Flourless Sugar-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

I have been using xylitol sugar substitute for DIY toothpaste and mouthwash but have never used it for cooking mainly because I don't want to ingest anything made in China and also I don't eat a lot of food with high sugar content.

I came across this sugar substitute when I test baked several years ago for Peter Reinhart's low carbs, gluten free, and sugar free book but never used it for cooking nor for my drinks.  I recently got a large bag USA-produced xylitol made from birch bark. The reviews are mixed, with a few users complaining of upset stomach. It's time to test for myself if it has an unpleasant flavor and if it will give me stomach cramps.

The result of my first experiment, flourless sugar-free chocolate cupcakes for almost carb-free cakes is mainly positive, They actually don't have an aftertaste and after eating 2 cupcakes, I never experienced upset stomach. Everybody has a different reaction to it, I suppose. Oh, and the cakes are moist, soft, and delicious. You may add more stevia/xylitol to your preference.

For the chocolate I used a mixture of natural cocoa powder and cacao butter and a 50/50 combination of xylitol and stevia powder. The stevia leaves a bit of an aftertaste but one just has to get used to its flavor.

Flourless Sugar-free Chocolate Cupcakes

cupcakes
5 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 ounces chopped cacao butter
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons stevia powder
2 tablespoons xylitol powder
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon stevia powder
1 tablespoon xylitol powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons stevia powder
3 tablespoons xylitol

topping
lightly sweetened with xylitol whipped cream

• Preheat oven to 350°F. 
• In a small saucepan, cook over low heat the first 5 ingredients. Mix with a rubber spatula until smooth; set aside to cool completely. 
• In a small bowl, beat egg yolks with 1 tablespoon each stevia and xylitol, and vanilla extract until mixture is light and pale yellow in color. Stir the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture; set aside. 
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat on low speed the egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar, increase speed to medium high and beat adding stevia and xylitol 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat until stiff but not dry peaks form. 
• Blend a cup of beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten. Cut and fold the rest of the egg whites. Spoon batter into silicone cups ¾ full. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool completely in silicone cups. Remove from cups and serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.