Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes

When I saw the newest issue of Clean Eating magazine on the shelf, I immediately grabbed it up. I love this magazine, but more importantly for me these lovely, little cupcakes were gracing its cover. YUM!

I made a couple of changes to the recipe. First, I didn't have any sucanat so I opted to use half brown sugar, half regular sugar. (Not very clean... I know!) Then I decided to just go with a simple dusting of powdered sugar and top with a raspberry and mint sprig. Thanks to my new Aerogarden I have what seems like an endless supply of mint! Expect to see more in the future!

I also decided to use up some mini cupcake liners, so I made 22 mini cupcakes and still got 8 regular sized ones too. I think this recipe makes a heck of a lot more batter than it says it yields! Some of my larger cakes did fall though, BUT that could have been due to not whipping the egg whites enough. In my defense, my father-in-law was taking an exam in the next room and I felt like the mixer was causing a distraction for him. Eight cupcakes were sacrificed on his behalf, but it's ok. He's family.

Overall these cupcakes were bowl-licking good. My husband, who never eats cake batter, couldn't get enough of this stuff. Of course the baked version is great too and low in calories!



Sour Cream Cupcakes
from Clean Eating Magazine

Makes 12 regular-sized cupcakes (so they say...)

Ingredients
1 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 1/4 cup Sucanat, divided (I used half brown and half white sugar)
1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup low-fat sour cream
1/3 cup plus 2 tsp skim milk, divided
1 tbls olive oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped, plus more for garnish

(I skipped the bittersweet chocolate + 2 tbls skim milk topping)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cocoa powder, 1 cup of the sugar, flour, salt, and baking soda.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together sour cream, 1/3 cup milk, oil, vanilla, and whole egg.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients. Combine everything with a rubber spatula.

Add egg whites to a large clean, dry mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip whites with beater or whisk attachment of mixer until they begin to get foamy. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar very gradually to whites. Continue whipping whites into medium-stiff peaks.

Fold whites in thirds into cake batter, gently but assertively with rubber spatula.

Fill each of the 12 cupcake liners 3/4 full with batter. Tap bottom of filled muffin pan on counter top and transfer immediately to oven. Bake for 45 minutes (mine took a lot less -- maybe 26-28 minutes!) or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool completely.

When cupcakes are completely cool, combine chocolate and remaining 2 tsp milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir until melted chocolate is completely smooth. Spread a thin layer on top of each cupcake. Sprinkle additional chocolate shavings on top, if desired.

Nutritional Information for original recipe (if you chose to dust with powdered sugar instead you could knock off a few more calories)

Calories: 160
Total Fat: 6 g.
Sat. Fat: 3 g.
Carbs: 28 g.
Fiber: 3 g.
Sugars: 22 g.
Protein: 4 g.
Sodium: 85 mg.
Cholesterol: 10 g.