Moist, dense chocolate cake that is topped with a rich, silky chocolate buttercream makes for the perfect birthday cake or cupcakes for any allergy kiddo. This is the one recipe every allergy mom needs up her sleeve. This recipe is free of: gluten, dairy, egg, peanut and tree nuts.
These are truly the best allergy-friendly chocolate birthday cupcakes you’ll ever have!
Most of the time I make things because they sound delicious! That, or my son wants it, and there are no safe alternatives.
And this time, I still made something because it sounded absolutely DIVINE…but also because it was a PREGNANCY craving!
If you haven’t been following my Instagram (Why not?? There’s so many fun behind-the-scenes Instagram stories!) Then you’re probably in the dark that I’m expecting. True story–I actually broke the news to my Instagram friends before some of my family. That’s benefits!
Last Tuesday we went in to find out the gender. Finding out the gender always makes the baby feel so much more REAL. Instead of this belly that looks like I ate too much, and feeling nauseous and exhausted all the time, you get to see that there is a REAL HUMAN BEING in there…causing all that raucous.
I decided since we’d be celebrating this baby’s birthday in a few months to finally share my favorite cake and frosting for all birthday celebrations. I know many allergy moms who don’t care to bake, but once a year you gotta pull out something. EVERY allergy mom needs a good birthday cake and frosting up her sleeve. I make this for all birthdays, and even friends and neighbors and family members without allergies like it. I don’t feel I have to say sorry, or an excuse. when I serve it to “regular” eaters.
The cake is moist and dense. The frosting is silky and rich. Chocolate on chocolate is my favorite combo. I know sprinkles look better on white frosting, but I NEED my chocolate frosting!
NOTE: Because this frosting has coconut oil in it, the frosting will harden if kept in colder temperatures, or melt in really high temperatures. I keep mine room temperature, covered, to keep it the best consistency so it doesn’t dry out. That is–if you don’t inhale it in the first sitting!
As you can see it pipes great over cupcakes (makes 12) or makes a 13×9–because let’s be honest, sometimes you just need to dump the whole thing in pan and just write “Happy Birthday” on it some years. Am I right??
I hope this recipe helps you celebrate many fun birthdays to come, special occasions, or “just because I need chocolate”.
And, if you missed the announcement, I showed two cupcakes: one with blue sprinkles and one with pink. Here is the one that won:
Bring on the pink! I have two boys, so this will be a switch, but it will be a fun switch up.
How do I make cupcakes allergy-friendly and free of the top-8-allergens?
- To ensure that these are gluten-free and wheat free cupcakes I used my favorite gluten-free baking blend. I prefer to make this, because it’s cheaper to buy the individual packets and blend them than buying a store-bought version. If you’re in a pinch, or don’t do that much baking, you can use a store bought 1:1 gluten-free baking mix.
- To make these birthday cupcakes egg-free I use flax eggs. These are a great egg substitution and you’ll see directions for it in the recipe!
- To make these allergy-friendly cupcakes nut free I make sure that I don’t use any peanut or nut butters and that my ingredients are not cross contaminated or have “may contain” warnings on them.
- To make these cupcakes for allergy kiddos dairy-free you’ll see that I suggest using vegan butter. There are lots of kinds of vegan butter and pick one that works for your allergies. For us, that’s Earth Balance buttery sticks.
- I’ve had people ask what to do to make these cupcakes soy free. I’ve also used applesauce instead of the soy sour cream and they worked out great because it can be hard to find.
- The best part about these allergy-friendly cupcakes is that they are also vegan cupcakes. That’s right–gluten free. dairy free and vegan cupcakes!
****Also, if you don’t care to have children (I was there for a LONG time), or you cannot have children–thank you for bearing with me while I am in this stage of life and for your grace in letting me share something personal with you, that you might not share in right now. I love all of you–despite your child situation.****
The BEST Allergy-friendly Chocolate Birthday Cupcakes (Gluten, dairy, egg, peanut & tree nut free; vegan)
Moist, dense chocolate cake that is topped with a rich, silky chocolate buttercream makes for the perfect birthday cake or cupcakes for any allergy kiddo. This is the one recipe every allergy mom needs up her sleeve. This recipe is free of: gluten, dairy, egg, peanut and tree nuts.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 and 1/2 sticks vegan butter (12 Tablespoons)
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups of my gluten-free flour
- 1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon xanthan
- 2 flax eggs (2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds mixed with 5 Tablespoons of water)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup applesauce or dairy free sour-cream (see above)
- Vegan chocolate buttercream recipe
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease your pan with non-stick cooking spray, (if doing a 13x9). Or, line your cupcake tin with cupcake liners (makes 12).
