Here is the healthy cupcake recipe that won’t let you down.
Cupcakes so soft and fluffy…
No one will ever guess that they’re low-fat!
I went through five or six attempts before finally achieving the results I wanted: a “no-fail” healthy vanilla cupcake recipe that both health-food eaters and junk-food eaters will love.
Above, a skinny vanilla cupcake with Healthy Glaze Icing.
You can have fun with this recipe: keep it simple, or add just a few ingredients to make blueberry cupcakes, red velvet cupcakes, or even chocolate-chip cupcakes. Everyone should keep a good basic cupcake recipe in his or her arsenal.
Can be sugar-free, too!
Skinny Vanilla Cupcakes
(makes 9-10 cupcakes)
Or click if you’d prefer: Healthy Chocolate Cupcakes.
- 1 cup spelt flour, or white flour, or Arrowhead Mills gf mix (140g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ener g powder, or 1 tbs ground flaxmeal
- 4 tbsp xylitol or sugar (54g)
- 2 Nunatural stevia packets (or 2 extra tbsp sugar)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt of choice (Silk or SoDelicious both work) (230g)
- 1/4 cup milk of choice (60g)
- 3 tbsp coconut or veg oil (can omit, but the cupcakes will be a bit gummy) (36g)
- add 1/2 tsp xanthan gum if using the gf mix
Preheat oven to 350 F, and grease muffin tins. Combine all wet ingredients with the energ or flax, and stir vigorously. In a separate bowl, combine all remaining dry ingredients, and mix very well. Pour wet into dry, and mix until just combined (don’t overmix). Cook 18-20 minutes, then let sit at least 10 before removing from muffin tins.
Link of the Day:
Hi Kate! I just ADORE your blog. I was inspired by your recipe to create a banana version for my son’s birthday party. They were a hit! I would have preferred to use a sugar substitute, but I didn’t want to freak my guests out! Do you know if using raw honey in this recipe makes it sweet “enough?” Thanks for being you 🙂
http://www.runningonfoodandfaith.com/2013/09/banana-cupcakes-with-honey-cinnamon-frosting/
It’s decided: I am going to make these tomorrow with a vanilla bean. It’s going to be my first time using the actual bean ($$$ much?) and not just vanilla extract, which got me super excited to see those little black specks in the cupcakes. My family will think I’m nuts if I tell them how much I’m longing/dreaming to make these.
Anyway, this seems like a stupid question, but do you mix the flax with 3T water and leave it in the fridge for a while, like in the nutritional info? Or do you add the flax to the wet ingredients directly without any added water, as stated in the recipe?This has been troubling me for quite a while. Thanks for taking the time to read my absurdly long comment! (I could have gone on and on… As my English teacher once put it, I have “a tendency to over-elaborate.” I call it my “creative outlet”. 😀
Add directly to the liquid ingedients.
Hallo! Just to let you know I tried these and they were so easy and delightful! Thanks so much for all these low-sugar, high-cheer recipes 😀 My diabetic FIL especially enjoyed these as a special treat 🙂
http://marfigs.wordpress.com/2013/10/05/cupcakes-and-avocado-raisin-frosting-oh-my/
Hey Katie!
When I made these, they still turned out very dense and flat- I used 3 gbps coconut oil, and I just can’t figure out why they turned out this way…any ideas? I used spelt flour, 1 gbps flax meal…i used just regular plain greek yogurt instead- could that be why? thanks so much:)
Just me, but it sounds like it needs an egg to make it fluffy! or check the baking soda/powder amount and play around with that.
These taste really good, though the vanilla taste is a little weak, but that could be my vanilla-extract, it’s not pure.
But even though if it tasted more of vanilla, I think it would be nice with some more taste, maybe a little orange or lemon in it.
I topped the Cupcakes with your chocolate-fondue thingy, really added some good things to it!
Hello Katie, how are you?
I made this recipe, and it was very delicious, but I had a problem: the dough stuck to the muffin tins. Here in Brazil the muffin tins are paper, and do not know if that was the reason. I tried to do it again with 1 more tablespoon of oil, but the muffin tins was greasy on the outside, and the dough stuck in the same way …
Do you have any suggestions to help me solve this?
Thank you,
Thalita
Use an aluminum muffin tin, and grease the tins instead of using liners. Will work great!
Hi
I see you using stevia a lot. Can I use Truvia instead?
Or Is stevia more natural?
And Can I use something else to replace xylol?
Maybe agave?
Thx
Kelly
The skinny vainilla and the chocolate cupcakes are great! My family love them…. 😉
Hey Katie!
I have a question that has SERIOUSLY been bothering me – and i have no idea why but you’re the only one who can answer this! When you say, regarding your recipes, “if you omit the oil, baked good will be gummy” – what does that mean???
How gummy? I’ve just had so many failure recipes im not sure if its because of lack of oil or too much flour or what! ahhh….helpppppp!
Hey Katie, I can see that you use spelt flour, or gf flour, but can I replace them for almond meal, or oats?
Thanks!!!
I like the texture, but I think the cupcakes just weren’t sweet enough. If I make these again, I will probably add more sweetener. They were a bit sweeter by day two, but not quite as flavorful as I would’ve liked.
This are GREAT after 1 night in the fridge. I ate them out of the oven and felt they were gummy and the taste of vanilla essence was overpowering because i thought it would be a good idea to use double-strength vanilla. But I brought them to work today and they were moist with a tender crumb. REALLY TASTY. I’m gonna keep making variations of these, thanks Katie!
yooooo this cupcake is fire
This turned out amazing!
I baked it as a cake instead (gluten-free too) and topped with homemade overnight strawberry rhubarb chia jam for a healthy frosting.
So adorable!
I was indeed a little disappointed that I could only find a “skinny” vanilla cake recipe when I came looking for a white cake batter of some sort, but it turned out amazing. I made these little baked donuts for a 2 year old’s birthday. I wish I could say I tried them myself, but I sent the whole batch of donuts (and remaining batter’s cupcakes) to the neighbour whos toddler had the birthday. I was super happy with the batter and the baked results and I am sure the taste was spot on. Will use again!!! Thank you!
Hi Katie,
It seems as though every time I make cupcakes, the cupcakes are cooked very well on the top but the inside still needs to cook. I feel that if I put it back in the oven the top will become burnt but the inside will become fully cooked. Could you help me fix this problem? I am a novice and it seems like this has happened every time I tried baking. Thank you!
Hmm do you mean this recipe, or baking in general? Or another recipe on Katie’s site?