Whimsical Cookery is a site for adults who prefer to eat like children, or perhaps just need to cook for some children. This site contains an aversion to vegetables, a love of fried food and cupcakes, lazy shortcuts, some disturbing creations, and an ignorance of proper culinary practices...

Thursday 10 February 2011

Low-Fat Spice Cupcakes


So I wanted to make a cupcake that my diet-conscious parents could enjoy.  Spice cupcakes are made moist by apple butter instead of large amounts of oil.  But by scrapping the buttercream frosting and substituting Cool Whip-Pudding Frosting (recipe below), quite a few more calories and fat disappear.  I suggest loading up on the frosting, as it is fat free and SO TASTY, albeit still reasonably sugary... :P

For the cupcakes, you will need:
1 1/2 cup apple butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt


Preheat oven to 350°F and place (approx.) 20 paper cupcake holders in cupcake trays.

Whisk together buttermilk, vegetable oil, egg, vanilla extract, orange zest and apple butter in a large bowl.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and dark brown sugar in a second bowl.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the first bowl.

Spoon into cupcake tray, evenly over approximately 20 holders.

Bake at 350°F for 16-19 minutes.


Cool Whip-Pudding Frosting Recipe
You will need:
8 oz. Fat-Free Cool Whip
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Small package 'cheesecake-flavored' (or vanilla) instant pudding mix
1 cup milk

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1. Prepare pudding with half of the necessary milk (for small package Jell-O pudding, use 1 cup milk).  Let sit until thickened.

2. Beat Cool Whip and powdered sugar into pudding mixture.

3. Frost cupcakes!  Yum!