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A few times during our childhood, Mom created an elaborate semi-homemade birthday cake for my brother, along with our help. We picked out a magazine with the cake layout my brother wanted at the grocery store, usually something like Womenâs Day, and we purchased the rest of the necessary ingredients during that same trip. Â
The recipes usually started with a boxed mix (Mom practically refused to bake anything from scratch except cookies!), split into three round pans to create a taller cake. While those cooled, we dyed some of the canned vanilla frosting blue with food coloring and prepared the fun embellishments.
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Once Mom assembled the three layers, we spread plain vanilla frosting across half of the top of the cake, followed by the freshly dyed blue frosting on the remaining half and around the sides. We pressed small Goldfish crackers into the sides to make it appear like they were swimming in circles around the cake, and then we started decorating the top.
After crushing graham crackers into itty bitty crumbs, we sprinkled that on the plain white frosting as âsand.â We set a few gummy Lifesavers into the blue âoceanâ patch on the top and gently pressed a Teddy Graham into the center each. We also cut small pieces of Fruit Stripe zebra gum as the Teddy Grahamsâ âbeach towels,â which rested on the plain frosting for when they finished splashing around in the water. Finally, we piped a little frosting onto the Teddy Grahams as âswim suits.â
Those cakes were so cute and fun to make! (Iâm really sorry about that year Skipper got your cake though, bud!)
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Although everyone would love making another one of those cakes for old timeâs sake, my brother probably couldnât enjoy it because of the many food allergies he has developed over the years⌠So I made these Healthy Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting for him instead! Lemon is his all-time favorite cake flavor, and he said these were absolutely full of that bright sunshiny flavor.
Even better? They contain no refined flour or sugar and only 128 calories! I donât need a birthday as an excuse to celebrate that! ??
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This healthy lemon cake base starts with white whole wheat flour (like this). White whole wheat flour is made exactly the same way as regular whole wheat flour! It just comes from a special type of soft white wheat, whereas regular whole wheat flour is made from heartier red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour, but with its lighter taste and texture, itâs perfect for these cupcakes!
With just 1 tablespoon of butter or coconut oil, youâll mix Greek yogurt into the batter for the rest of that classic tender cupcake texture. If youâve been around my blog for a while, you know how much I love Greek yogurt! It adds the same moisture as butter or oil for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your baked treats a protein boost, too!
Of course, we canât forget the true star of these cupcakes⌠The lemons! Youâll use both lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice in the cupcake batter. The former actually provides the majority of the citrus flavor, so donât skimp on it! If you can find Meyer lemons, I highly recommend them. Theyâre brighter and sweeter than traditional lemons!
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Now this frosting has a secret⌠Itâs actually made from more Greek yogurt! And because of that, youâll use lemon extract (like this) to flavor the frosting. No lemon juice hereâthat would just make the yogurt curdle! To make the frosting stiff enough to pipe into those elegant swirls, youâll beat the Greek yogurt with instant vanilla pudding mix (like this). Such a fun and nifty trick!
To sweeten both the cupcakes and the frosting, youâll use one of my favorite ingredients: vanilla crème stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka itâs clean-eating friendly!). A little goes a long way! This is the kind I use because I love its warm vanilla flavor. Although you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, I always buy mine online here because thatâs the cheapest price Iâve found. (And youâll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
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Happy birthday, bud! ??? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees Iâll see your picture! ?) Iâd love to see your cupcakes and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Healthy Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting | | Print |
- for the cupcakes
- 2 ½ cups (300g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp (15g) lemon zest*
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla crème stevia
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp (150mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
- for the frosting
- 2 cups (480g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 servings (16g) sugar-free, fat-free instant vanilla pudding mix (see Notes)
- 2 tsp lemon extract
- â tsp vanilla crème stevia, or more/adjusted to taste
- To prepare the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners, and coat the liners with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk in the lemon zest. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg whites, vanilla, and vanilla crème stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt. Stir in the lemon juice. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.)
- Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners. Bake at 350°F for 19-22 minutes or until the centers feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes bake, prepare the frosting. Add the Greek yogurt, instant pudding, lemon extract, and vanilla crème stevia to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Cover the top of the bowl with foil, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, pipe the cream cheese frosting on top just before serving.
For the gluten-free flour, use the following blend: 1 Ÿ cups (150g) millet flour, ž cup (90g) tapioca flour, ½ cup (60g) brown rice flour, and 1 ž teaspoons xanthan gum. Most store-bought gluten-free flour blends should work as well, if measured like this.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
I highly recommend using Meyer lemons, if you can find them! Theyâre brighter and sweeter in flavor compared to traditional lemons.
