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The fresh flavor of lemons inside a moist cupcake, topped with a creamy frosting that has… you guessed it, more lemon!!
The frosting has a blend of mascarpone and cream cheese, which gives it a great texture and plenty of healthy fats! Fresh lemon juice and zest give these a nice punch of flavor.
I use lemons in so many recipes, I just love their fresh flavor! They are also so good for you, read about the Health Benefits of Lemons in my article.
The oat fiber that I use in this recipe really helps give it great texture! I bake with it often, because it helps give a bread-like texture to anything I bake. Much more so than anything else I’ve ever tried using. I have listed some of the many recipes I use Oat Fiber in, towards the bottom of this page.
How to Make Keto Lemon Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
1 3/4 cups super fine almond flour
1/4 cup Oat Fiber (see notes)
2 eggs, divided
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup swerve confectioners
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt
For the Frosting
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup swerve, confectioners (or powdered erythritol)
1/4 cup heavy cream + 2 tablespoons (or as needed)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
To Make the Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350F.
Add the flour, baking powder, oat fiber and salt to a bowl and whisk together, then set aside.
Separate the eggs, and set yolks aside. Whip up the egg whites until you have soft peaks.
Add the swerve to the egg yolks and mix.
Then add the vanilla extract, lemon juice/zest and sour cream and continue mixing.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix by hand.
Then fold in the egg whites until combined.
Scoop into silicone cupcake liners or paper liners.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
To Make the Frosting
Whip the mascarpone and cream cheese together in a bowl using a hand mixer.
Add 1/4 cup of the heavy cream (reserving the 2 tablespoons), swerve confectioners (or powdered erythritol), vanilla extract, lemon juice, and zest, then mix until smooth and creamy.
Add more of the heavy cream if needed, to get your desired consistency.
Transfer the frosting to a piping bag (ziplock bag with the tip cut off will work too), and frost once the cupcakes have cooled completely.
Top with fresh grated lemon zest and small slice of lemon.
Tips for Making these Keto Lemon Cupcakes
How to Make the Keto Cupcakes
The texture in these cupcakes are amazing! They are so close to a traditional cupcake, moist and fluffy, and they get that way by using a mixture of both Almond Flour and Oat Fiber.
This is what will give you that authentic cupcake texture that you’re looking for. Super fine almond flour works best in any kind of Low Carb or Gluten-Free desserts that don’t use all purpose flour in.
If you don’t have a super fine almond flour, you can certainly use what you have, just be sure to whisk the dry ingredients to break up any lumps.
What is Oat Fiber? Is Oat Fiber Keto Friendly?
Oat Fiber is not the same as Oat Flour, which is made from grinding oats. Oat Fiber is made from grinding the outer husks of oats and is pure insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and is not broken down in the digestive tract, so it’s Low Carb and Keto friendly.
The Oat Fiber is really important in this recipe! I use it in so many Keto dessert recipes, because of the amazing texture it gives whatever I am baking! It is hands down, the best ingredient I’ve baked with.
I use Lifesource Foods Oat Fiber 500, because they grind it to a very fine powder and has a mild flavor. The bag lasts a while, because you don’t need to use very much in your recipes.
What Keto Desserts Can You Make with Oat Fiber?
These are just a handful of the recipes that I use oat fiber in:
Rosemary and Kalamata Olive Focaccia
More Keto and Low Carb Lemon desserts…
Lemon Mascarpone Tart
Lemon Bars
Lemon Poppy Mini Bundt Cake
Lemon Meringue Cupcakes
Lemon Curd
Lemon Cupcakes - Keto, Low Carb & Gluten Free
INGREDIENTS
For the cupcakes:
- 1 3/4 cups super fine almond flour
- 1/4 cup Oat Fiber
- 2 eggs divided
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup swerve confectioners
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese at room temperature
- 1/2 cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 cup swerve confectioners (or powdered erythritol)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream + 2 tablespoons or as needed
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
PREPARATION
To make the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Add the flour, baking powder, oat fiber and salt to a bowl and whisk together, then set aside.
- Separate the eggs, and set yolks aside. Whip up the egg whites until you have soft peaks. Add the swerve to the egg yolks and mix. Then add the vanilla extract, lemon juice/zest and sour cream and continue mixing.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix by hand. Then fold in the egg whites until combined. Scoop into silicone cupcake liners or paper liners.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
To make the frosting:
- Whip the mascarpone and cream cheese together in a bowl using a hand mixer. Add 1/4 cup of the heavy cream (reserving the 2 tablespoons), swerve confectioners (or powdered erythritol), vanilla extract, lemon juice, and zest, then mix until smooth and creamy.
- Add more of the heavy cream if needed, to get your desired consistency. Add the frosting to a piping bag (ziplock bag with the tip cut off will work too), and frost once the cupcakes have cooled completely.
- Top with fresh grated lemon zest and small slice of lemon. Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer.
The ingredients list Lemon Juice and the directions say Lemon extract… which one do I use? I ended ip making these tonight using extract and haven’t tried them yet.
I’m guessing these must be refrigerated after baking since the frosting contains mascarpone/cream cheese and heavy cream. Does it dry out the cupcake?
Hi Cali,
Yes, you’ll want to refrigerate leftovers and no, it does not dry them out as long as you keep them in an airtight container.
hello, my cupcakes came out pretty dense. they remind me of cornbread vs. a fluffy or cake-y cupcake. what should I adjust? I am at normal altitude.
Hi Lynn,
Sorry to hear that! It sounds like maybe the batter was over-mixed. I’m not sure what else would cause them to be dense, honestly.
Anyway to make these dairy free?
Hi Debbie,
Not that I’m aware of, it would really require a complete overhaul of the recipe.
These are Ah-mazing! Thanks so much for the recipe. Yum!
Awesome, I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for the great feedback 🙂