Healthy Vanilla Cupcakes (Lower Sugar, Dye-Free Frosting)

These Healthy Cupcakes are light, fluffy, and moist. They also happen to have less sugar (and butter) than most conventional cupcakes, both in the cake and in the frosting, but they are still sweet enough to be a treat. As an added bonus, the light pink frosting is made with mashed and strained raspberries, so they are even free from artificial colorings!

Healthy Vanilla Cupcakes

If you have a kiddo, chances are you’ve been to birthday parties with giant cupcakes with heaping mounds of frosting. I am absolutely not opposed to desserts—and I never restrict treats when we do go to parties—but I do believe that it’s possible to serve sweets with better nutritional profiles that still taste good. These Healthy Cupcakes are a perfect example.

Healthy Cupcakes for Kids

A batch of these lower sugar cupcakes would be a great addition to a birthday party, holiday party, dinner with other families, or a special occasion. They’re even a good option for a first birthday cupcake. I’ve served these to kids of all ages, as well as adults, and no one is ever the wiser as far as the sugar content goes!

Ingredients in Healthy Cupcakes

Here’s a look at the ingredients you’ll need to make this cupcake recipe.

• butter, softened at room temperature
• cup sugar
• sour cream OR plain whole milk Greek yogurt
• whole milk
• vanilla extract
• eggs
• baking powder
• baking soda
• flour
• raspberries, optional

Can I make these healthy cupcakes gluten-free?

Try using this cup for cup gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose!

Can I make these toddler cupcakes with whole wheat flour?

If you want to use a whole grain flour, I recommend using whole wheat pastry flour as it will be less dense than straight up whole-wheat. Or, use half whole-wheat and half all-purpose.

How to Make Healthy Vanilla Cupcakes Step-by-Step

The process for making these cupcakes is similar to any other cupcake. Here’s a look at the steps involved.

1. Preheat the oven and line a muffin tin with paper liners. Gather your ingredients. (photo 1)
2. Cream the butter and the sugar with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. (photo 2)
3. Add in the sour cream (or yogurt), milk, vanilla, and eggs and beat to combine. (photo 3)
4. Add the dry ingredients and gently fold together with a spatula. (photo 4)
5. Spoon into paper liners, filling each cup about halfway. (photo 5)
6. Bake and remove from pan and let cool. (photo 6)

Tips for Baking Cupcakes with the Kids

My girls love to help me in the kitchen and with cupcakes, here’s what we do.

• I let them put the paper liners into the tin.
• I measure the ingredients and let them add them to the bowl.
• I help them hold and use the electric mixer.

Keep in mind that you’ll want to pull the butter and cream cheese out of the fridge at least 1-2 hours before you want to start baking so they have time to come to soften up at room temperature. They should be soft to the touch so they whip up easily.

Healthy Vanilla Cupcakes with Lower Sugar

The recipe calls for 1/3 cup sugar, which is less than conventional recipes. You can go as low as 1/4 cup and still get good results, though I prefer 1/3 cup. (My two year old eats them either way, if that’s helpful to know!) And as you are mixing the frosting, stop to taste it for sweetness. Remember that it will be eaten with the sweeter cake base, but adjust the sweetener according to your preference.

How can I be sure that my cupcakes are light and moist, not dense?

When you mix in the dry ingredients, be gentle and fold them in using a spatula until just combined. Stirring vigorously could cause the gluten in the flour to toughen up, which you don’t want.

The other key is to keep an eye on them as they bake. I set my timer for the lower end of the time range and check the centers with a cake tester. If it comes out cleanly, and the edges are lightly golden brown and the tops are firm to the touch, pull them from the oven. You’ll want to transfer them to a wire rack to cool soon after you pull them from the oven to ensure that they stop baking. (Over baked cupcakes may be dense.)

Store-Bought Cupcake Tip

This is a little random, but can come in handy: For the times that you purchase cupcakes, know that you can always request that they use less frosting than usual to cut down on sweetness! There will still be plenty of frosting and the kids won’t ever know the difference.

How to Make Dye-Free Frosting

To make this frosting, you’ll need cream cheese, vanilla extract, honey, and raspberries. You mash the berries and strain them to release the bright red juice, then beat it into the cream cheese for pale pink frosting. I put the frosting into a zip top plastic bag, cut one end off, and use that to pipe on swirls. So pretty!

You can also leave out the raspberries and keep the frosting white to simplify things. Or consider using natural food coloring. All are find options!

Can I make these healthy cupcakes ahead of time?

They are best on the day they are made but you can bake them the day before. Simply let them cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Frost before serving.

Tips for Making the Best Healthy Cupcakes

• When you mix in the dry ingredients, be gentle and fold them in using a spatula until just combined.
• To avoid over baking, set your timer for the lower end of the time range and check the centers with a cake tester. If it comes out cleanly, and the edges are lightly golden brown and the tops are firm to the touch, pull them from the oven.
• Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool soon after you pull them from the oven to ensure that they stop baking.
• Let the butter and cream cheese soften at room temperature for 1-2 hours to ensure they are soft enough to whip up.
• To make these gluten-free, use cup for cup gluten-flour.

I’d love to hear your feedback if you make these cupcakes so please comment below!

Healthy Vanilla Cupcakes

★★★★★ 4.5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Amy Palanjian
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 18
• Total Time: 38 minutes
• Yield: 12 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Lightly sweetened classic vanilla cupcakes perfect for toddlers. This recipe was updated with additional information March 2019.

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup sour cream OR plain whole milk Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 recipe Raspberry Frosting
• raspberries, optional

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Cream the butter and the sugar with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds.
3. Add in the sour cream, milk, vanilla, and eggs and beat to combine.
4. Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour. Stir with a spatula gently just to combine.
5. Spoon into paper liners, filling each cup about halfway. (Each will take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of batter.
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until just golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

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Notes

Raspberry Frosting

1. Mash 1/2 cup raspberries in a small bowl with a fork. Spoon into a fine mesh colander and press and scrape through the wire to release the juices into a small bowl. Discard the seeds. You should have about 1/4 cup smooth raspberry puree. Set aside.
2. Beat 8 ounces softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt), and 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup with an electric mixer in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add additional sweetener if necessary.
3. Beat in raspberry puree.
4. Spread or pipe (I use a zip top plastic bag with one corner cut off as a piping bag) onto cupcakes. Garnish with a raspberry on each if desired.

TIPS

When you mix in the dry ingredients, be gentle and fold them in using a spatula until just combined.
To avoid over baking, set your timer for the lower end of the time range and check the centers with a cake tester. If it comes out cleanly, and the edges are lightly golden brown and the tops are firm to the touch, pull them from the oven.
Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool soon after you pull them from the oven to ensure that they stop baking.
Let the butter and cream cheese soften at room temperature for 1-2 hours to ensure they are soft enough to whip up.
You can make these with 1/4 cup sugar if you want to go with less.

To make these gluten-free, use cup for cup gluten-flour.
To make these ahead, let cool completely and store overnight in an airtight container.

2008.3 g136.1 mg13 g7.5 g17.5 g1.5 g4.5 g64.3 mg

Filder Under:Birthdays, Desserts