I highly recommend using the vanilla crème stevia! Itâs one of my favorite ingredients (youâll use it in all of these recipes of mine!), and I buy it online here because thatâs the cheapest price Iâve found. If you prefer not to use stevia in the cupcakes, substitute ž cup (180mL) of agave, honey, or pure maple syrup for the vanilla crème stevia. Omit the milk and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. (The batter should be fairly thick, similar to muffin batter.) If you prefer not to use the vanilla crème stevia in the frosting, then substitute 1 ž teaspoons of this powdered stevia OR 6-8 tablespoons of Truvia or granulated sugar.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
You just need the dry instant pudding mixâdonât prepare it according to the package directions! For a spreadable (not pipe-able) frosting, you may omit the instant pudding mix.
Youâre using lemon extract in the frosting because lemon juice or lemon zest would cause the Greek yogurt to curdle. (Not good!) For a mellower frosting flavor, decrease the lemon extract to 1 ž teaspoons.
{gluten-free, clean eating option, low fat, low sugar}
View Nutrition Information
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You may also like Amy’s other recipesâŚ
âĄÂ   Greek Yogurt Lemon Pound Cake
âĄÂ   Greek Yogurt Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake
âĄÂ   Greek Yogurt Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake
âĄÂ   Simple Strawberry Lemon Cake
âĄÂ   Simple Raspberry Lemon Cake
âĄÂ   Healthy Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
âĄÂ   Healthy Blueberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
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Oh Amy, these look divine! Lemon is my absolute favorite… though I went vegan a little over a year ago and now I miss your recipes. I use to love making your scones, cakes, cookies and overnight oats as well. Some things just can’t be veganized but I’d love to try and veganize this recipe, do you think flax eggs world work in place of egg whites?
Haha.. not world. WOULD**
You’re so sweet Alison — I’m honored that you’re missing my recipes and would like to veganize this one! I don’t have much experience with flax eggs, but I do know that Ener-G will work. My brother is allergic to eggs, and that’s our favorite egg replacer. It works in just about all of my recipes! For the eggs whites in this cupcake recipe, you’d need 1 ½ tablespoons of Ener-G + 6 tablespoons of warm water. đ I’d love to hear what you think if you try these cupcakes!
Ah ha! You know I’ve yet to even try that stuff out…. I will definitely be taking a trip to whole foods ASAP to pick that up so I can give this recipe a go! Thanks so much, Amy!!
My pleasure, Alison! I’m so excited to hear how your cupcakes turn out! đ
I made the cupcakes twice with Meyer Lemons as I have a tree loaded with them. They were very good and I served them unfrosted – they were still a treat
WOW! I just posted this recipe today Jannn — I’m truly honored that you’ve made them twice already! That means so much to me that you’re loving them! đ
I still have a gazillion minus 6 lemons!
Feel free to send some of them my way Jannn! đ
These are absolutely stunning, AMY!! Sunshine cupcakes! That sounds like such a fun cake-decorating memory with your mom and brother. đ
You’re so sweet Andrea — that means SO much coming from you! You’re the best cupcake decorator I’ve ever met! đ
Hi Amy! I made these lemon cupcakes and they are perfection! The frosting is also to die for! I will be making these lemon cupcakes, chocolate chip scones, blueberry crumble, and brownies for my friend’s upcoming baby shower. Of course they are all your FANTASTIC recipes! Thanks again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these cupcakes Carmelina! That means SO much to me that you’re making four of my recipes for the baby shower. WOW!! I’m truly honored! Thank you so much, sweet friend!!
Hey you need some almond flour recipes.
I appreciate your feedback Janice! đ
Hi Amy
I love so many of your recipes. I dont like Stevia so in this recipe and others that call for it can it be substituted with real maple syrup or raw honey? Those are the only sweeteners I really use.
Thanks,
Lisa
I really appreciate your interest in my recipes Lisa! That means a lot to me. đ I’ve actually included that modification already in the Notes section of the recipe, directly underneath the Instructions! It can be easy to miss. đ I’d love to hear what you think if you try these cupcakes!
HI, the cupcakes were delicious, but the frosting was terrible. I doubled the recipe, adding 4 tsp of lemon extract for 4 cups yogurt. The frosing was so bitter, it was almost inedible. Is there any way to fix this? I already took 2 cups of frosting out, and added 2 cups plain yogurt, but it didn’t work. Thx
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Rose! What sweetener did you use in the frosting?
