Another awesome recipe from guest writer Ashleigh who has her own gluten-free food blog. These delicious protein-packed cupcakes are low in sugar and gluten free. The fat content is also not too high so the macros are great!
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Introduction
Because we all love carrot cake! These little beauties are made from ground oats, whey protein and a healthy dose of carrots. The cream cheese and grated carrots keep the cakes moist, while the addition of walnut pieces gives them a bit of crunch! They’re then topped with a delicious high-protein vanilla cream cheese frosting (made with casein) and sprinkled with more walnuts. I could seriously just eat a whole bowl of that frosting alone…(and I nearly did…)
Bonus 1: Carrots not only give these a cool and bright orange colour, they are also an excellent source of vitamin A and fibre, as well as being high in antioxidants – It’s the antioxidant beta-carotene that gives carrots their orange colour.
Bonus 2: Walnuts not only taste great but are a rich source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.
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Ingredients
This recipe made 8 large cupcakes – the holes in the muffin tin I was using are really wide (it’s intended for larger muffins, not cupcakes) so this could probably make about 10-12 regular cupcakes.
Macros (per serving): Calories 221 kcal, Protein 15g, Carbs 19g, Fat 9g
Cupcake Ingredients:
- 1 cup Oat Flour (I just grind regular oats in the food processor)
- 2 scoops vanilla flavoured Whey Protein
- 1/4 cup Egg Whites (approx. 3 large egg whites)
- 120g low-fat Cream Cheese, or greek yoghurt
- 1/4 cup Almond Milk
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Flour
- 2-3 Carrots
- 2-3 Tbsp Agave Nectar, or Honey
(adjust this to your own sweet tooth) - 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp GF Baking Powder
- Walnuts (optional)
Frosting Ingredients:
- 150g low-fat Cream Cheese
- 1 scoop vanilla flavoured Casein Protein
(you could use Whey again, but Casein is much more suitable in frostings since it gives a much thicker and creamier texture) - Sweetener, to taste –
I used 1 Tbsp of Agave Nectar + a couple of drops of Toffee Flavdrops - Handful of crushed walnuts, for sprinkling (optional)
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Method
- Pre-heat your oven to 180°C.
- Make your oat flour by blitzing your oats in a food processor or blender (If you have actual oat flour, move swiftly on to step 3)
- Start by mixing together all the dry ingredients for your cupcakes – oat flour, coconut flour, whey protein, baking powder + cinnamon
- Now add in your wet ingredients – egg whites, cream cheese (or greek yoghurt), almond milk + your sweetener – and mix it all up together. You can do this in a blender for convenience.
- Grate your carrots into a separate bowl and add them into the mixture.
(Don’t blend the carrots though – you won’t have those little orangey bits that poke through when you bite into the cupcakes!) - Crush your walnuts into small pieces (if using) by placing them into a ziploc bag and basically smashing it about! Now add them in too but save a small amount for a final sprinkling later. 🙂
- Once everything is well-combined, pour your batter out into a muffin pan.
- Transfer to the oven and bake at 180°C for 20 mins.
While they bake away, prepare your frosting:
- Mix the cream cheese and vanilla Casein together in a bowl and add sweetener to taste.
Now for the hard part: Don’t eat all your frosting before the cupcakes are ready!! (This is honestly the most challenging part of the whole recipe) - When your cupcakes are done baking, leave them to cool completely before topping with your yummy cream cheese frosting and then finishing them off with a final sprinkling of crush walnuts!
YUM!
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