I made some very special keto cupcakes in honor of the diabetes community. These tangy sweet strawberry lemonade cupcakes are perfect for your low carb parties. This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
So I find myself in an interesting position lately of becoming something of a spokesperson for the keto diabetes community. It’s interesting how it has developed and grown. As so many of you are aware, I’ve never done the keto diet for weight loss. I came to the low carb way of life because it seemed like the best way to manage my blood sugar and stay off insulin. My “official” diagnosis is pre-diabetes but I consider myself a Type 2 diabetic. What is pre-diabetes if not a part of the diabetes spectrum? I just happened to catch mine early enough to take action and keep it from getting worse. Lucky me.
Lucky me is right. Because I do actually feel lucky. Lucky to have found this amazing (and delicious) lifestyle, lucky to have the chance to become healthier, lucky to have found a way to express myself through cooking and baking, and truly lucky to have the chance to show others the way. To show others that it’s not as hard as it seems and that it can truly be enjoyable. To show others that the best, perhaps the ONLY way, to truly manage diabetes is with a low carb diet.
So to that end, I am thrilled to tell you that I will be attending and speaking at The Blue Ball in Sioux Falls, SD on April 7th. And the ball itself will feature TWO of my low carb desserts, including these delicious Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes, which I developed specifically for this event.
And as over 300 people will be attending The Blue Ball, my friend’s at Bob’s Red Mill generously donated the almond flour for these desserts. Bob’s has always taken their mission of better nutrition very seriously. They offer some of the best low carb products out there and it makes living with diabetes a whole lot easer. Swerve Sweetener also donated all of the sweetener for the desserts. I am honoured to work with both of these companies.
If you happen to be in the Sioux Falls, SD region AT ALL, I will also be signing books at Pomegranate Market on April 7th! Come join me –> EVENTBRITE
Blue is the colour of Diabetes Awareness, and The Blue Ball is a fundraising event for LetMeBe83.org.
More About Let Me Be 83
Let Me Be 83 is an organization dedicated to helping people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. We respectfully reject the ADA guidelines given to newly diagnosed families to count unlimited carbohydrates and try to match their break down with a corresponding dose of insulin. We fundamentally believe that if you have an illness whereby a person can’t break down carbohydrates, the most logical method to manage this disease would be to significantly decrease their carbohydrate consumption.
Insulin is an unpredictable medication. People with diabetes are safer and are less likely to have a dangerously low blood sugar with less insulin in their system. Limiting carbohydrates also reduces the frequency and intensity of elevated blood sugars which lead to life-long complications. Utilizing a low carbohydrate diet and the proper insulins, a person with diabetes can achieve normal blood sugars.
The Blue Ball is an advocacy and awareness fundraiser to raise money for Let Me Be 83. The funds raised this evening will be used to construct patient Success Kits. These comprehensive kits will contain a book called Diabetes Solution, by Dr. Richard K Bernstein, a low-carb keto cookbook by Carolyn Ketchum, a shopping list, a blood sugar journal, an educational booklet, and a fanny pack to transport diabetes supplies. Our goal is to send newly diagnosed families out of the door of the hospital with everything they need to successfully manage their disease.
The founder of Let Me Be 83, Bethany McKenzie and her husband Matt have a 10-year-old son, River, with type 1 diabetes. For 3.5 years they faithfully followed the ADA guidelines to count carbohydrates and dose insulin. They meticulously measured carbs and precisely dosed insulin, yet this still resulted in roller coaster blood sugars and lackluster health for their son. One evening after hitting rock bottom with unpredictable blood sugars, they drastically changed their son’s (and whole family’s diet.) The joy and relief they felt by finally being able to achieve normal blood sugars propelled them to start a foundation so that every family could enjoy this level of health and happiness. Their son is growing and thriving in both academics and athletics, and he inspires other families to gain control of their diabetes.
