Strawberry Protein Cupcakes
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WOW! These were awesome!!! This recipe is an awesome way to sneak in protein without having to chow on a steak!
“HEALTHIFIED” STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES
1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 cup egg white or whey protein (I used strawberry flavor)
3/4 cup Swerve (or erythritol and 1 tsp stevia glycerite)
6 TBS butter or coconut oil
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp natural strawberry extract
5 eggs, separated
2 tsp baking powder
Preheat oven to 325. Whip egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff. In separate bowl, using electric mixer, cream butter with egg yolks until yellow and fluffy. Add extract and sweetener. Beat until well mixed. Fold the yolk mixture into the whipped egg whites and fold lightly. In a separate bowl, mix the almond flour, whey protein, and baking powder, then fold gently into the egg mixture; being careful not to break down whites. Fill paper muffin cups in muffin tin about half full. Bake 325 for about 15 to 20 minutes until cracked on top. 
FROSTING:
3 TBS Butter or coconut oil
3 TBS Cream Cheese or coconut cream
A little vanilla almond milk (to make it spreadable) 1/2 tsp stevia glycerite (to taste)
A few drops of natural food coloring
1 tsp strawberry extract
Mix together and enjoy! Makes 12 cupcakes.
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Cupcake = 389 calories, 35 carbs, 1g fiber, 1 g protein
“Healthified” Cupcake = 201 calories, 3.3 carbs, 1.5g fiber, 7g protein
This one’s a keeper! My kids loved it and it tastes like something my mom never let us have when I was a kid (I can’t quite put my finger on what, exactly,maybe something from Hostess or Kellogg’s; it’ll come to me eventually). I made these for Valentine’s Day and even though they aren’t pink or red they are still perfect! I used 1/2 tsp vanilla and then 2 strawberries I put through a sieve since I didn’t have the extract. They are great!
Made these tonight and they were DELICIOUS! My husband and son LOVED these. I used (non-organic) raspberry extract since that was the only fruit extract I could find. Serving these for dessert on Easter Sunday. 🙂
Thanks Carolyn and Teresa!
I really appreciate your kind words!
Does the strawberry extract go in the cupcake batter or the frosting or both? What makes the frosting pink I guess is what I’m wondering. I can’t wait to make these!!! I love your recipes!
I just put it into the cupcake batter, but I think adding it to the frosting would be awesome too! Great idea!
Did you use the truvia packets?
Nope, I use these sweeteners: http://astore.amazon.com/marisnutran05-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=13
I save a lot of money buying the erythritol and stevia seperate (which is what Truvia is).
Loved these! So happy for finding your blog and cookbooks!
Thank you! 🙂
just made it!! easy and yummi. tks for sharing your recipes.
Thank you! Glad you liked it. 🙂
Yum those look good, what gives the frosting such a pretty color?
Thanks! I use natural food coloring. 🙂
I see think I seen the brand you use at Whole Foods. You would be quite the hit if there was ever a celiac festival, diabetes event, etc. lol Maybe something to look into creating ha
That would be fun! 🙂
Well we all already think you are a low carb superhero so why not 🙂
Is it 1/2 cup whey protein in the flour mix and 5 egg whites from the separated eggs that you use, in the cream of tarter mix?
The whey protein is in the last part:
“In a separate bowl, mix the almond flour, whey protein, and baking powder, then fold gently into the egg mixture;”
I will be cooking these tonight. What do you think about me using Swerve Confection sugar. Would that work as well?
Yes, they are the same ingredients. Happy baking! 🙂
they turned out good, as well as the frosting with Swerve Confection sugar.
I can’t wait to try these!!
If I wanted to make these without the protein punch, could I leave out the protein powder? Also, what would happen if I wanted to use coconut sugar instead of stevia? We don’t use artificial (even “natural”) sweeteners in our home as we follow Paleo rules. Coconut sugar or honey are our preferred sweeteners. Would either of those work? Thanks!
