These low carb heart cupcakes have a surprise in the middle and are a perfect treat for date night or Valentine’s Day. A moist coconut flour cupcake is slathered with a pink cream cheese frosting for a delicious sweet treat.
Nothing says I love you than a heart dessert! When you cut these cupcakes in half, it reveals a heart shape. The heart shaped centre of these cupcakes is made with a mug cake recipe. It is a faster way of making a sponge cake rather than bake a flat sponge for 20 to 25 minutes. Then bake the cupcakes for an additional 20 to 25 minutes.
I cut the heart my hand but if you have a small heart shape cookie cutter that would be better. You could use this idea of a cake shaped centre in other cupcakes too. An initial or animal shaped would be a cute cupcake idea for birthdays and celebrations. Or a gender reveal cupcake.
This is an easy low carb cupcake to make but looks like you took your time with it. My favourite type of recipe! For the topping, I used a cream cheese frosting and coloured it pink to match the heart centre. You could serve the cupcake without a topping if you wish or perhaps slather a chocolate ganache over the top instead.
How To Make a Heart Cupcake
Making these heart cupcakes is fun as well as easy. No judging of my free hand heart shapes! I need a small cookie cutter!
Bake Mug Cake Flat 
Cut into Square 
Cut of Heart Shapes 
Cover the Base of Cupcake Case 
Place Heart in Middle 
Fill Cases with Cake Batter
Heart Cupcake Tips
- Keep track of the angle that the heart shape sits in the cupcake. That way when you come to cut the cupcake in half, the heart is revealed. I forgot and it took me 3 cupcakes cutting fails to finally get it right!
- If you don’t want to make this with coconut flour, almond flour can be use. Try the cupcake recipe for my lemon curd butterfly cakes for the cake mixture. The heart cake mixture can be made with
- The cupcake colours could be varied to your own taste. Make the cupcakes with cocoa, with a red heart or perhaps a red cupcake with a chocolate heart.
- The leftover sponge made for the heart can be used as a quick low carb trifle.
- If the frosting is too soft, put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up before piping.
OTHER LOW CARB CUPCAKES TO ENJOY
Low Carb Heart Cupcakes
Ingredients
Heart Centre
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium egg
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon almond milk
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon erythritol
- 3-4 drops red food colouring
Cupcake Batter
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup erythritol
- 5 medium eggs
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 tablespoon butter softened
- ¼ cup cream, whipping/heavy
- 1 tablespoon erythritol powdered
- 3-4 drops red food colouring
Instructions
Make the Heart Centres
- Melt the butter (I use a microwave and mine takes 15 seconds)
- In a bowl or measuring jug, add all the ingredients (apart from the food colouring) and mix well until blended.
- Add the red food colouring a drop at a time and stir through the cake mixture until you get the red or pink colour you wish to use.
- Spread the cake mixture onto a small square bowl (I used a 3 inch square baking dish). A large circular can be used. The main objective is to bake a flat sponge you can cut about 1 cm thick shapes from.
- Microwave the sponge for 2 minutes.
- Remove and allow to cool
- Cut the sponge into squares, then cut heart shapes out of the squares. You could cut the hearts directly from the sponge too. I cut the 9th heart from the left-over cut sponge.
- Set aside.
Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F degrees
- Whisk the butter and erythritol until blended.
- Add the vanilla extract and the eggs, one at a time and continue to whisk.
- Add the coconut flour, baking powder, salt and coconut milk and whisk until smooth.
- If the mixture is too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water until the consistency is smooth.
- Line a muffin tin with 9 cupcake cases.
- Spoon a small amount of the cupcake mixture into the cases and spread to make a base.
- Place the sponge hearts in the middle of each cupcake case, upright.
- Gently spoon the cupcake mixture around the heart, then cover the top of it.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cupcakes are firm
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool
Make the Frosting
- Place the cream cheese, butter, cream and powdered erythritol in a bowl.
- Whisk until smooth.
- Add drops of the red food colouring and mix until the colour you want is achieved (pink or red).
- Pipe or slather the frosting over the cupcakes.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
Anne Hedian
I made these and the hearts all floated to the surface as they baked so not as picture perfect as yours. Also had a puddle of oiliness at the bottom of each muffin cup when I took them out. Anyway they were fun to try and tasted delicious. I did use almond flour instead of coconut flour but it doesn't seem like that would make the difference in how it baked up. I can see myself making just the sponge cake in the future too. It came out really well. Thanks for these ideas.
Angela Coleby
They are fun to make but almond flour would make a difference if the quantity was not adjusted.
Tamara M Williams
This recipe is fantastic. This is by far the best texture of a low carb cake that I have had so far. It is so light and airy!! Thanks for sharing.
Angela Coleby
Thank you for a lovely review!