Low Carb Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 2 1/3 cups almond flour
- ¾ cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1/3 cup unflavored whey protein powder, (or egg white protein powder)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup butter, melted
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- ¼ cup water, more if needed
Frosting:
- 6 ounces frozen strawberries, thawed
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup plus 2 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener, divided
- ½ cup whipping cream
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with parchment or silicone liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs, melted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon extract, and water and stir until well combined. Add more water if batter is very thick.
- Divide among the prepared muffin cups and smooth the tops. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown and set to the touch. Remove and let cool completely.
Frosting
- In a blender or food processor, puree the strawberries and lemon juice together. Set aside.
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Beat in ½ cup of the powdered sweetener, then beat in the strawberry puree until smooth.
- In another bowl, beat the whipping cream with the remaining 2 tbsp of powdered sweetener until it holds stiff peaks.
- Gently fold the cream cheese mixture and the whipped cream together until no streaks remains. Pipe on to cooled cupcakes and refrigerated at least 1 hour to set.
Nutrition
Many thanks to Bob’s Red Mill for partnering with me to bring you this recipe.
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This looks so yummy! I can’t have protein powders, could I use oat flour instead? Also, can erythritol be used instead of swerve?
I am sorry, oat flour is not a good sub for protein powder. It will make the cakes much more dense, rather than light and fluffy. You can skip it if you must.
Any idea how to cook these at 8000′ above sea level? Mine tested done then upon removing the wrapper of the cupcake there was a very thin outer layer and an inside of uncooked mush. I’m cooking in an electric oven but have never had any luck baking treats up here. Any help would sure be appreciated.
That’s VERY high above sea level so you need to make some of the same changes you would with regular baking. King Arther Flour has a great tutorial on that!.
I find almond flour recipes stick to the liners, did yours?
I think you must be using the wrong liners. It never sticks for me in either silicone or parchment.
I just made them and brought them to a dinner. They were amazing! I love to have bake lemon goodies that have a true tartness both from lemon rind and juice. I just had one with my coffee this morning. Great recipe, Carolyn!
Just made them. All I can say is YUM! I needed something sweet, thank you.
Just made these today and I am in heaven!! I didn’t have lemon extract so subbed in vanilla. But it still has a wonderfully lemony flavor from the juice!! Such a wonderful, moist texture!! Can’t wait to make them for my keto friends!!! Thank you, Carolyn!! You’re amazing!!!
These were delicious! I already had frozen raspberries so I used them instead of strawberries and made raspberry lemonade cupcakes! I can’t wait to have another one….tomorrow…
I made these last night and they were delish! Thank you so much for giving me a guilt-free “cake!”
Have you ever swapped the lemon for lime and make a strawberry margarita cupcake?
Just made these, and once again and as always, your recipe was spot-on and produced delicious results. The cupcakes were light and moist, with just enough lemon flavor to brighten them up. I was baking them to accommodate not only myself but also a guest who must eat gluten-free and dairy-free, so I had to use oil instead of butter and made an alternate strawberry topping. Still, my non-keto taste-testers all agreed they were terrific! Thank you!
1. Do you think this recipe could work as a cake (for a poke style cake)? I have all the ingredients, and your poke style cake recipes all have something I don’t have on han or usually cook with, like whey powder.
2. Have you tried Sola sweetener yet? If so, wondering your take, as you do a lot of baking. The local large grocery chain has been carrying it as one of their special “Primo Picks”. I use Swerve, but don’t care for the mouth cooling. And I always have an aftertaste with stevias so I’m kind of like a Low Carb Sweetener Goldilocks, haha.
I made these and shared them with some of my coworkers. They were a big hit. I stored the extra in the fridge for a few days. I set them on the counter to bring them to room temperature before eating and they were just as good and moist as when they were first made. One thing I will do differently next time, is use the food processor instead of the blender to purée the strawberries. They weren’t puréed enough and clogged the frosting tip, requiring me to squeeze harder, causing them to explode out ????
These sound delicious, plan on making for my grandfather for his birthday. Would you happen to know or could suggest how long to bake if made as a cake to save time? I’ll be making 3 different cakes/cupcakes
https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/strawberry-lemonade-cake-low-carb-gluten-free/