Basic Yellow Protein Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

I'm not sure why I never thought of making a protein version of a basic yellow cake. You see yellow cake everywhere because it's so common. What is great about my version is it is healthier than the typical yellow cake AND mine has no artificial colors with an added bonus of protein. Nope. No food coloring. The yellow color comes from the pureed carrots and red palm oil, which both add richness and decadence to the cake. Enjoy!

Cake

3 egg whites

2 tablespoons red palm oil, melted

¼ cup carrot puree

2 tablespoons almond milk

1 scoop ARO vanilla whey protein powder

2/3 cup oat flour

¼ cup almond meal flour

¼ cup Vitacost coconut sugar (or sweetener of choice)

1 teaspoon baking powder

Icing

¼ cup low fat cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons Vitacost honey (or agave)

1 stevia packet

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a mini 6” round cake pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine egg whites, red palm oil, carrot puree, and almond milk in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.

3. Add protein powder, almond meal flour, oat flour, coconut sugar, & baking powder to the mixing bowl and stir until batter is completely smooth.

4. Pour batter into cake pan and smooth down with a spoon.

5. Bake in the oven for 18-22 minutes, or until top is golden brown & center is cooked completely. Let the cake cool while you make the icing.

6. Whisk all icing ingredients together and spoon on top of cooled cake. Slice into 8 pieces and serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings

1 serving is 1 slice

 Macros for 1 serving

177 calories, 8.2g protein, 18.9g carbs, 7.9g fat, 9.5g sugar, 1.7g fiber

Nicolette’s Tips

* For the carrot puree, I used canned baby carrot food. You can also steam and puree your own carrots.

* To ensure the cake doesn’t fall apart, I allow the cake to cook in the pan for about 20 minutes before removing it.

* You can substitute the red palm oil with coconut oil. I recommend the red palm oil since it takes on a buttery flavor and also adds to the yellow color of the cake.

Pineapple Upside Down Protein Cupcakes

I've actually never had a pineapple upside down cupcake and am not even certain I've tried the cake either. I saw a picture of these somewhere and really wanted to try them out! Of course my version is "healthyfied" with protein powder & healthy ingredient substitutions, although you would never be able to tell. And now I know what I've been missing out on. These magical cupcakes are DELICIOUS!!! I can't believe how much I'm loving them. They are some of my all time favorite protein cupcakes I have ever made. In other words, I really think you should try them out yourselves. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1 scoop Vitacost ARO vanilla whey protein powder

1/3 cup almond meal flour

½ cup whole wheat pastry flour (or oat flour)

¼ cup Vitacost coconut sugar

¾ teaspoon baking powder

3 egg whites

¼ cup plain greek yogurt

¼ cup vanilla almond milk (or milk of choice)

Pineapple Topping

½ cup crushed pineapple, drained and patted dry

4 cherries, pitted and sliced in half

2 tablespoons Vitacost coconut oil, melted

8 tablespoons Vitacost coconut sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place 8 silicon cupcake liners on a sheet pan.

2. Add ¾ teaspoon of melted coconut oil into the bottom of each cupcake liner.

3. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of coconut sugar into each cupcake liner, on top of melted coconut oil, then place a slice of cherry in the middle.

4. Spoon 1 tablespoon of crushed pineapple into each cupcake liner, on top of coconut oil, sugar, and cherry.

5. For the cupcake batter, add egg whites, greek yogurt, and almond milk to a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.

6. Add the remainder of cupcake ingredients to the mixing bowl with wet ingredients and stir until batter is well combined.

7. Evenly spoon batter into the 8 cupcake liners (on top of pineapple mixture) and bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes.

Makes 8 servings

1 serving is 1 muffin

  

Macros for 1 serving

193 calories, 7.2g protein, 28.6g carbs, 6.3g fat, 16.8g sugar, 1.9g fiber

Nicolette’s Tips

* For a lower sugar content, replace the coconut sugar with xylitol or sugar-free sweetener of choice (only do this in the muffin batter)