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cake’s dry ingredients, except for the cocoa.
In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt your vegan butter. Add your water, cocoa powder, and dairy-free sour cream/applesauce and stir to incorporate. Take off the heat and add your flax eggs, vanilla, and then whisk in your dry ingredients. Stir until smooth.
Pour the batter into your pan or cupcake tin.
Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes for cupcakes, and 20-25 minutes for the cake. Or, until the middle of the cake springs back when you touch it, and it's slightly pulling away from the edges.
Allow the cake to cool.
While it's cooling, make the frosting.
Spread or pipe the frosting onto the cooled cake.
Keep covered at room temperature, to keep the frosting from drying out.
Notes
Because this frosting has coconut oil in it, the frosting will harden if kept in colder temperatures, or melt in really high temperatures. I keep mine room temperature, covered, to keep it the best consistency so it doesn't dry out. That is--if you don't inhale it in the first sitting!
Don’t forget to pin it, so you don’t lose it. Also, be sure to check out my other allergy-friendly Pinterest boards.
Looking for more chocolate treats? See some of my other favorites below, or go to my index:
Allergy-friendly Tiger Birthday Cupcakes
Slow Cooker Chocolate Lava Cake (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free; vegan)
Allergy-friendly Homemade Oreos (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free; vegan)
Natalie
I am so happy I found this recipe! My youngest (11 months) was diagnosed with multiple food allergies a few months ago. I have tried multiple allergy free baked goods and they have all turned out horrible. I have been stressing about finding a good cake recipe for his first birthday. This is the only recipe that was perfect! I did have to lower the temp and cook 10 minutes longer since I live at a high altitude. I followed this recipe exactly as written, even used the flour mix. I’m so thankful that you have provided all these wonderful recipes. It has been so difficult finding good recipes that work for the whole family. I’m excited to try more of your recipes!
Megan Lavin
Hi Natalie and welcome. Boy do I know how it feels to not have an allergy friendly recipe turn out. There’s so many bad ones out there. I hope my site can continue to be a help to you and that when your son’s bday comes, he can have a great one. Cheers–Megan
Sarah Sattin
These cupcakes (and the complimentary “buttercream” frosting are AMAZING!! Our son’s 2nd birthday is today and last night after he went to bed we attempted to make these. Trying to make an allergy friendly cake for his 1st birthday cake was an epic fail on my part so I was nervous going into this! He is dairy/egg/soy/peanut/tree nut free. These cupcakes were SO easy to make and came out SO moist and delicious! The “buttercream” frosting is heavenly as well! I wish I could add photos to this review because his daycare teacher sent me photos of ALL the kids going to town on these today – even non-allergy kiddos! I couldn’t help but snack on a few myself this afternoon!
Try it – you will NOT be disappointed!
Megan Lavin
You’re the best, Sarah. Thank you! 🙂
Malinda Pagel
Hi, is there something I could substitute the xanthan gum for? The flour I’m using has guar gum in it. Would that be sufficient? I have several family members with known intolerances to xanthan gum. Thank you!
Megan Lavin
Hi Malinda. I’ve heard that guar gum can be used in place of xanthan. I’ve never tried it, but have heard good things. Enjoy!
Malinda Pagel
I ended up using a flour that had guar gum in it and leaving out the xanthan, and they turned out fine! Thank you! 🙂
Karlee
Can you add normal butter & eggs and it would turn out? I just want nut and gluten free.
Megan Lavin
It should be just fine. Enjoy 🙂
Kelly
Thank you so much for all of your posts and recipes! We are going to try these cupcakes and your frosting for my sons 6th bday coming up! He is highly allergic to dairy, eggs, nuts, recently was diagnosed with celiac and became a type 1 diabetic at age 3. It’s been a whirlwind haha. I’m just over hear figuring out all the carbs for this recipe ??
I think we are going to do the applesauce in the cupcakes (easier to find then soy cream cheese) do you recommend getting unsweetened applesauce? Just wasn’t sure which one to grab ☺️?
Ann
It sometimes says “cream cheese” and other times it says “sour cream”. Which is it?
