Grain-Free Hostess Cupcake Copycat Recipe
Grain-Free Hostess Cupcake Copycat Recipe
We are serving up a healthy dose of nostalgia with these Grain-Free Hostess Cupcake Copycats! This egg-free recipe makes a fluffy chocolate cupcake filled with creamy vanilla frosting, topped with rich chocolate ganache crowned with curlicues of frosting on top. Guaranteed to jazz up a boxed lunch or make for the perfect after school snack.
Cupcake Ingredients
- 340 grams Otto’s Naturals – Otto's Naturals - Cassava Flour (or 2 1/2 cups)
- Â 2 cups granulated maple sugar (or coconut sugar)
- Â 1 teaspoon salt
- Â 2 teaspoons baking soda
-  ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (or carob powder for AIP)
-  ¾ cup avocado oil
- Â 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Â 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Â 2 cups cold water (plus 5-6 Tablespoons more if subbing coconut sugar)
Ganache Ingredients
- 1/4 cup milk (or any non-dairy milk)
- 3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or carob chips for AIP)
Vanilla Frosting
-
We used Simple Mills Vanilla Frosting but feel free to use your favorite recipe.

Cupcake Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare muffin pans with liners.
- Combine Otto’s Naturals – Cassava Flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa together into a large bowl. Mix.
- Make three wells. Pour avocado oil into one well, apple cider vinegar into the second, and vanilla extract into the third well.
- Pour cold water over all and stir well with a fork.
- Pour into lined muffin tins.
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let cool.
- Once cupcakes are completely cool cut a hole the size of a quarter in the middle using a knife. Remove the cake, squirt in frosting, and smoosh the removed cake over the frosting. Feel free to use half of the removed cake if it doesn't fit.
- Place stuffed cupcakes in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Ganache Instructions
- Place milk and chocolate on a stovetop over medium heat.
- Stir continuously until creamy.
- Using a spoon over the top of each cupcake with a ganache.
- Let sit till ganache has hardened a bit, about 5 minutes.
- If you don’t have a pastry bag add your choice of vanilla frosting into a zip lock bag. Cut a tiny hole in one corner. Pipe frosting on top of the cupcake.
- Enjoy.


Hostess Cupcake Copycats Baking Tips
Here are a few of our best tips for baking and storing your Grain-Free Hostess Cupcake Copycats!
- If you are using coconut sugar instead of maple sugar, you need to add 2 cups plus an additional 5 to 6 Tablespoons of cold water to the cupcake recipe. Not adding the additional water will result in dryer, denser cupcakes.
- Be sure your milk doesn't get too hot when you're making the ganache. The milk needs to be hot enough to melt your chocolate but not boiling.Â
- While we love filling the cupcakes with vanilla frosting, you can play by your own rules and use any filling you want - or even none at all!