Copycat Little Debbie Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients

Mini Chocolate Cakes

• 2 cups almond flour
• 6 tbsp cocoa powder
• ½ tbsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 5 tbsp softened butter + 1 tbsp for greasing the pan
• ½ cup Purecane™ Baking Sweetener
• 3 large eggs
•  ½ cup almond milk, or whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp Purecane™ Confectioners Sweetener

Cream Filling

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 ¾ cups Purecane™ Confectioners Sweetener
• 1 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Coating

• ¾ cup chocolate chips
• 2-3 tbsp heavy cream

Directions

To Make the Chocolate Cakes 

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a muffin pan with the butter, then dust with the Purecane™ Confectioners Sweetener over top to prevent batter from sticking to the pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 5 tablespoons of butter and Purecane™ Baking Sweetener. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time on low speed.
4. Stir in the vanilla extract and milk.
5. Sift in the almond flour mixture in 2-3 batches, stirring in between each batch just until combined.
6. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups.
7. Bake for 14 - 20 minutes, rotating halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs.
8. Let cool completely.

To Make the Cream Filling

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, Purecane™ Confectioners Sweetener, vanilla extract, and heavy cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 6-10 minutes. 
2. Adjust texture to your preference with additional heavy cream or Purecane™ Confectioners Sweetener. You want the filling thick enough to hold form. Transfer to a piping bag and set aside.

To Make the Chocolate Coating

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave on 20 second intervals.
2. Stir in the heavy cream until a thin texture. Set aside.

To Assemble

1. If needed, cut the very tops off the mini chocolate cakes so they are flat. Turn upside down. Use a small knife to create a little slit in the bottom-turned-tops of the cakes and remove a little of the insides to create room for the filling.
2. Pipe about a tablespoon sized amount of the cream filling into the center of the cakes, then add some of the previously removed cupcake on top to seal it in.
3. Spoon the melted chocolate over the cakes to coat completely, then transfer to the freezer to cool until the chocolate is hardened, about 10 minutes. Pipe a swirl of the cream filling on top to decorate.
4. Enjoy immediately or store in the fridge for up to 5 days!

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