You can keep your New Year's Resolution with cupcakes!

It feels good to be back! It has been a while, between the craziness of the holidays and trying to avoid the sugar and butter after all the cookies I ate in the few weeks around Christmas. My new mission - healthy desserts and meals! I love baking for others, but come January most of us make the typical New Year's Resolution - swearing off sweets and hitting the gym more often. But most of us have a sweet tooth that we can't ignore. I often bring my treats to share at work, but 2 weeks ago we started a Biggest Loser challenge. It is a fun way to build community, as well as motivate staff to take better care of themselves. So for my first meeting that I had to bring snacks for, I decided it was fitting to try out a few low-calorie cupcakes. I thought it would be impossible to find but....success! Both recipes use a lot of alternatives to typical baking ingredients such as applesauce, honey, and Greek yogurt.

Cupcake #1 - White cake with Raspberry cream cheese "frosting". This first recipe comes from Chef Curtis Stone. He made it on an episode of the Biggest Loser. The cake part of these cupcakes was a bit bland, but it allowed the raspberry topping to really shine. These cupcakes are only 60 calories, and even less if you make them mini cupcakes!

Ingredients for cake:                               Raspberry Frosting:

5 egg whites                             1 cup nonfat cream cheese

3 Tbsp honey                                  1 cup fresh raspberries

2 tsp vanilla extract                    Fresh raspberries to garnish

1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt                

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt                                           

Directions for White Cake with Raspberry Frosting

1. Preheat oven to 325. Line cupcake tin with liners and spray lightly with non stick spray.

2. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and whip on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, or until the whites begin to lighten up and hold their shape.

3. Increase speed to high and whip in salt and honey until whites hold soft peaks. Then add vanilla extract.

4. Fold in yogurt

5. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.

6. Sift the dry ingredients into the egg whites a little at a time, folding them in with a rubber spatula. 

7. Once mixed, scoop the batter into cupcake tins. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until they gently spring back when pushed on with your finger. Allow to cool completely.

Raspberry Frosting: Puree raspberries in blender. Strain over a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Cool completely and then fold in to cream cheese. *I added a little bit of powdered sugar to sweeten it up a bit* 

Spread on cupcakes and garnish with half of a raspberry. These cupcakes are really cute as minis and the raspberry flavor is great! 

Cupcake #2 - 100 Calorie Moist Chocolate Cupcakes. I found this recipe by doing a simple Google search, and I will definitely use it again! You can find the recipe here. Not only are these cupcakes healthy, they can be easily made vegan. 

Ingredients:

1 cup nonfat milk (dairy or nondairy)        1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp apple cider vinegar                          1/4 tsp salt

1 cup whole wheat flour                          3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder         1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

3/4 tsp baking soda                                  1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions for Moist Chocolate Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line cupcake tin with liners and spray lightly with non stick spray. 

2. In a small bowl, stir together milk and vinegar. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, applesauce, and vanilla. Pour in the now curdled milk and mix all ingredients well.

5. Stir in dry ingredients until just combined. The batter will be thin and wet like pancake batter. 

6. Divide evenly among cupcake cups. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely. 

Once cupcakes are cool, you can top them with a light whipped frosting. Or you can eliminate the extra calories of frosting and use fat free cool whip, powdered sugar, fruit, or jam.

I topped my cupcakes with sifted powdered sugar, a small spoonful of raspberry jam, and half of a fresh raspberry. These cupcakes were very moist, even without oil and eggs. To make vegan, simply use nondairy milk in the recipe. The cupcakes (unfrosted) are only 108 calories with 0.6g of fat. There is a way to have dessert and still keep your resolutions!