Hazelnut Financier Cupcakes with Whipped Chocolate Ganache {dairy-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free}

I'm baaaack! (With some pretty killer cupcakes, might I add.)

Last week I went MIA after spending a super full weekend at my first-ever food photography workshop; I was hoping I could do all the things AND put together a new blog post but sometimes you just can't do it all. :/ Butttt the weekend was an incredible experience - a big fun blur of learning from some hugely talented people in the food blogging world, eating one amazing meal after another, and getting to meet lots of kindred food-loving souls. ♡ I'm hoping to share a bit more about that in the next few weeks, but until then, you can also follow along on Instagram for some pics!

this recipe

In the meantime, I did get back to baking this past weekend! There may have been one burned batch of financiers, a broken dish, and a mess that exceeds my typical level of crazy, but in the end things turned out pretty well because... cupcakes! And they're not just any cupcakes; they're gluten-free, dairy-free, annnd refined sugar-free ← pretty stoked about this. I'm not one to try to healthify desserts just for the sake of it, but I'm all for making them a little better for you without compromising taste (not to mention making them adaptable for more people) and I there's totally no compromising with these. In fact, I'm pretty sure everyone would have thought they were normal cupcakes if I hadn't announced otherwise right off the bat - but I did and I wouldn't take it back because I was JUST TOO EXCITED.

If you haven't made (or eaten) financiers before, they're super light, tender french teacakes that are typically made with almond meal and brown butter, only here I swapped those for hazelnut meal and coconut oil, and it was genius. The hazelnut meal adds soooo much sweet, nutty flavor with means you really don't miss the butter, and coconut oil comes in clutch as a non-dairy swap. You can even toast your hazelnut flour (like I did with this Nutella tart) to amplify its flavor even more.  The cupcakes are honestly incredible without any sort of topping, but I love the idea of turning financiers into mini cakes so I added a silky whipped chocolate ganache - much like the frosting on my favorite chocolate espresso cupcakes. The only difference is, this one is secretly made with coconut milk! It's a great option for making vegan chocolate ganache, and one I've used for recipes like these chocolate-glazed banana bread muffins and this stunning raspberry chocolate tart. And the cake is made with coconut sugar, so there's that too (because why not remove the refined sugar if you can?!) You definitely can't taste ANY of the coconut in the recipe, but you get a cupcake that's a little less break-the-bank on your healthy eating without sacrificing flavor. Alwayyys a good thing, ya dig?

Hazelnut Financier Cupcakes with Whipped Chocolate Ganache {dairy-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free}

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Light & nutty french teacakes topped with a silky coconut milk ganache and fresh berries. A show-stopper dessert that won't destroy your clean eating!

• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 65 minutes
• Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
• Category: cupcakes
• Method: baking
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Hazelnut Financiers

• 6 ounces (1 ½ cups) hazelnut meal*
• 2 ⅛ ounces (½ cup) buckwheat flour
• 5 ⅛ ounces (1 cup) coconut sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla bean powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces (½ cup) coconut oil, melted and briefly cooled
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 egg whites

Whipped Chocolate Ganache & Garnish

• 12 ounces dairy-free dark chocolate, chopped (or dairy-free chocolate chips/wafers)**
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• berries, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF and grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin with coconut oil.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the hazelnut meal, buckwheat flour, coconut sugar, vanilla bean powder, and salt.
3. Stir together the melted coconut oil and vanilla extract. Add to the dry ingredients and fold in until fully incorporated.
4. Beat egg whites until foamy (but still liquid). Add to dry mixture and fold in just until all ingredients are fully combined.
5. Divide batter evenly between prepared muffin tins. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, and then reduce heat to 375ºF and bake for about 10 more minutes, until financiers are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Make ganache while financiers cool to room temperature.

Whipped Chocolate Ganache & Garnish

1. Place chocolate in a large bowl.
2. In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, microwave the coconut milk just until it begins to boil.
3. Pour coconut milk over chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Then, stir until smooth.
4. Transfer ganache to the refrigerator to cool until thickened enough to hold its shape, stirring occasionally to promote even cooling.
5. Once thickened, transfer ganache to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whip attachment (or use a hand-held eletric mixer) and beat on medium speed until lighter in color and texture, similar to that of frosting.
6. Use an offset spatula to dollop ganache onto cupcakes, or pipe on with a pastry bag. If ganache starts to get too soft during this process, return to refrigerator and chill until thickened again. Top finished cupcakes with berries.
7. Serve cupcakes immediately, storing any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes

*Almond meal will also work here, but I really like the added flavor hazelnut meal contributes, so I highly recommend that if you can find it! It's available on Amazon ;)

**To keep this recipe refined sugar-free make sure you're paying attention to the sugar used in your dark chocolate

Total time does not include chilling time for ganache.

Keywords: gluten-free cupcakes, dairy-free cupcakes, financiers, hazelnut cupcakes, summer dessert, cupcakes

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