Recipe for Lemon Cupcakes – If you’re looking for a delicious, creamy, moist-filled recipe for Lemon Cupcakes, you will not be disappointed! This recipe for Lemon Cupcakes is super easy to make. Plus, the delicious creamy frosting.
The Healthiest Recipe for Lemon Cupcakes You’ll Find!
I’m challenging you to find a recipe healthier than this one for lemon cupcakes. It’s going to be hard to come by. This deliciously nutrient-dense cupcake is not only gluten free and dairy free – but is also refined sugar free.
One thing I know for sure is that you will not feel guilty making or enjoying this recipe for lemon cupcakes.
More than Just Healthy… These Cupcakes are Nutritious!
So, yes, this recipe for lemon cupcakes is not only healthy but it’s also loaded with nutrients.
The oat flour, cassava flour and dates provide some great fiber. While you’ll benefit from the antioxidants found in the extra virgin olive oil. Then, omega-3’s from the walnuts and protein and lutein from the eggs.
And coconut sugar — oh, we just love coconut-based products around here and all of their incredible benefits.
Cassava Flour is a Root Vegetable Flour
Cassava flour is a great ingredient to swap with conventional whole grain flours such as whole wheat or spelt flour. Plus, it’s naturally gluten free.
In many recipes it can be substituted in a 1:1 ratio for whole wheat flour and reduced by 25% of volume (see chart below). It’s also a great source of vitamin C (1/4 cup has almost 20% of your Daily Value), folate, magnesium, potassium and many additional nutrients.
We have started to use cassava flour more here at Clean Cuisine. So, if you buy yourself a bag of our favorite brand of Otto’s Cassava Flour, be sure to visit these top recipes.
- Homemade Tortilla Shells
- Zucchini Fritters with Chives
- Blueberry Scones — so delicious!
- Healthy Cinnamon Buns.
Swap Vegetable Oil for Extra Virgin Olive Oil
As you know, a “whole fat” will always be healthier than oil! So while the extra virgin olive used in this Lemon Frosting is much healthier option the refined vegetable oil used in conventional cupcakes.
You’ll note that yes – eating the “whole” olive would be even healthier than the oil. But of course we can’t be ridiculous about it either! So, healthy “whole olives” might be the BEST option, we’re not going to use them in this recipe for Lemon Cupcakes.
Easiest Ever Lemon Frosting Made with Coconut Butter
Oh! And let’s not forget the Lemon Frosting for this recipe for Lemon Cupcakes. Not only is the frosting delicious but it’s also the easiest. Just add the ingredient list to a mixing bowl and using a hand-mixer, it can be done in less than 5 minutes.
In fact, it’s super clean and healthy too! Learn more…
Ingredients for the Coconut Butter-based Frosting
The frosting is made with the healthiest and most delicious combination. You’ll be using coconut butter, lemon juice and pure maple syrup.
A Bit More About Coconut Butter:
Since it is made primarily with coconut butter, the frosting is loaded with healthy brain-health-supporting medium chain fatty acids. Also, unlike coconut oil, coconut butter is a plant-based “whole fat” and therefore also contains fiber and iron.
Natural Sweetening from Maple Syrup
For those of you that are not fans of maple syrup, please just give this a try first. We use maple syrup to sweeten our No Bake Key Lime Pie and trust us, you can’t taste it.
Well, the same goes for this Coconut Butter-based Lemon Frosting. We use it as a naturally sweetener but the extra lemon juice, vanilla extract and lemon zest do a great job covering the maple syrup flavor.
How to Frost your Recipe for Lemon Cupcakes with this Decadent Lemon Frosting?
Gosh, I’m so glad you asked. Years ago my parents bought me a 3 hour course from the local Michael’s Stores on how to decorate cakes. In no time at all I was making roses and shells and random designs. But, this required a BIG box of tips, bags, tools and so much more.
A few months ago, I swapped out the decorate box for this little box with a few attachments in it. The ever-incredible Pampered Chef Easy Cake Decorator tool. I use this incredible tool to decorate this recipe for lemon cupcakes and everyone was impressed.
So, if you want to eat fancy-dancy cupcakes without paying $4.00 a piece at your local grocery store, try this Easy Cake Decorator for the win!
Kitchen Favorites
Recipe for Lemon Cupcakes
Recipe for Lemon Cupcakes are super easy to make, delicious and full of healthy nutrients. The lemon frosting is the easiest frosting EVER!
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Ingredients for Lemon Cupcakes:
- 3/4 cup cassava flour
- 3/4 cup
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 cup coconut palm sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
- 1/4 cup lemon juice, try Nellie and Joe’s
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts
- 3
- 1 tablespoon
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4
Ingredients for Lemon Cupcake Frosting:
- 1 cup coconut butter, softened
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup – 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Recipe for Lemon Cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.
- In a medium size bowl, whisk together the cassava flour, oat flour, baking powder, coconut sugar and salt.
- In a high speed blender, add the lemon juice, lemon zest, water, walnuts, eggs, vanilla, olive oil and dates. Process on high until mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Pour wet mixture in with the dry and use a wooden spoon to stir ingredients together until just blended.
- Divide the mixture evenly among the 12 cupcake liners.
- When over is to temperature, reduce to 325 and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes before frosting.
Recipe for Lemon Cupcake Frosting:
- To a mixing bowl, add all frosting ingredients and only 1/4 cup of the lemon juice.
- Using an electric hand mixer, combine ingredients on low for 1-2 minutes. Then high for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. If not lemon-flavored enough or too thick, add 1 tablespoon at a time until satisfied. I ended up adding an entire 1/2 cup to my frosting because we LOVE lemon!
- Add the frosting to the Easy Cake Decorator and frost your cupcakes. You can also use a Small Spreader to frost the lemon cupcakes.
Notes
*Oat Flour: You can purchase oat flour or easily make your own. Just put about 1 cup of steel cut oats into a dry high speed blender. Pulse until oats become flour. Measure out 3/4 cup for the recipe. Have leftovers? Try this Chocolate Donut Holes Recipe.
Cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Keywords: Recipe for Lemon Cupcakes
We Love Lemon Juice — either fresh or Nellie & Joe’s
For years, we’ve been using and telling the world about Nellie & Joe’s Key Lime Juice – which is amazing. We use it in this No Bake Key Lime Pie recipe, these Key Lime Cheesecakes recipe and even in this most-delicious Key Lime Pie Smoothie.
I found their LEMON Juice… and it’s Tart and Deliciously Smooth
Well shopping at my local Publix, I not only found bottles of key lime juice to fill my pantry, but lemon juice too. I took the risk, paid $3. for my lemon juice and have not regretted it once.
So, if you love citrus as much as we do around here – you definitely need to give them a try!
Jill Newton says
These sound great but is there a good substitute for the oat flour? We’re doing paleo and oats are out, sadly.
Aimee Harris Niedosik says
You can do a cassava replacement for the oat flour — maybe try to add a 1/2 cup of cassava flour in place of the out flour and add 1 tablespoon at a time more until you get the cake batter consistency.
Ann schulze says
Hi Ivy..these cupcakes were great..nice lemon flavor..I wasnt happy with frosting..but my husband liked it
★★★★★
Ivy Larson says
Hi Ann! I’m SO happy you liked the cupcakes! Thank you for letting me know 😉 I’m guessing the frosting might not have been sweet enough for you, was that the main complaint? If so, you can always add 2 tablespoons of coconut palm sugar at a time (taste as you go!) and that should do the trick to sweeten them up. The only downside is that they won’t be so white. But I’m almost certain you will like the flavor if they are sweeter! Please let me know if you give it a try…