RED WHITE & BLUEBERRY PROTEIN CUPCAKES
These Red White & Blueberry Protein Cupcakes are a delicious way to celebrate our national Independence Day! Tender vanilla cupcakes are stuffed with strawberry filling and topped with whipped frosting and fresh berries. This festive summery treat feels fancy, tastes incredible, and is secretly healthy! The cupcakes are gluten-free, dairy-free, low in sugar, and have added protein from flavorless collagen.
Did you know? Collagen adds moisture and a wonderful tender texture to baked goods; unlike whey protein which can make baked goods dry and crumbly. Vegan protein holds water and has a tendency to make baked things mushy if you use too much. So the type of protein you use matters!
Protein recommendations
This is one of the reasons I chose LIV Body’s Marine Collagen for this recipe. It’s also flavorless, odorless, with a high bioavailability and tons of health benefits, including improved skin and joint health. Best of all, you can use my code SARAHWILKINS for free shipping on all LIV Body products.
Feel free to substitute the collagen peptides for an additional quarter cup of flour (30 grams). You can *try* substituting the collagen protein for 30 grams of another protein powder (whey concentrate, whey blend, or vegan protein), but doing so will alter the taste and texture. Using the same amount of these other proteins will not work without other modifications.
Flour substitutions
In this recipe, I went with gluten-free baking flour and coconut flour for light, fluffy cupcakes that are gluten-free and lower in carbs. Feel free to substitute half a cup (60g) more gluten-free flour in place of the coconut flour. You can also use any fine flour like brown rice flour, cake flour, cassava flour, sweet white sorghum flour, or whole wheat pastry flour plus one-quarter cup (30 grams) of tapioca flour (starch). You can also try just half a cup of coconut flour (60g) instead of the two different flours, but the texture will probably be a bit more crumbly.
Sweetener substitutions
To sweeten these cupcakes, I used this monk fruit allulose blend that measures like sugar. The brand I use has no bitter aftertaste! Feel free to sub the same amount of granulated monk fruit, granulated erythritol, or baking stevia. You use also use coconut sugar or granulated sugar, but this will significantly increase the calories, carbs, and sugar per cupcake.
Other substitutions
I also used egg whites, unsweetened applesauce, unsweetened almond milk, avocado oil, and pure vanilla extract in these cupcakes. You can substitute two-thirds cup of vegan egg substitute for the egg whites if needed. Also, any milk will work you do not have to use almond milk! You can also use dairy-free yogurt in place of the unsweetened applesauce, or melted coconut oil or vegan buttery spread in place of the avocado oil.
Whipped frosting
All you need for the frosting is a light whipped topping from the freezer section that will hold its form. I like CocoWhip for dairy-free or TruWhip if you don't need dairy free.
I also topped my cupcakes with additional sliced strawberries and fresh blueberries, plus the scooped out cake crumbled over top :)Here's the printable recipe for these Red White & Blueberry Protein Cupcakes! I hope you'll rate and comment below if you try them.
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