Thanks for replying. I used powdered sugar, but I think maybe it had something to do with the pudding mix?
My pleasure, Rose! How much powdered sugar did you use? And how much fat-free, sugar-free instant pudding mix? That info will really help us sort this out! đ
Hi Amy! These have delicious flavor but mine turned out to be a little tough and not very cake like. I’m in Japan so I used soft flour. Should I have altered since it is not all purpose? Also how whisked should the egg whites be? Could I have over whisked them?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Kerri! I’m unfamiliar with “soft flour” since that’s not something I’m aware of in the US. Do you have a link to the particular flour that you could share? Also, did you make any other substitutions? However, the number one culprit of tough textures in cupcakes is actually overmixing. Did you use a stand mixer or electric mixer, by chance? Or did you use a spoon or fork to make the batter? The egg whites don’t need to be whisked very long, just enough to break them up and make them look a little frothy! đ
Thanks for your response. I did not over whisk the batter. I used a wooden spoon just to mix it enough, but may have whisked the eggs a little too much. I think having spoken to several people here after my failure, that the soft flour doesn’t have a rising agent in it like all purpose from the States and Australia. I’m going to try again by adding a tsp of baking powder for each cup of flour. I’ll let you know how it goes!
It’s my pleasure, Kerri! The flour that I use in the US doesn’t have rising agents either. Did you still include the same amounts of baking powder and baking soda as in the Ingredients list? Also, try using a fork to mix next time instead of a wooden spoon — that should also help! đ
I never leave a review but I feel like this experience warranted it…Iâm the first to admit that I am not the best baker but I can follow a recipe and I did that here. Unfortunatley, these cupcakes were a huge disappointment and Iâm suprised considering all the positive reviews. The flavour was strange and the dense texture was unappealing. These cupcakes went straight to the garbage. đ đ
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Jamie! That sounds really disappointing. These cupcakes definitely shouldn’t be dense and strangely flavored, so I’d love to work together with you to figure out what happened! đ Did you make any substitutions, including those listed in the Notes section of the recipe? Did you use the same vanilla stevia that I did (the one I linked to in the pink text)? How did you measure the flour — with measuring cups or a kitchen scale? If the former, can you describe in detail how you measured? I’m happy to help sort out these issues so you don’t experience them again in the future! đ
Thanks for your response Amy! I didnât use the vanilla stevia, just regular stevia scaled back as suggested. I donât know, I thought, how different could they be? I measured the flour (substituted for all purpose flour) using measuring cups, just as you usually would.
I appreciate your attempt to troubleshoot. I look forward to trying other recipes on the site for sure, but Iâll be mindful that for me, a healthier version of certain things maybe just arenât for my tastebuds.
It’s my pleasure, Jamie! What’s the exact stevia product that you used? Was it the same brand, just their unflavored version? Or was it another brand and product entirely? Also, when you used measuring cups, did you use the spoon-and-level method? Also, can you describe the flavor a bit more? Strange as in bitter, sour, something else? Just want to make sure I’m entirely clear on everything from my end! đ
I used âNow Better Steviaâand the measuring was done using scoop and level. The flavour was on the sweet side but with a bit of bitterness to it. Iâm general, too overpowering. Sorry, Iâm not doing the best job describing it. I need to taste them again to be more accurate. I am going to go out on limb and say that itâs the stevia – maybe I donât find the flavour appealing and should use much less than the recipe says. Thanks Amy!
No need to apologize Jamie — this is actually really helpful! I do think you’re correct in saying it’s the stevia. If you can get ahold of the exact vanilla stevia that I use, I highly recommend trying that. I’ve found that it doesn’t have the same bitter aftertaste that other brands often have, so that might be really helpful for you!
If you donât own a kitchen scale, hereâs what I recommend doing for measuring flour (and cocoa powder, oats, etc!): use a fork to âscoopâ up flour from the container, and lightly shake the fork back and forth over the top of your measuring cup to transfer the flour into it. Once thereâs a small mound of flour extending past the rim of the measuring cup, then place the flat back of a knife against the top of the measuring cup, and gently scrape it across the top to get rid of the excess flour. Never âpatâ the flour down with the knife or fork. This fork method acts like a sifter (without dirtying another dish!) and guarantees youâll add less flour to the batter, so youâll end up with moist and tender cupcakes. Does that make sense? đ
I tried these out last night and they turned out terribly. They were super bitter and I had to toss out the whole batch. I assume it was the stevia?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Katie! That sounds disappointing, but I’m happy to work with you to figure out what happened. đ Did you make any substitutions to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section? Did you use the same stevia that I did?