The best low carb vanilla cupcakes made with coconut flour. This keto grain-free dessert is sure to please.
My kids are incredibly fortunate little people, and this is never more apparent that in the fall and early winter, when the holidays are approaching and all three of my kids have birthdays. Simply put, there is an absolute glut of presents that come their way from our large and loving extended family. And the kids love it, of course. But as parents, it hits you a little…they get so much stuff when other kids have little to none. It leaves you feeling a little worried that your kids won’t learn gratitude and kindness, that they will become all too used to this influx of toys, clothes and other presents.
Last year, we decided to use their birthdays as an opportunity to teach them kindness and charity. We were hosting a combined birthday party for all three, but the idea of them getting even MORE stuff from their friends was a little distasteful to us. So we asked our extensive guest list not to bring presents for our kids, but instead bring a new and unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots. And I think many other parents were so delighted by the idea, they brought more than one item for the donation. We ended up with what amounted to a whole minivan’s worth of toys to donate (I know this, because I had to pack them all into our car!).
I know it was a little tough on my kids, seeing all the presents that weren’t for them. They asked several times if they could keep one, just one. But it was such a great way to open the discussion about kindness to strangers. We talked about how lucky they were to have a warm house, plenty of food and a loving family who bought them presents. We talked about other families who weren’t so lucky and who might not see any presents at Christmastime. It was all a little over the 3 year old’s head, but the older two really got it and enjoyed dropping the presents off at our local police department for Toys for Tots. I could see the delight on their faces when we filled the entire donation box with our collection.
This year, we aren’t hosting a large birthday gathering. But we intend to continue the tradition anyway, and have each of our kids pick out a toy or two to donate. And as they get older and more emotionally mature, I can only hope that these little lessons sink in and pave the way for greater kindnesses. And I hope to teach them day-to-day kindnesses too, not just holiday ones, because every little bit helps.
Vanilla Bean Coconut Flour Cupcakes and Teaching Children About Kindness
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 cup coconut flour
- 3/4 cup Swerve Sweetener or other erythritol
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 7 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp stevia extract
Frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered Swerve Sweetener or other powdered erythritol
- 6 to 8 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the cake, heat almond milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and use a sharp knife to scrape out seeds. Add seeds and bean to almond milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Remove from heat and let steep 30 minutes. Remove vanilla bean.
- Preheat oven to 325F and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut flour, sweetener, baking powder and salt. Break up any clumps with the back of a fork.
- Stir in eggs, melted butter and almond milk and stir vigorously. Stir in vanilla extract and stevia extract and continue to stir until mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Divide batter between prepared muffin cups and bake 20 to 30 minutes or until tops are set and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool.
- For the frosting, beat butter until creamy. Add sweetener, 1/2 cup at a time, until well combined. Add 6 tbsp cream and beat until well combined. If frosting seems stiff, continue to add cream, 1 tbsp at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.
- Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Add seeds and vanilla extract to frosting and beat until combined.
- Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I am still about to try and I’m anxious! So my question is can I just use regular whole milk and all purpose flour instead?
I don’t bake with all purpose flour and it doesn’t work at all like coconut flour. So no… this recipe won’t work.
is it possible to make these into lemon cupcakes? I really want to do your lemon strawberry cupcakes but I don’t like Almond flour so I was hoping to turn this Coconut flour recipe into the lemon cupcakes and top with your strawberry frosting.
Yes, you absolutely could. FYI, I do intend to update this recipe soon. 🙂 I’d do lemon extract, some lemon juice, and plenty of lemon zest.
Hi Carolyn, would subbing some of the flour with shredded coconut be a bad thing? My dad used to request that my mom make coconut cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. They were delish. I’d like to replicate them and would appreciate any guidance.
As usual, you are a genius! This is now the official birthday cake of our family 🙂 I double it to make a 4 layer cake. My pans are 9 in round, and I bake them for 25 min. I quadruple your chocolate icing recipe from the caramel cupcakes, and it is perfect! I have served this to non low carb family members, and it is a hit! Thank you for all of your dedication to this community, tit is so wonderful to be able to continue with our family traditions without sacrificing our health!
Would I need to grease the pans if wanting to make this as a cake?
Thanks
Yes, you should always grease your pans and line with parchment.
Thanks for posting this recipe. I am trying to use coconut flour, and this recipe is very good. The cupcakes are moist and delicious. You are expanding my coconut flour know how.
So glad you like it!
do these taste like eggs
No, they taste like cupcakes.
I kid you all NOT!!! These are the BEST cupcakes ever! The key to its flavor is the vanilla bean! OMG! My kids and I are tearing them up!!!!! You are AMAZING Carolyn! Thank you for sharing your talent!
Wow! Thanks for that glowing review. 🙂
How many grams of powdered swerve in the frosting? I made it with swerve that I powdered myself, and it was beyond sickeningly sweet. I ended up creaming it into another 1/2 cup of softened butter (still sickeningly sweet) and then adding 6oz of cream cheese (worked perfectly).
When Mum first made these, I ate two. Then Dad came home and he ate two! Mum ate two, too. I’ve got type 1 diabetes too, and my mum really trusts this site because she knows you’ve got diabetes too. Keep on coming up with new recipes. Will (age 7)
HI Carolyn, do you think i would work if I used regular milk instead of almond milk? Thanks 🙂
Yes, it should. Dairy milk has a bit more carbs, though.
I am currently going through a detox and am nut free for at least 4 more weeks, if not longer as I slowly add back food. Can I sub canned coconut milk or something else out for the almond milk? I have a work friend having a birthday later in the month and want to make something everyone can eat.
Yes coconut milk should work just fine.
Hi there, could you please recommend a really great vanilla cake recipe. I need to make one for my hubby’s birthday.
I was thinking of taking your chocolate birthday cake recipe and substituting the cocoa for more almond flour.
Also would grinding almonds instead of buying almond flour give a very different result?
Grinding your own almonds will result in a much heavier cake, dense and it won’t rise as well. Just FYI. For a good vanilla cake, try this recipe and use vanilla instead of almond extract. https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2012/01/almond-crusted-butter-cake-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html
I think this recipe is great. I am making it for my family with regular sugar. For me though I am trying to work with sugar free honey, sugar free syrup, and liquid Splenda, due to my health I am trying to stay away from granulated Splenda because of the maltodextrin. Do you think any of these sweeteners might work to replace the swerve? Does coconut ever work to replace sugar? I tried it in a recipe recently and it did not work too well. I am sorry I just can’t get used to swerve, wish I could. Do you have any ideas? I would appreciate your advice.
Any sweetener would work well in the cupcakes but you really will need a powdered confectioner’s style sweetener for the frosting. The only other way to make a decent frosting with non-bulk sweeteners is to do a cream cheese based one. The cream cheese will give the frosting structure. Still pretty tasty!
I normally don’t add my two cents worth on here but I simply has to. This was amazing!!! Due to food sensitivities in my house, I made it dairy free by using coconut oil, and coconut cream. I also poured the batter into 2 8″ pans, and made a layered cake out of it for my birthday. It worked beautifully, and even converted some family members. Thank you SO much for the recipe. It is absolutely fantastic!!!
Sounds fab…next time, take a pic so I can share it on Facebook! 🙂
Well, now that you mention it…..I do have one; it may not be as pretty as yours. How do I send a pic to you?
Can we use regular milk instead. Is it necessary to use 2 sweeteners? Stevia is already too sweet as it is alone. I don’t have Swerve Sweetener. Can i just use the stevia only? Or honey, maple syrup, date sugar?
Yes, you can use regular milk and whatever sweeteners you prefer.