Friday, September 19, 2008

Guilt Free Cupcakes


I'm going to the beach on Saturday. That means me in a bathing suit.... So, in order to stave off the little bit of guilt that I almost always feel after eating something sweet (and hopefully slim down my middle), I have found a wonderful and healthful trick to lighten up a boxed cake mix. This isn't exactly a recipe, but more a calorie saving hint that I just had to share.

Here is the deal. Simply make the cake mix according to the directions on the package, only omit the oil. Instead peel, and then grate the flesh of one apple into the mix. You'll need about a half cup of grated apple. Now how healthy and wonderful is that?!

Anytime you remove the fat from something, there is a concern that the end product may be dry. To combat this unpleasant side effect of being health conscious, simply shave off a few minutes from the cooking time to ensure that the finished cakes are nice and moist.

Now if I could only figure out how to make a creamy low fat frosting. Any ideas....anyone? Oh well, these I decorated with chocolate icing and natural peanut butter sweetened with honey. They were the perfect guilt free treat for this health conscious foodie. If you have a healthful baking tip to share, don't hesitate. I am all ears...


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Guilt-free cupcakes? I'm on it!

The apple is a great idea.

Paz

Anonymous said...

Gingerbread boxed cake mix - add nothing but 1 jar (14 oz.) of applesauce. It bakes up well (keep it covered) and it tastes delicious. You never miss all the other stuff...seriously :) -m

Anonymous said...

LESLIE! I LOVE ALL YOUR RECIPES...I am just catching up--haven't been to your site since August. VERY excited to try this one, as well as the pad thai...P.S. I add flaxseeds to the smoothie you described (instead of oatmeal) for a different spin...and use soymilk. It's just a different version of the same sort of smoothie.

OKAY. So I have a hint on another healthy tip my boss told me when I worked at Tech. She said you can substitute ALL the ingredients in boxed brownie or cake mix (except the mix itself) with 1 can of diet coke. It actually works, and tastes amazing!!!!!

Good luck with the house...Can't wait to see ya'll at Thanksgiving (will you make the chocolate haupa pie for me? pllllease?)

Love,
Erin