You probably thought after reading Monday’s post that you would be seeing less dessert recipes here on the blog…since cake and marathons don’t exactly go well together. But you see, I am the person who bakes lots of sugary treats, eats one, and gives the rest away (the one all my friends hate because I “am trying to make them fat”). I just like the baking part, and I won’t let some marathon kill my deepest love. I will find a way to bake through it all. Haha. Dramatic much? So without further adieu…I introduce to you this beaut-of-a-cupcake.
Prepare to be amazed. A friend introduced me to this recipe, in which you substitute applesauce for the vegetable oil in a standard boxed cake mix. To be honest, I was a little skeptical at first. I’m not a huge fan of applesauce in the first place, so adding it to a precious chocolate cake mix just didn’t seem right. But I’m always down to try low-cal versions of my favorite desserts so I gave it a go. Did you know that a half cup of vegetable oil is around 950 calories, whereas a half cup of applesauce is around 100 calories? Quite the difference I must say. I definitely don’t claim to be any sort of nutritionist, but I do know that making the simple switch can help the reduce the calories in these delectable treats. So I whipped these up for dessert the other night and they were a big hit with the fam! My two youngest brothers gobbled them up without even noticing there was applesauce in them. I asked one of them if they tasted normal and I got a yes, followed by the devourment (what?? not a word, Mr. Dictionary?!) of the cupcake. I call that a success.
If you are looking to switch up other ingredients in the cupcakes you can substitute eggs for egg beaters, peanut butter for PB2, and regular whipped cream for fat-free whipped cream. The only substitution I made for the cupcakes above was the applesauce since that is the only thing I had on hand. Sometimes a mile-long trip to the store just seems soooo far away!
I realize that these cupcakes aren’t necessarily quote on quote “healthy” but they do give you a chance to cut out some calories if you still want to indulge in a little treat! These turned out fantastic and will be a great option for that chocolate sweet tooth of mine in all times of need. Scratch that. Sweet teeth. Plural.
Ashlee says
these look awesome! i’ve heard about the whole applesauce substitution thing but haven’t tried it yet! i’ll definitely have to now! :D
Jentry Nielsen says
These sound so delicious!! If I can enjoy a peanut butter dessert in low calorie, I am all for it!
I have heard a lot of this PB2, where do you get that? I hear it is tons lower in calories than regular peanut butter? Being that I LOVE it and eat it often, the less calories would be better! :)
Laura says
These look great! I love PB2 & cool whip together!
Shelby says
I am LOVING your new blog design!! Be sure to check out my most recent post.. you’re featured in it!:)
Shelby xoxo
Meg Cady says
You had me at peanut butter but LOW CAL on top of that!!!!! I will Def be trying these out!!! Yummmmmyyyyyy!
Rashelle says
Thank you for the recipe! I love making desserts low-fat, especially when people don’t notice the difference. My mom makes this awesome dessert with angel food cake, real strawberries, and low-fat strawberry whipped cream. It’s so pretty and absolutely yummy. Good luck with your marathon!
<3 Rashelle