This recipe sounds awesome.
Can I replace the whey proteine by using a fresh liquid whey (I usually have it whey I make my own paneer cheese)?
Maria, and what kind of cream cheese do you use?
Thanks!
You could try that but you might have to adjust the moisture as the whey protein is powder. I try to use an organic cream cheese whenever possible. 🙂
Hi Maria,
I tried this recipe and it was great!! I have a daughter with Type 1 Diabetes and it was so low carb. I have another child with an egg allergy. Do you have a favorite substitute for egg in your recipes?
Thanks! As long as it doesn’t call for whipping the whites stiff you can use a flax and water egg replacer. 🙂
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/flaxseed-egg-substitute.html
Think I could do this vanilla? with no strawberry flavor? vanilla whey? and vanilla flavoring?
That should work. 🙂
These were terrific! They freeze well too! Didn’t even need frosting for all my kids to gobble them up! Thanks!
Thank you!
I made these this weekend. I don’t think I mixed everything well enough. I was cautious because I didn’t want to flatten the egg whites. Should I mix until it’s well blended? That may seem like a silly question… 🙂 Either way, they were still tasty. They just had a chunky texture, like they weren’t blended well.
You can carefully fold together a bit more next time. 🙂
One more thing.. should these be refrigerated?
Could these be made into white cupcakes by ommitting yolks and adding total egg whites? I’m looking for a good substitute to make this: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/10/pink-lady-cake/ recipe low carb 🙂 this looked like a great starting point!
All you would have to do to make this a white cake is remove the strawberry extract. 🙂
What I mean is a “white cake” like the box mixes – they usually only have egg whites, no yolks. I was wondering about the fat/liquid content change if I omitted the yolks and if I’d have to change any other ingredients 🙂
Not sure. It should still work. 🙂
After months of staring at these in the kid’s cookbook, I finally made them. They were yummy! The only problem I had was that the natural extract was not very strong and although there was a hint of strawberry it was too faint. Is that common for natural extracts? My 2yo LOVED them!
Thanks!
Can these be made into chocolate icing somehow?
You can just use a chocolate frosting recipe like this:
http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/homemade-ho-hos/
Does cocoa work in place of the chocolate? I don’t have baking chocolate
You would need some cocoa butter too I think.
Can the frosting be made ahead and refrigerated, or is it best to make right before serving?
Yes, you can make it ahead. 🙂
would i be able to add the coloring to the cake to make it pink?
That should work. 🙂
I am juicing the grandkids up from school today, they love to bake. The 4 year old is such a bad eater, he is a bread and sugar junkie and will be a huge critic because he doesn’t eat anything. We will make them, I’ll give you the report. remember that commercial about Mikie and that cereal?
Did he like them?
Maria, do these cupcakes freeze well?
Yes they do. 🙂
Can I make this into a cake instead of cupcakes, wanting to make my son a strawberry cake for his birthday. Would the temps and times be different?
Yes, that should work. I would just cook a bit longer (until toothpick comes out clean). 🙂
I made a chocolate adaptation, and my kids loved it. Thanks so much.
Awesome! Thanks! 🙂
Super yummie… My egg whites deflated, but they were still great… My egg whites ALWAYS deflate… I wonder if my stand mixer isn’t powerful enough. I let them whip for like 15 mins… They always go flat when I fold in the other ingredience…
Hmm, could be. I got the 9 wire whip for my stand mixer and it helps. 🙂
I accidentally picked up a tub of strawberry flavour whey instead of plain and now I have a use for it!! Thank you!!
Erythritol makes my tongue burn! Is there something else I can use instead? I’m always so jealous of these fantastic looking recipes that I’m unable to make :-\
You could try stevia glycerite. Just a teaspoon or two to taste.
Maria, will these work with coconut milk instead of almond?
Yep!
Oh, and with coconut flour instead of almond?
No. The ratio is totally different. Sorry!