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    Pink Owl Kitchen » Desserts » Lemon Cranberry Seed Cupcakes with Lemon Greek Yogurt Frosting

    Lemon Cranberry Seed Cupcakes with Lemon Greek Yogurt Frosting

    Published: Feb 13, 2021 · Modified: Oct 5, 2021 by Ashley · This post may contain affiliate links

    JUMP TO RECIPE

    This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx on behalf of Ocean Spray.

    These light and fluffy lemon cupcakes are dotted with beautiful red cranberry seeds and topped with a lemon Greek yogurt frosting!

    side shot of cranberry seed lemon cupcakes on a wooden surface with cranberry seeds in perimeter of shot

    Yes, you read that recipe title correctly - these cupcakes are made with cranberry seeds! I'm so excited to share this recipe with you guys because I had never heard of cranberry seeds being used for cooking or baking up until a short while ago. These Lemon Cranberry Seed Cupcakes with Lemon Greek Yogurt Frosting turned out incredibly delicious and the color and texture from the cranberry seeds is delightful.

    Ocean Spray recently unveiled their new cranberry seeds and I must say, I had so much fun baking with them! Cranberry seeds are very similar to poppy seeds in size and texture and are naturally a beautiful, vibrant red color! I imagine the cranberry seeds would make a great replacement for poppy seeds in just about any recipe.

    The texture of these cupcakes is light and fluffy and the lemon Greek yogurt frosting is the perfectly smooth, sweet and tangy complement to these muffins.

    side angle shot of Lemon Cranberry Seed Cupcakes with Lemon Greek Yogurt Frosting on top parchment paper with cranberry seeds scattered on parchment and a wooden spoon filled with cranberry seeds in bottom right of shot. cloth napkin and whole lemon in background.
    side angle shot of Lemon Cranberry Seed Cupcakes with Lemon Greek Yogurt Frosting on top parchment paper with cranberry seeds scattered on parchment and a wooden spoon filled with cranberry seeds in bottom right of shot. Cranberry seed container and box in background.

    How to Make These Cupcakes

    • Very important - before you do anything you need to strain your yogurt overnight for the frosting! This ensures that your frosting will be sturdy enough. If you skip this step, the yogurt will contain too much liquid and you will end up with a runny mess on top of your cupcakes. To strain yogurt, place yogurt in a fine-mesh strainer positioned over the top of a bowl to catch the liquid. Place plastic wrap over top and refrigerate yogurt overnight.
    • In a large bowl, beat yogurt, lemon juice, lemon extract, and powdered sweetener with an electric hand mixer until frosting thickens, 2-3 minutes. Refrigerate frosting while you bake cupcakes.
    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with liners and set aside.
    • In a large bowl, sift together flour, stevia or sweetener of choice, baking powder, and salt. Add cranberry seeds and whisk to combine.
    • In a separate medium bowl, beat together milk, eggs, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon extract until fully combined. Add wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until just combined.
    • Spoon batter into cupcake pan, filling each liner about halfway full. Bake cupcakes for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
    • Remove frosting from the refrigerator and spoon it into a gallon zip-top bag. Snip the corner of the bag with scissors and pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Garnish cupcakes with lemon zest and cranberry seeds if desired and enjoy!
    side angle shot of Lemon Cranberry Seed Cupcakes with Lemon Greek Yogurt Frosting on top parchment paper with cranberry seeds scattered on parchment and a wooden spoon filled with cranberry seeds in bottom right of shot. Cranberry seed container and box in background.

    A Few Notes for Making These Cupcakes

    If using stevia or another sugar substitute for this recipe, be sure yours has a one-to-one replacement ratio with sugar. Many zero-calorie sweetener brands have “baking blends” which have a one-to-one replacement ratio with sugar, which work perfectly for this pie. This is the brand I used for this recipe. You may also use regular cane sugar.

    The Lemon Greek Yogurt Frosting is a wonderful, more healthy alternative to traditional buttercream but is not a last-minute recipe. You must strain the yogurt overnight to get the consistency required for the frosting. If you would like to use a regular buttercream instead, try the lemon buttercream I use in this cake recipe instead. It is decadent and delicious!

    side angle shot of Lemon Cranberry Seed Cupcakes with Lemon Greek Yogurt Frosting on top parchment paper with cranberry seeds scattered on parchment and a wooden spoon filled with cranberry seeds in bottom right of shot. Cloth napkin and whole lemon in background.

