How to make a HEALTHIER cupcake

Cupcakes are delicious but they are also known to be high in fat and sugar. However, the amount of fats in the cupcake also depends on the type and amount of ingredients you put into your cupcake batter. In the previous post, we mentioned about healthier alternatives for eggs, butter and sugar. Here in this post, we will be looking at how cupcakes can be made even healthier by replacing the type of flour, milk and cream 🙂

Firstly, you could replace a portion of the all purpose flour or self-raising flour with a portion of wholemeal flour. Wholemeal flour is not as processed and refined as white flour and has higher fiber content. Also, wholemeal flour prevents spikes in the blood glucose level making you more satisfied after your meal. Other healthy alternatives are flaxseed flour, almond flour and coconut flour. However, recipes need to be altered if different flours are used so this affects the texture and taste of the cupcake.

Next, milk and buttermilk could be replaced with yogurt. Although milk and yogurt comes from the same source, the lactose in milk is converted to glucose in yogurt. Also, milk is commonly cited as a common source of food intolerances (example: milk may cause lactose intolerance). Yogurt on the other hand does not pose much risk of food intolerance (Enzymes in yogurt converts lactose to glucose).

Lastly, is cream! I personally have a love hate relationship with cream. Although cream makes the cake delicious and complements the cake,  I find it “fatty” and unhealthy. Thus, I would usually scoop away all the whipped cream on cakes before eating it so here are some ways to replace cream 😉 you could use TOFU or yogurt. Yogurts used should have a higher fat content (fat content in yogurts would still be lower than in cream). Another way is to combine milk and butter together to make your own cream. Coconut milk which is made from coconut flesh and coconut water can also substitute cream (coconut milk with a thicker consistency contains more coconut flesh).

You can also try using pumpkin puree, avocados and prune purees in your cake batter in substitution for the ingredients listed.  Try these different alternatives out for a healthier cupcake 🙂 For reduced sugar, bite-sized deliciously moist cupcakes, head over to Cup.Cakes Singapore to get yours today!