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Melting Candle Cupcakes

These spooky Melting Candle Cupcakes are the perfect Halloween showstopper! Made with almond flour, black cocoa, and maple syrup, they’re rich, fudgy, and topped with eerie black buttercream and glossy ganache that looks like melted wax. A fun, gluten-free treat without artificial dyes!
Course: Dessert
Keyword: gluten-free, no artificial dyes, refined sugar free
Servings: 9

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • ¾ cup almond flour
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder unsweetened
  • 2 tbsp arrowroot starch or tapioca flour
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup or honey
  • ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
  • ¼ cup avocado oil or melted coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Black Icing:

  • 1 Cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 1/2 Cups monkfruit powdered sugar
  • 1/2 Cup extra dark black cocoa powder
  • 2 Tbsp vanilla kefir room temperature (or 2 tsp milk and 1 tsp vanilla)

Chocolate ganache:

  • 4 oz semi-sweet or dark chocolate finely chopped or in chip form.
  • 1/4 cup half-and-half.
  • 1/2 tbsp extra dark black cocoa powder

Instructions

Make the Chocolate Cupcakes

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a muffin pan with 9 liners.
  • In a bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, almond milk, oil, and vanilla.
  • Add almond flour, cocoa powder, arrowroot, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
  • Divide batter evenly between liners and bake for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

Make the Black Buttercream

  • Beat butter until light and fluffy.
  • Add powdered sugar and black cocoa powder, mixing until smooth.
  • Slowly beat in vanilla kefir (or milk mixture) until you get a creamy consistency.

Make the Ganache

  • Add half and half and chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring each time, until chips have melted.
  • Use a fork to whisk into a creamy ganache, then mix in black cocoa powder for an extra-dark finish.
  • Let it cool slightly before spooning over the cupcakes so it drips down like melting wax.

Assembling the Candles

  • Make stacks of 2, 3, and 4 cupcakes, frosting between the cupcakes. Cover the sides and tops with frosting. Smooth out the frosting.
  • Insert a candle into the top of the 3 cupcake stacks, leaving 1/4inch showing.
  • Add the cooled ganache into a piping bag. Press so that the ganache runs down the side, continuing to move around the top of the cupcake candle so there are drips running down. Cover the top with ganache.
  • Light the candles and enjoy!