    More On Ocean Spray Cranberry Seeds

    Ocean Spray® Cranberry Seeds are a new innovative, upcycled, and clean-label product. Cranberry seeds are harvested from cranberries certified as sustainably grown and offering an array of powerful nutritional benefits to support a healthy lifestyle. Cranberry seeds are part of Ocean Spray’s commitment to food innovation and health and wellness.

    Ocean Spray Cranberry Seeds can help support heart, digestive, immune, and cognitive function as part of a healthy diet. These tiny red seeds are an excellent source of fiber and also contain zinc, magnesium, and Omega 3 fatty acids.

    side angle shot of Lemon Cranberry Seed Cupcakes with Lemon Greek Yogurt Frosting on top parchment paper with cranberry seeds scattered on parchment and a wooden spoon filled with cranberry seeds in bottom right of shot. Cranberry seed container and box in background.
    overhead shot of Ocean Spray Cranberry Seeds in box with recipe cards and package of marshmallows in the background.

    To learn more about the health benefits of cranberry seeds, visit www.cranberryseeds.com.

    side angle shot of Lemon Cranberry Seed Cupcakes with Lemon Greek Yogurt Frosting on top parchment paper with cranberry seeds scattered on parchment and a wooden spoon filled with cranberry seeds in bottom right of shot. Cranberry seed container and box in background.

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    side angle shot of Lemon Cranberry Seed Cupcakes with Lemon Greek Yogurt Frosting on top parchment paper with cranberry seeds scattered on parchment and a wooden spoon filled with cranberry seeds in bottom right of shot. cloth napkin in background.

    Lemon Cranberry Seed Cupcakes with Lemon Greek Yogurt Frosting

    Ashley
    These light and fluffy lemon cupcakes are dotted with beautiful red cranberry seeds and topped with a lemon Greek yogurt frosting!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Yogurt Straining Time 8 hrs
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Servings 12 cupcakes
    Calories 213 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Lemon Greek Yogurt Frosting

    • 2 cups whole milk Greek yogurt
    • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
    • ½ teaspoon lemon extract
    • 1 cup powdered sugar or Swerve confectioners
    • 1-2 tablespoons coconut flour to thicken frosting, optional

    For Cupcakes

    • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 ½ cup stevia baking blend or sweetener of choice*
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 4 teaspoon Ocean Spray Cranberry Seeds**
    • ⅓ cup olive oil extra virgin
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 cup milk I used unsweetened almond
    • zest and juice of one large lemon
    • 1 ½ teaspoons lemon extract

    Instructions
     

    • Very important - before you do anything you need to strain your yogurt overnight for the frosting! This ensures that your frosting will be sturdy enough. If you skip this step, the yogurt will contain too much liquid and you will end up with a runny mess on top of your cupcakes. To strain yogurt, place yogurt in a fine mesh strainer positioned over top of a bowl to catch the liquid. Place plastic wrap over top and refrigerate yogurt overnight.
    • In a large bowl, beat yogurt, lemon juice, lemon extract and powdered sweetener with an electric hand mixer until frosting thickens, 2-3 minutes. Add the coconut flour if you'd like the frosting a bit thicker and mix to combine. Refrigerate frosting while you bake cupcakes.
    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with liners and set aside.
    • In a large bowl, sift together flour, stevia or sweetener of choice, baking powder, and salt. Add cranberry seeds and whisk to combine.
    • In a separate medium bowl, beat together milk, eggs, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and lemon extract until fully combined. Add wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until just combined.
    • Spoon batter into cupcake pan, filling each liner about two-thirds full. Bake cupcakes for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
    • Remove frosting from refrigerator and spoon it into a gallon ziploc bag. Snip the corner of the bag with scissors and pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Garnish cupcakes with lemon zest and cranberry seeds if desired and enjoy!

    Notes

    *see blog post above for important sweetener substitution tips
    **poppy seeds can be substituted if you are able to find cranberry seeds
    Greek yogurt frosting does not hold its shape as long as regular buttercream. I recommend frosting the cupcakes no more than 30 minutes before serving.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1CupcakeCalories: 213kcalCarbohydrates: 31.2gProtein: 5.3gFat: 8.3gSaturated Fat: 1.7gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 124mgPotassium: 144mgFiber: 0.8gSugar: 10.2gCalcium: 82mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword cranberry cupcakes, cupcakes, lemon cupcakes
    Tried this recipe?Tag @thepinkowlkitchen on Instagram! And don't forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and review!

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    Hi! I'm Ashley.

    I am a new mom, wife, and creator of all you see here at Pink Owl Kitchen. All of our recipes are influenced by my southern upbringing and are made with fresh, seasonal ingredients to encourage families to come together around the dinner table more!

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