Mini cakes topped with cream, known as cupcakes, tempt us with both their looks and their great taste. If you have decided to live more healthily and improve your diet, you can still enjoy them without guilt. Although a classic cupcake contains loads of sugar and fat, you can bake your own healthy cupcake made with wholesome ingredients.
🧁 Tip: You might also be interested in our article on the best Asian recipes or on healthy red lentils.
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How to make a guilt-free healthy cupcake
A healthy cupcake can be a real treat, even if the name might sound misleading or off-putting. Just swap a few ingredients and you have a great breakfast or a snack to go with your coffee. It will please your eyes and your mind, and you will stay fit too.
1. Chocolate cupcakes with quark cream (12 pcs)
We have great news for all chocolate lovers. If you have chosen a healthy diet, you do not have to give up your favourite treats. Dark chocolate gives the cupcakes a great taste. Quark provides plenty of protein.
You will need:
Muffins
- 250 g spelt flour
- 100 g erythritol sweetener
- ½ packet baking powder
- 50 g dark chocolate (at least 70%)
- 125 g soft quark from a tub
- 2 eggs
- 80 ml coconut oil
Cream
- 250 g soft quark from a tub
- 200 g whipping cream
- 3–4 tablespoons honey
Method:
Break the dark chocolate into small pieces. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sweetener, baking powder and ¾ of the broken chocolate) in one bowl and the wet ingredients (eggs, quark, oil) in another. Then combine everything, pour into paper cases or moulds, top with the rest of the chocolate and bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for about 20 minutes. Remember to fill the cases or moulds only about ¾ full, as the cupcakes will rise in the oven.
For the cream, whip the cream with the quark and honey. Transfer it to a piping bag and put it in the fridge for a while until the cakes cool down. Then decorate and serve.
🧁 Note: Erythritol is a natural substance found, for example, in fruit and vegetables, with zero calories and therefore a zero glycaemic index.
2. Banana cupcakes with nut cream (12 pcs)
Bananas add natural sweetness and Greek yoghurt provides a good dose of protein. Thanks to its probiotics, it is also good for your gut and helps you feel fuller.
You will need:
Muffins
- 3 riper bananas
- 200 g rolled oats
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 150 g Greek yoghurt
- 50 ml milk
- 1 egg
- 4–5 tablespoons honey
Cream
- 250 g soft quark
- 200 g plain cream cheese spread
- 50 g ground nuts or nut butter
- 3–4 tablespoons honey
Method:
Mash the bananas in a bowl with a fork and blend the oats until fine. Then mix the bananas with the oats and add the remaining ingredients. Fill the cases or moulds ¾ full and bake at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes.
For the cream, whip all the ingredients together, put the mixture in a piping bag and leave it in the fridge to set. Then decorate and serve.
3. Red velvet cupcakes with pudding cream (12 pcs)
Beetroot in a cake? It sounds like a strange combination, but quite the opposite is true. Pairing this vegetable with cocoa creates a wonderful flavour and gives a gorgeous red colour. Add some cream and you have a real treat.
You will need:
Muffins
- 250 g wholemeal flour
- 120 g erythritol
- 2 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 60 g coconut oil
- 2 eggs
- 120 ml buttermilk
Cream
- ½ packet chocolate pudding powder
- 15 g chocolate protein powder
- 250 ml milk
- 250 g semi-skimmed quark
Method:
Peel the beetroot and blend it into a smooth purée. Then add the oil, eggs and buttermilk and blend again. Next add the remaining ingredients and mix the batter thoroughly. Fill the cases with it and bake at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes.
To make the cream, cook the pudding powder with the protein in the milk. Once cooled, mix it with the quark (you can blend it) and pipe it onto the cupcakes using a piping bag.
🧁 Tip: If you do not want to struggle with peeling off paper cases, get a proper muffin tin.
4. Brownie cupcakes with cocoa cream (12 pcs)
A real chocolate overload, that is what brownies taste like. Do not worry, you do not have to give up this treat full of chocolatey bliss. You can bake a healthy cupcake and indulge without guilt.
You will need:
Muffins
- 250 g spelt flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa
- 200 g plain yoghurt
- 2 eggs
- 60 ml coconut oil
- 100 g dark chocolate
Cream
- 250 g Lučina cream cheese
- 200 ml whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon cocoa
- 3–4 tablespoons honey
Method:
Chop the chocolate finely and set about 1/3 aside. Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately and then combine them. Fill the moulds and top with the chocolate you set aside. Bake at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Make the cream by whipping all the ingredients together, fill a piping bag with it and leave it in the fridge for a while to set. Then pipe it onto the cupcakes and serve.
🧁 Tip: Just starting out with a healthy lifestyle? Take a look at 7 tips for eating healthily.
5. Carrot cupcakes with cinnamon cream (12 pcs)
Rolled oats are a great helper for lowering cholesterol, and thanks to their fibre content they support digestion and help you feel full for longer. Combined with carrots, they make a great and healthy treat.
You will need:
Muffins
- 200 g rolled oats
- 1/2 baking powder
- 1 teaspoon gingerbread spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 150 g carrots
- 100 g yoghurt
- 3–4 tablespoons honey
- 1 egg
Cream
- 250 g mascarpone
- 200 ml whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Method:
Grate the carrots finely. Then mix them with the wet ingredients and finally with the dry ones. Pour the mixed batter into cases or moulds and bake for 15–20 minutes at 180 degrees.
For the cream, whip all the ingredients together, let it rest in the fridge for a while and pipe it onto the muffins using a piping bag. You can sprinkle them with chopped nuts.
A healthy diet does not have to be boring or bland. It can help you lose weight or simply stay fit, while you do not have to give up your favourite treats. There is always a guilt-free alternative. I hope you enjoy the recipes and find them inspiring.
