Step 1

Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2

Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Step 3

In a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk or paddle attachment), stir together liquid coconut oil, sugar, and eggs.

Step 4

Add salt, flour, and cocoa powder to egg mixture and stir to combine. The batter should be very thick and even slightly crumbly here.

Step 5

In a separate bowl or measuring cup, stir together milk, baking soda, and apple cider vinegar. The mixture will start to foam and increase in volume as the baking soda reacts with the vinegar, so plan to work quickly here!

Step 6

Add the milk mixture to the batter a bit at a time, stirring frequently to work out any lumps.

Step 7

Add vanilla extract to batter and stir to combine.

Step 8

Add hot water to batter a little at a time, stirring frequently between each addition to work out any lumps. If you’re mixing the batter by hand, I recommend switching to a whisk here to help work the lumps out more easily. If you’re using a stand mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl in between each hot water addition to make sure you work out all the lumps. Note: This batter is VERY thin - don’t worry if it looks a lot runnier than other cake recipes!

Step 9

Pour or scoop the cupcake batter into your liners, filling each liner about 2/3 of the way full.

Step 10

Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 14-18 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Step 11

Remove cooked cupcakes to a wire rack and let them cool completely before frosting, usually at least 30 minutes.

Step 12

In a large bowl, mix liquid coconut oil, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar together with a pinch of salt. The coconut oil will clump up a bit and form a crumbly mixture - this is what we want!

Step 13

Add hot water to powdered sugar mixture a Tablespoon at a time, stirring well between each addition. The frosting will slowly start to come together, and will look almost like a thick pudding or fudge.

Step 14

When you’ve reached your desired frosting consistency, use the back of a spoon or a small knife to frost each cupcake. I like to place a dollop of frosting on the cupcake and then use the back of a spoon to swirl it in a circle (see photos in the post above!) This frosting will begin to seize up as the coconut oil cools, so plan to work quickly. If the frosting becomes too hard to spread easily, add an extra splash of hot water or zap it for five seconds in the microwave to bring it back to a spreadable consistency.

Step 15

Top cupcakes with sprinkles or serve as-is! Serve immediately or let the frosting cool on the counter for an hour or more - as it cools, the frosting becomes thicker and fudge-like.

Step 16

Store cupcakes in an airtight container on the counter for 3-4 days.