Sugar-free Lemon Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

May 7, 2017 · 76 Comments

Fluffy sugar-free cupcakes bursting with lemon flavor and topped with whipped cream cheese frosting make my low carb dessert dreams come true. If you follow a keto diet you’ll love this cupcake recipe.

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Fluffy sugar-free cupcakes with lemon topped with whipped cream cheese frosting for low carb and keto diets.

Lemon is one of my favorite flavors - EVER! Not only is it delicious on it’s own, but it enhances so many dishes by brightening the overall flavor. The juice contributes tremendous tang while the rind is full of potent citrus oils. Using both in combination packs a great lemony punch.

I use fresh lemon in many savory low carb recipes on the blog like pork picatta, lemon rosemary chicken wings, or Moroccan chicken. My favorite recipes which include lemon are low carb desserts! Low carb lemon bars are a favorite followed by lemon curd which is good on everything from low carb cake to lemon curd pie.

Six sugar-free lemon cupcakes on a cooling wrack with a yellow striped tea towel and a lemon.

Six lemon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting on a marble surface with sliced lemons and a yellow striped tea towel.

The lemony flavor in these sugar-free cupcakes is awesome. The acid from the lemon juice reacts with the baking powder providing a nice rise and the lemon zest helps strengthen the lemon flavor. But to make these lemon cupcakes really stand out, I added LorAnn Lemon Oil. This is an extremely concentrated product which has superior flavor. It’s much better than lemon extract.

The texture of these sugar-free cupcakes is almost like the real thing. No one would believe they were eating a low carb cupcake. And the whipped cream cheese frosting compliments the cupcakes very nicely. You could add some lemon oil to the cream cheese frosting if you want, but I didn’t and they were fine. Want to know how good these were? My son had four while my husband and I were lucky to get one each!

Sugar-free Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are 4 net carbs each.

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Sugar-free Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Fluffy sugar-free lemon cupcakes topped with whipped cream cheese frosting make the perfect low carb keto dessert.

4.80 from 20 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

Servings:

Calories: 375kcal

Ingredients

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, cold
¾ cup heavy cream (6 oz)
¼ cup low carb powdered sugar

Sugar-free Lemon Cupcakes

2 ounces cream cheese, soft
2 ounces butter, soft
⅓ cup low carb sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon LorAnn Lemon Oil
zest from 1 lemon
½ cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs (cold)
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

Cream Cheese Frosting: (A stand mixer works best, but a hand mixer works, too.) Whip the cream cheese to loosen it. Add the powdered sweetener and whip. Adding the heavy cream a little at a time, mix until incorporated, then whip until the frosting is stiff and fluffy. Use right away or cover and refrigerate until needed.
Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Position the rack to the middle of the oven. Zest and juice the lemon. Line a 6 well muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a small bowl whisk the coconut flour, baking powder, and salt together to break-up any lumps. Add the lemon juice to the heavy cream.
Method: In a medium bowl beat the first 6 cupcakes ingredients until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes). Add one egg and beat into the butter mixture until the mixture is light and fluffy (it may break or separate, it’s okay). Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients and mix until completely incorporated, making sure to keep that light, fluffy texture. Keep in mind that we want a light and fluffy - almost mousse-like texture throughout this process.
Add another egg and beat until fully combined. Add half of the remaining dry ingredients, beating again. Add the last egg, beating until fully incorporated, followed by the last of the dry ingredients. Finish by adding the heavy cream, beating until the batter is thick, but still light and fluffy.
Spoon the thick batter into a plastic zip-loc bag and snip off a corner, producing about a ¾-1 inch hole. Place the snipped corner into a muffin liner and squeeze the batter into a fat, rounded mound, filling the muffin liner about ¾ full. Repeat for each muffin liner, adding any remaining batter to those that need a little more. Knock down any peaks with your finger. Lift the pan a few inches off the counter and let it drop.
Bake: Place the pan into the oven. Turn the oven up to 400° degrees for 5 minutes. Then, turn the oven back to 350° and bake the lemon cupcakes for 15-20 minutes more. They’re ready when they feel firm when lightly pressed with a finger, but still sound moist. Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes before gently removing from the pan and placing on a cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.
Frost: Cut the tip off of a quart size zip-loc bag and insert a large open-star tip. Spoon the cream cheese frosting into the bag and twist the bag above the frosting. Starting on the outside edge of the cupcake, squeeze the frosting in a spiral making it smaller in diameter while piping. If it's not perfect, scrape the frosting off and add it back to the bag.
Keep the lemon cupcakes covered and refrigerated for 5-7 days. Makes 6 very generously frosted cupcakes.

Notes

Nutrition Facts

Sugar-free Lemon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Amount Per Serving (1 cupcake)

Calories 375 Calories from Fat 324

% Daily Value*

Fat 36g55%

Sodium 305mg13%

Carbohydrates 7g2%

Fiber 3g13%

Protein 7g14%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

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