delayed in getting back to you! I somehow didn’t see your question until now.
I will bake a sweet potato, scoop out the cooked middle and mash that…and discard the peel.
As for making them as mini muffins, I would bake them at the same temp (350F) for probably 11-13 minutes.
Very good. I skipped the icing. I used 3T grape seed oil and 2 T applesauce. Used agave rather than maple syrup because that’s what I had. Great rise and texture.
So glad you enjoyed them!
Made this without the cocoa. Used bobs red mill 1:1 gluten free flour. Used 1 cup of flour to compensate for no cocoa. Added 1.5 tsp cinnamon. 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp ginger snd 1/4 tsp Garam masala to give flavor. Added 60 grams chopped pecans. Very good texture. Also used 3T oil and 3T applesauce.
Yum! Love you modifications. Must try with my next batch!
Do these freeze well? I’m wanting to make-ahead for a birthday party, but want them to turn out well!
They do!