These Keto Low-Carb Vanilla Cupcakes are made with delicious buttercream frosting. This is the best, quick, and easy dessert recipe using almond flour, coconut flour, and sour cream to create a homemade cake mix. Serve these for birthdays, special occasions, or holidays!
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This post was originally published in December 2018. It has since been updated.
How to Make Soft Homemade Keto Cupcakes
- Combine the dry ingredients, almond flour, sweetener, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl and mix.
- Combine the wet ingredients, eggs, sour cream, and butter in a separate bowl, and mix.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
- Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and add the batter into each.
- Add in the cupcake batter and bake.
Use Room Temperature Ingredients
Use room temperature butter to help mix the butter and sweetener. Do not overmix the cake batter. Overmixing the batter will result in air bubbles in the batter (I sometimes get these myself).
This will result in small holes in the top of the cupcakes. Since these are frosted cupcakes, if this happens, it is easy to conceal with frosting. Check out this article on How To Prevent Air Bubbles in Cake.
The Use of Coconut Flour
Both almond flour and coconut flour are used in this recipe. A small of amount of coconut flour is used for structure. This will help bind the cupcakes and keep them intact.
Coconut flour is dense and drying, that’s why it will help with structure. Almond flour is used in conjunction, to produce moist cupcakes.
You cannot swap 1 for the other in this recipe, as they do not have a 1:1 substitution ratio.
What Type of Sweetener to Use
To lighten up this recipe, I use granular monkfruit sweetener (to substitute white sugar). These sweeteners are natural, zero-calorie, zero-carb, and won’t spike blood sugar. I love that sweetener doesn’t have an aftertaste.
If you use something like stevia, you can follow the standard method you use for converting refined sugar to stevia. Monkfruit sweetener measures 1:1 like refined sugar.
How to Make Fluffy Homemade Buttercream Frosting
- Combine butter, vanilla, and heavy cream (I used heavy whipping cream).Mix.
- Add in the powdered monkfruit sweetener and mix.
Why is Sour Cream Used in this Recipe?
Sour cream will make the cake super moist! Growing up, my mom made 7up pound cake often. She used sour cream in her recipe. You CANNOT taste sour cream in this recipe.
How to Substitute Sour Cream
Sour cream actually doesn’t have much taste to it. Paired with butter and sweetener, there will be plenty of flavor! You can also substitute plain Greek yogurt.
How to Store the Cupcakes
Because of the frosting the cupcakes will need to be stored in the refrigerator. I placed the cupcakes in a cake cover and refrigerated for up to a few days.
Recipe Tips
- You can frost these cupcakes by spreading the frosting with a knife or you can use a star piping tip. If you have never used pastry bags and piping tips, check out this post on How to Frost Cupcakes.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool before you frost them. Certainly, allow them to cool completely before you remove the cupcake wrapper. If you dive in too soon, they will fall apart! I have actually found the best texture after storing these in a cake cover overnight in the fridge.
- The amount of the ingredients used in this recipe for the buttercream frosting is enough to completely frost the top of each cupcake. I chose to partially ice each and saved the remaining frosting for an additional batch of cupcakes.
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Sugar Free Vanilla Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter Room temperature
- 1/2 cup sweetener
- 4 eggs Room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream Room Temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sweetener
Instructions
- Watch the video above for visual instructions.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix. This may take some time. Ensure the butter and sugar are fully mixed.
- Combine the almond flour, coconut flour, salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl.
- Add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla to the butter and sugar. Mix.
- Add the flour and dry ingredients to the wet ingredients (egg and butter mixture). Mix. Be careful not to overmix. Overmixing will result in air bubbles in the batter. See recipe note below.
- Line a 12 count muffin tin with cupcake liners. Spoon the batter into each tin.
- Bake for 26-30 minutes. Mine were ready around 27 minutes. You can test if the cupcakes are done by placing a toothpick into the center of a cupcake to see if the toothpick returns without uncooked batter.
- Allow the cupcakes to fully cool before frosting them and before removing them from the liners. They will fall apart if not allowed proper cooling.
Sugar Free Buttercream Frosting
- Combine the butter, heavy cream, and vanilla. Mix.
- Add in half of the confectioners sugar. Mix. Add the other half and mix.
- Load a pastry bag with the frosting. Secure the piping tip on the end of the bag. Frost each cupcake. (See recipe notes below). You can also frost each cupcake with a knife.
Video
Notes
- Buttercream frosting is typically made using salted butter, but you can substitute if you wish.
- Use room temperature butter to help mix the butter and sweetener. Do not overmix the cake batter. Overmixing the batter will result in air bubbles in the batter (I sometimes get these myself.)
- You can frost these cupcakes by spreading the frosting with a knife or you can use a star piping tip. If you have never used pastry bags and piping tips, check out this post on How to Frost Cupcakes.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool before you frost them. Certainly, allow them to cool completely before you remove the cupcake wrapper. If you dive in too soon, they will fall apart! I have actually found the best texture after storing these in a cake cover overnight in the fridge.
- The amount of the ingredients used in this recipe for the buttercream frosting is enough to completely frost the top of each cupcake. I chose to partially ice each and saved the remaining frosting for an additional batch of cupcakes.
- You use powdered sweetener as opposed to granular for the frosting, due to texture.
Nutrition (displayed with net carbs)
Ellen
Sunday 31st of December 2023
I don't tolerate monkfruit. but can use Xylitol. Do you know if it's possible to powder Xylitol?
staysnatched
Tuesday 2nd of January 2024
I've never used Xylitol. If it measures 1:1 like normal sugar you can use the same amount. If not, you will need to use their recommended conversion method.
Paula
Monday 12th of June 2023
I don't care for the cooling affect of erythritol do you think allulose would work?
staysnatched
Monday 12th of June 2023
I’ve never used it. I can’t say. If you try it, let me know!
Mariel
Wednesday 16th of March 2022
Finally put the Lakanto golden sweetener & powdered sweetener to use that have been sitting in my cabinet. This recipe is a hit! Thank you Brandi for your thorough instructions, notes, and tips. I need to work on my frosting skills (I should have let the butter for the frosting soften a bit) but it was fun whipping out my electric hand mixer! This hits the sweet tooth spot without a crazy blood sugar spike.
staysnatched
Wednesday 16th of March 2022
I'm so glad you loved them!
Susie
Saturday 12th of February 2022
Very very good I appreciate the information the details and the tips
staysnatched
Monday 14th of February 2022
You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed them.
Kasia
Wednesday 3rd of March 2021
The recipe was very easy to follow & moist. My family members (non-keto) thought they were great as well. I only baked them for about 27 mins, but next time I would bake them a few mins more.
staysnatched
Thursday 4th of March 2021
Awesome! I'm glad you guys enjoyed the cupcakes.