Hi, my name is Jessica and I am a chocoholic. While my addiction doesn’t require treatment it does require extreme self-control not to over indulge on a daily basis. My trick is moderation. At present I have three large bars of dark chocolate in my desk at work and four in my freezer. Now some would say that is hardly moderation but here me out. I may eat chocolate every single day but I make sure to maintain balance. If I eat more than one square of chocolate I will pass on a glass of wine at dinner. Often I will think I “need” more chocolate than I really do so I will give myself 20 mins or so after my first square to decide if I really “need” it, often times after 5 minutes I will be completely preoccupied with something else and have totally forgotten about my dire need for another piece. I have struggled with an intense sweet tooth my whole life. The difference between then and now is that then, I could eat whatever I wanted and nothing would happen. Now I eat a chocolate-covered raisin and gain 5 pounds! The point of this rant is that I love chocolate and I am not willing to give it up so I have incorporated into a healthy lifestyle by counteracting my bad habit with good ones and using moderation (to the best of my ability). I think this was the key to my “success”, if you can ever call it that. Obviously living healthy is an everyday struggle, there are temptations around every corner (literally, I can see three starbucks from my balcony…) but by not depriving myself of the things I love and making healthy choices that are realistic for me has given me the best quality of life. I can learn to enjoy food without abusing it.
So enough about me, on to the fun stuff! I found this recipe in Shape magazine and adapted it just slightly. My frosting turned out horribly wrong but that is because I am severely challenged in the baking category (mind you I just learned how to cook no less than a year ago…). Baking is a whole other monster that I will someday tackle but until then I will leave that to my girl Jessica over at How Sweet It Is 
Luckily though my baking sesh wasn’t a total loss. The cupcakes themselves turned out fab and I ate them in my cereal everyday this week!
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour (gluten-free brands work too)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup Truvia
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons strong brewed coffee
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
For the Frosting
- 1/2 cup Truvia
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 large egg white
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Pinch of sea salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup cupacke tin with paper liners. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. In another large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition. Beat in coffee and vanilla. Add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, until batter is smooth.
3. Fill cupcake cups 2/3 full (or you can use a muffin tray like I did! haha) and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Leave to cool in tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. (I didn’t have enough to fill all of the cups because they were so huge!)
4. To make the frosting: Combine sugar and water in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly for 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves.
5. Beat egg white, vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form (this is where I screwed up, it has to be on high or it won’t work). Gradually add sugar syrup; beat until stiff peaks form and mixture is glossy in texture, about 7 minutes more.
6. Frost chocolate cupcakes just before serving.
I am off to Cincy to celebrate Easter at the BF’s parents place! Have a great weekend everyone!
