Fluffy vanilla cupcakes from blended oats and protein, with a cocoa frosting that’s just cocoa, sweetener and milk. Six at 91 calories each — birthday-cake vibes, snack macros.

Blending the batter until it’s airy is what gives these cupcakes lift without flour.

Ingredients

  • For the cupcakes
  • Oats — 1 cup (rolled or quick) [P 12 C 54 F 6]
  • Protein powder — 1 scoop, ~30 g (vanilla) [P 24 C 3 F 1]
  • Fat-free plain Greek yogurt — ¼ cup [P 6 C 2 F 0]
  • Unsweetened apple sauce — ¼ cup [P 0 C 6 F 0]
  • Egg whites — ¼ cup [P 6 C 0 F 0]
  • Sugar-free maple syrup — 4 tbsp
  • Baking powder — 1 tsp
  • Vanilla extract — ½ tsp
  • For the chocolate frosting
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder — 2 tbsp [P 1 C 3 F 1]
  • Sugar-free maple syrup — 2 tbsp
  • Milk — 1 tbsp
  • Vanilla extract — ½ tsp
  • Salt — ⅛ tsp

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F / 175°C.
  2. Blend. Blitz all the cupcake ingredients until smooth and fluffy.
  3. Bake. Divide into a greased 6-cup muffin tray and bake 12–14 minutes.
  4. Frost. Mix the cocoa, maple, milk, vanilla and salt until smooth; spread on the cooled cupcakes.

What to eat it with

  • The chocolate frosting — built in.
  • Crushed cereal or granola on top.
  • Fresh berries.

Variations

  • Vanilla frosting: skip the cocoa, add a little more protein powder.
  • Fruit: fold berries into the batter.
  • Dairy-free: plant yogurt, plant protein and plant milk.

Honest notes

  • Fibre: about 1.5g a cupcake, from the oats.
  • Protein depends on your powder: the 9.5g a cupcake assumes a ~30g vanilla scoop.
  • Don’t overbake: they dry out fast — pull them while just set.