Megan Lavin
Hi Ann, thanks for catching that typo. It should be sour cream. It is now fixed.
Brittany
Megan I’m also confused, the beginning of the recipe it says to whisk all dry ingredients, however the next step says you’re adding the cocoa powder to the pot with butter, water, applesauce/sour cream… I already started making these and now feel like I’ve messed up lol.
Megan Lavin
Hi Brittany. I’ll go through the directions again. Honestly, it will all get mixed together in the end, so I really don’t think it will make a difference. No worries! Enjoy.
Susan
Wow – I can tell your recipes are going to be a great help to my family! These cupcakes look great for my son’s 2nd birthday coming up. He does have a flax seed allergy so I will try it with chia eggs. And I don’t like the ingredients in most vegan butters.. Would palm shortening work?
Megan Lavin
I’m so glad my site will help your family. If you can’t do a flax egg, I’d recommend using a powdered egg replacement, like Ener-G, before I’d go the chia route. I’ve only ever used Earth Balance butter in this recipe, so I can’t speak for how well a palm shortening would work. I would assume so, but can’t guarantee it.
Susan
I used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer (thanks for the reco), Nutiva shortening, and coconut sugar… These were SO good and excellent texture. Thank you !!
Emily
Hi there! I was wondering if I could just use eggs instead of flax eggs?
Megan Lavin
Definitely! We just have an egg allergy, but in all of my recipes you’re welcome to swap in regular eggs.
Emily
Can I use Trader Joe’s gluten free flour? I couldn’t find the three separate flours at any of my grocery stores. It has millet flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, rice flour, sorghum flour, and xanthan gum
Norma Chambers
Ur recipe seems fantastic and I cant wait to try it for my grandson. However he also has an allergy against coconut, so hopefully I’ll get something allergy free for his topping.
Megan Lavin
What a thoughtful grandma you are! If you need the frosting to be coconut free, simply use all shortening, instead of half coconut and half shortening. Enjoy!
Ellis
Thank you for having this recipe to hand i have just had an order for an 8 inch cake and the child has nut and egg allergies. Once i have successfully baked and covered the cake with your buttercream recipe will it be ok to cover it with fondant?
Also i may i missed some information i do apologise.
The step of heating the butter then adding everything in,do i wait for it to cool down or add all when its still warm?
Also i have a fan assisted oven should i still use your recommended heat or should i lower it?
I just want it to be perfect as its the first time i am making a cake allergy free I’m ever so exited.
Thank you in advance.
Megan Lavin
Hi Ellis. I’ve never covered it with fondant, but I would think it’d be just fine.
You can go ahead and add the rest of the ingredients once you take the melted portion off the heat, it’s fine if it’s still warm.
I’ve never cooked in a fan assisted oven, so I’m sorry, I’m not sure how to convert that. Hopefully google can have some info on that. Best of luck! 🙂
Tina
Would it hurt anything if I doubled the cocoa powder? I love thr cake but want a more intense chocolate flavor without messing up the texture of this wonderful cake. I have made it several time and it always turns out! It
Megan Lavin
Hi Tina. I wouldn’t. That will throw off the dry to wet ratio and may dry out your cupcakes. If you want, you could try adding a little more, but I wouldn’t go as far as doubling it. Good luck!
Ellyn Williams
Has anyone ever tried, soy-free, vegan mayonnaise in place of applesauce or sour cream?
Michelle Lucas
Hi there! These cupcakes are wonderful! Great recipe! I made them for a nephew that has every allergy you can think of. However I don’t think he can eat the whole dozen by himself so quickly. Can these be frozen? (Separate from the icing of course.)
Megan Lavin
Yes they can!
Lala
Can be used regular weat flour?
Megan Lavin
Yes! Just swap it out 1:1 and omit the xanthan.
Courtney
Hi!
Could this be recipe be adapted for a large birthday cake? Also, can you substitute the flax eggs for chicken eggs 1:1?
Thanks
Megan Lavin
Hi, yes you can swap out regular eggs. And, I’ve made it in a 9×13 before when I didn’t feel like making individual cupcakes.
Kat
Hello! I was wondering if you know how to tweak these to be a vanilla cupcake recipe? Thanks!
