Star Anise Pear Protein Cupcakes

With great cake texture and a delicious combination of flavors, these Star Anise Pear Protein Cupcakes are a fall favorite!

I first made these last year after coming home from the caribbean with star anise, and after receiving lots of pears in my CSA share. I looked online for recipe ideas and came across this recipe for Pear and Anise Cupcakes. I thought the cupcakes were adorable, and wanted to recreate them. :) So here you have Star Anise Pear Protein Cupcakes!

 

The combination of ingredients in the cake mix works very well and gives a great cake texture. And the pear adds just enough sweetness.

The frosting is a pear-cashew protein cream, using soaked raw cashews as a base (like my Cashew Whipped Cream). The pears in the frosting add a nice sweetness to the cream, and you don't really taste the cashews. Keep in mind, though, that because the cream contains fresh pears, it will begin to discolor over time. (It will still taste great, but if you're making these cupcakes for company, I would make the frosting soon before serving.)

As delicious as they are pretty, these Star Anise Pear Protein Cupcakes are another great way to hit your macros! Give them a try!

Star Anise Pear Protein Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 148kcal

Author: Andréa

Ingredients

Star anise pear cake:

• 1 medium pear 178g, chopped
• 8 large egg whites 264g
• ¼ cup coconut flour 28g
• ¼ cup almond meal 28g
• ½ cup vanilla rice protein powder 56g
• ½ cup natural vanilla whey protein powder 45g
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 5ml
• ½ teaspoon ground star anise 2.5ml

Pear-cashew protein cream frosting:

• 1 cup raw cashews 122g, soaked for 4 hours or more in filtered water
• ¼ cup natural vanilla whey protein powder 23g
• 1 medium pear 178g, chopped

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325F (163C).
• Start to make the cake batter by blending the pear and egg whites until smooth.
• Add remaining cake ingredients and blend until smooth.
• Pour batter into 12 small silicone muffin cups.
• Bake for about 20 minutes, or until firm and a toothpick comes out clean.
• While the cupcakes are baking, rinse the cashews.
• Blend rinsed cashews with whey and pear until smooth. Set in the freezer of refrigerator to cool as cupcakes finish baking.
• Let cupcakes cool to room temperature.
• Frost cupcakes, and enjoy!

Notes

A note about substitutions: because each type of protein powder has a distinct flavor and texture when baked, I would not try substituting different types of protein powders in this recipe. (See my Recipe Basics video for examples of what goes wrong when you use the wrong protein powder.)
If you are using ground anise (different than ground star anise), you may need a little more. Taste your batter!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 148kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 6g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g

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