These days when birthdays arise in our household, I’ve found my own tricks to achieve a really moist, super chocolatey cake and cupcakes. This recipe uses one of our son’s favorite foods: bananas. If you’ve got an overripe banana laying around and some gluten-free flour in your pantry, you’re well on your way to making these delicious allergy-friendly cupcakes. They’re gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free—always a winner for class parties when your kiddo or any of their friends have dietary restrictions.
Pick the Right Gluten-Free Flour
In this recipe, I use a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum (I like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour Blend). The xanthan gum acts as a binder in baking recipes, helping give structure to your gluten free baked goods. Check the ingredients in your flour blend, and if it doesn’t contain xanthan gum (or another binding ingredient like guar gum or psyllium husks), I recommend adding 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum to ensure success.
Which Cocoa Powder to Buy
Most cocoa powders will be naturally vegan in the sense that they’d rarely contain any dairy or egg-based ingredients, but it never hurts to double check. I always keep Trader Joe’s unsweetened cocoa powder in stock at home and used it for these brownies.
Make-Ahead Cupcakes
If you’re baking these for a party or special gathering, the good news is they’re even better the second (and third) day, so feel free to tackle them in advance to make life easy on the day of the party. You can even frost them the day before and store at room temperature until the party—one more thing you can check off your to-do list!
More Allergy-Friendly Sweets
Fudgy Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownies Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie Cocoa Coconut Macaroons
Note that the FDA does list coconut as a tree nut, though many people with tree nut allergies are fine with coconut. If you’re not sure if the person or people eating your cookies has a tree nut allergy that includes coconut, check with them before making this recipe, or substitute another fat in place of the coconut oil (we recommend butter if there are no dairy allergies, or vegan EarthBalance if there are).