Megan Lavin
Hi Kat. If you’re looking for a vanilla cupcake recipe, I’d use this, and just omit the cinnamon filling: https://allergyawesomeness.com/cinna-swirl-muffins-gf-df-egg-soy-peanut-tree-nut-free-top-8-free-vegan/
Raelene
Hey Megan, I’d like to make this cake but want 2 8” round cakes. Can I split the batter in half and it’ll be enough? Also, what would the bake time be for those sizes?
Megan Lavin
Hi Raelene, great questions. I’ve only ever done it as a 13×9 or cupcakes. I would do 1.5x the regular recipe, to ensure you have enough for the two eight inch rounds. And for bake time, my guess would be around 20-25, but just keep a close eye on it and you should be fine. Enjoy!
Tina
I have made it into 8 inch layers. One recipe as written will give you two layer, they are thin, but I like them that way. I bake them about 22 minutes then check every 5 minutes after that till it bounces back when touched. To note my oven runs a little colder than some. If you want thicker layers I would make a batch and half or
Even two batches if you want them thick.
Talissa
These look so good! If we are using gf baking flour with xanthan gum, do we still need to add more xanthan gum? Thank you!
Megan Lavin
Nope 🙂
Les King
These are seriously the best cupcakes ever! I don’t have any allergies but I found out a week or two before my child’s 4th birthday she was allergic to dairy, egg whites, and tree nuts. (We was uncertain of others, but we found out about the others with an emergency room trip!) So in a panic I was searching for allergy friendly food that didn’t taste like cardboard! Through Google, Facebook, and Pintrest I was blessed to find allergyawesoeness! With low expectations, I made a trial run to see if it would be edible. OH man it was amazing! I did not tell my friends and family that it was free of the top 8 allergies and people was bragging on how moist and delicious this cake tasted! When I told them where I found the recipe they were all amazed. I crave these all the time now. When I started this review I could taste them just by thinking about it! Thank you for all your hard work and effort into making life easier for other mothers in a state of desperation, fear, and unknown! You truly are a life savor in more ways than one. You gave my child hope and inclusion.
allergyawesomeness@gmail.com
Thank you soo much Leslie! What a kind and thoughtful comment. I am so happy the cupcakes not only work for your daughter but your extended friends and family as well. We definitely love them here!
Sara
You say “Add your water, cocoa powder, and dairy-free sour cream and stir to incorporate” but there is no sour cream in the list of ingredients. Please advise! I want to make these for my 1-year-old’s first birthday.
allergyawesomeness@gmail.com
Sorry! This is an older recipe, and I originally called for dairy-free sour cream. But, I’ve found that applesauce does just as well and it’s easier to find and cheaper too. I didn’t realize I hadn’t changed that sentence. Thanks for letting me know!
Celeste
Wow, these are beautiful shots! This really is a recipe every allergen mom (or wife 😉 ) needs.
allergyawesomeness@gmail.com
Thank you! I got a new tripod, which I hope will help my photography get better! I appreciate the comment a lot!
Alisa Fleming
These are too, too perfect! I definitely don’t need to be pregnant to crave these 🙂
allergyawesomeness@gmail.com
Thanks Alisa! Yes, I certainly crave them 365 days a year–despite being pregnant or not, they’re just too good not to 🙂
Kelly @ TastingPage
Now these are gorgeous! Kudos on nailing that icing, and all with dairy free products. Hooray!
allergyawesomeness@gmail.com
Thanks so much Kelly! I always get nervous piping frosting on cupcakes (not my forte) so I appreciate it.
Emily
Can I use Trader Joe’s gluten free flour? I couldn’t find the three separate flours at any of my grocery stores. It has millet flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, rice flour, sorghum flour, and xanthan gum
Alexa
These are exciting times for you! Congratulations. Back when I was pregnant I would have definitely taken one (or two) of these … topped with sliced ham. That was my craving 🙂 Oh the joys of pregnancy! I always love seeing cakes that work with flax eggs. Good going lady!!
allergyawesomeness@gmail.com
Yes, pregnancy cravings can be crazy! Can’t say I’ve tried a cupcake with ham though–although this pregnancy is only half way over, so we’ll see! 🙂
Chrystal @ Gluten-Free Palate
These cupcakes look amazing. And congrats! SO excited for you.
allergyawesomeness@gmail.com
Thanks Chrystal! Hope to see you again at Everything Food Conference–I’ll be huge by then!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
O yay, well congrats and these look delicious!
allergyawesomeness@gmail.com
Thanks Rebecca!