Another awesome recipe from guest writer Ashleigh who has her own gluten-free food blog. These delicious protein-packed cupcakes are low in sugar and gluten free. The fat content is also not too high so the macros are great!

Introduction

Because we all love carrot cake! These little beauties are made from ground oats, whey protein and a healthy dose of carrots. The cream cheese and grated carrots keep the cakes moist, while the addition of walnut pieces gives them a bit of crunch! They’re then topped with a delicious high-protein vanilla cream cheese frosting (made with casein) and sprinkled with more walnuts. I could seriously just eat a whole bowl of that frosting alone…(and I nearly did…)

Bonus 1: Carrots not only give these a cool and bright orange colour, they are also an excellent source of vitamin A and fibre, as well as being high in antioxidants – It’s the antioxidant beta-carotene that gives carrots their orange colour.

Bonus 2: Walnuts not only taste great but are a rich source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Ingredients

This recipe made 8 large cupcakes – the holes in the muffin tin I was using are really wide (it’s intended for larger muffins, not cupcakes) so this could probably make about 10-12 regular cupcakes.

Macros (per serving): Calories 221 kcal, Protein 15g, Carbs 19g, Fat 9g

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 cup Oat Flour (I just grind regular oats in the food processor)

2 scoops vanilla flavoured Whey Protein

1/4 cup Egg Whites (approx. 3 large egg whites)

120g low-fat Cream Cheese, or greek yoghurt

1/4 cup Almond Milk

1 Tbsp Coconut Flour

2-3 Carrots

2-3 Tbsp Agave Nectar, or Honey

(adjust this to your own sweet tooth)

(adjust this to your own sweet tooth) 2 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp GF Baking Powder

Walnuts (optional)

Frosting Ingredients:

150g low-fat Cream Cheese

1 scoop vanilla flavoured Casein Protein

(you could use Whey again, but Casein is much more suitable in frostings since it gives a much thicker and creamier texture)

(you could use Whey again, but Casein is much more suitable in frostings since it gives a much thicker and creamier texture) Sweetener, to taste –

I used 1 Tbsp of Agave Nectar + a couple of drops of Toffee Flavdrops

I used 1 Tbsp of Agave Nectar + a couple of drops of Toffee Flavdrops Handful of crushed walnuts, for sprinkling (optional)

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C. Make your oat flour by blitzing your oats in a food processor or blender (If you have actual oat flour, move swiftly on to step 3) Start by mixing together all the dry ingredients for your cupcakes – oat flour, coconut flour, whey protein, baking powder + cinnamon Now add in your wet ingredients – egg whites, cream cheese (or greek yoghurt), almond milk + your sweetener – and mix it all up together. You can do this in a blender for convenience. Grate your carrots into a separate bowl and add them into the mixture.

(Don’t blend the carrots though – you won’t have those little orangey bits that poke through when you bite into the cupcakes!) Crush your walnuts into small pieces (if using) by placing them into a ziploc bag and basically smashing it about! Now add them in too but save a small amount for a final sprinkling later. 🙂 Once everything is well-combined, pour your batter out into a muffin pan. Transfer to the oven and bake at 180°C for 20 mins.

While they bake away, prepare your frosting:

Mix the cream cheese and vanilla Casein together in a bowl and add sweetener to taste.

Now for the hard part: Don’t eat all your frosting before the cupcakes are ready!! (This is honestly the most challenging part of the whole recipe) When your cupcakes are done baking, leave them to cool completely before topping with your yummy cream cheese frosting and then finishing them off with a final sprinkling of crush walnuts!

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