Have you ever wished there was a way to make frosted cupcakes a bit healthier? This healthy vanilla cupcake recipe is low in sugar and butter and contains Greek yogurt for extra protein. But it’s still light, fluffy and moist and tastes like a delicious treat. These are perfect healthier party cupcakes that both kids and adults will love. Quick and easy to make in 30 minutes, and you’ll absolutely love the 2-ingredient frosting on the top!

I consider it the greatest compliment when people enjoy a healthier cake I’ve made without realising it’s been ‘healthified’!

I’ve never met anyone who didn’t rave about these lower sugar Greek yogurt blueberry muffins. When I served the ‘digger cake’ made with this 30-minute healthy chocolate cake recipe at my son’s first birthday party, no one could believe it was made with hidden veggies and no refined sugar.

Which is why I’m thrilled to have developed a healthier party cupcake recipe that still tastes like a treat! They’re my go-to easy cupcakes for birthdays and celebrations.

I served these at my son’s third birthday party and I don’t think anyone noticed that they were healthy cupcakes with around 3 times less sugar than regular ones. 😉

And what about the frosting? I’m not generally a fan of cake frostings because they sometimes take as long to make as the actual cake! But a 2-ingredient frosting? I can cope with that. Big bonus – it tastes like cheesecake!

What makes them healthier?

✔ They’re low sugar cupcakes. There’s just half a cup of sugar in a batch of 12 to 14 – nowhere near as sickly sweet as your average party cupcake, which usually contains a cup to a cup and a half of sugar.

✔ They’re relatively low fat, too, with just 1/3 cup butter which is also less than in an average cupcake recipe.

✔ They also contain some Greek yogurt and milk. Hello extra calcium and protein!

✔ Like the cake, the frosting isn’t saintly either, but there’s no butter, and no icing sugar. The only sweetener is the white chocolate.

Ingredients

For the batter

Here are the ingredients I use to make my healthier birthday cupcake batter:

Butter: I like to use a little butter for flavor in the cupcakes. You’ll need just a third of a cup. You’ll need room temperature butter so that it’s easy to cream together with the sugar. So take it out of the fridge for a while before you’re ready to bake.

Sugar: Regular white sugar is fine, but use an unrefined cane sugar or coconut sugar instead if you prefer.

2 eggs: I always try to use free range or organic, but any large eggs are fine.

Vanilla essence: A decent amount (1 to 1.5 tablespoons), so you can really taste it!

Flour: All-purpose flour/Plain flour or cake flour will both work well. If you prefer you can use white whole wheat flour or gluten free flour in a ratio of 1:1.

Greek yogurt and milk: These are stirred into the batter for extra calcium and protein. They also help to give your cupcakes a tender, moist crumb.

Of course, you’ll also need baking powder, baking soda and salt.

For the cheesecake frosting

White chocolate: As already mentioned, this is the only sweetener in this healthier vanilla frosting. And yes, you actually can use milk or dark chocolate instead if you like. For a kids’ party I like to make one batch of cupcakes with white frosting and one batch with chocolate frosting!

Cream cheese: I’ve used light and full fat to make these cupcakes, and both work well.

How to make them

The step-by-step guide below should help you make the recipe perfectly first time. Scroll down to the end for the full recipe including ingredient amounts.

As well as being a healthy version of a favorite party treat, this is also a very easy cupcake recipe. Make them in just a few simple steps with a large bowl and hand mixer.

For the batter:

• First, cream the butter and sugar together for a few minutes with a hand mixer or stand mixer until really pale, light and fluffy.

• Then slowly beat in the eggs and vanilla for another half a minute to a minute.

• Add the vanilla. If you like you can add another teaspoon to the frosting.

• Finally, fold in the flour, yogurt and milk. I suggest folding in half of the flour mixture, then half of the combined Greek yogurt and milk. Then fold in the rest of the flour and the rest of the yogurt and milk.

For the frosting:

• Melt the white chocolate. The microwave method is fine. I just melt in 30 second bursts. 3 bursts is usually about right.

• Slowly whisk the white chocolate into the cream cheese. A stand mixer or hand held whisk are both fine.

• Scrape the frosting into a piping bag with the nozzle of your choice. Pipe onto the cupcakes.

• Add sprinkles! Or topping of choice (see below for more ideas).

The end result is a bit like a very simple cheesecake. I could definitely eat it all by itself (and in fact some of the children at my son’s birthday party did!).

Variations

• Make a dark or milk chocolate frosting instead. There’s no reason why you couldn’t use the chocolate of your choice to make this cream cheese icing – white, dark or milk. I’ve tried dark chocolate and the cupcakes were just as yummy and popular!

• Vary the sprinkles! Swap for sugar-free spinkles, chopped berries or coconut instead. How about blue or pink sprinkles on the top for baby shower cupcakes? Or how about adding a third of a cup of sprinkles to the batter as well to make funfetti sprinkle cupcakes?

• Add the zest of a lemon, half a cup of blueberries or a third of a cup of dark chocolate chips to the batter.

• Make mini cupcakes instead (around 24). Remember that they will take less time to bake. Begin checking with a toothpick or skewer inserted into the centre after around 9 minutes (it should come out dry!).

More things to know (FAQ)

More healthier party food

• Serve this 10-minute fresh tomato salsa with bowls of tortilla chips and you shouldn’t hear too many complaints.

• This amazing, gooey healthy chocolate cake is ready in just 30 minutes. Frost it simply with a healthy avocado frosting and leave it at that, or make it into a digger cake (or dinosaur cake – just saying. Anything with ‘dirt’ as the base works)!

• This veggie pesto pasta is packed full of delicious roasted vegetables, perfect for feeding a crowd, and great served either hot or cold.

• Anything ‘mini’ goes down well at parties, right? Both kids and adults will love both these 6-ingredient mini quiche lorraines and these crispy mushroom pies.

Or check out all my party recipes.

Also check out this list of 25 low sugar cakes (that still taste great!).

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