Lightening up a favorite bakery treat
By Elaine Magee
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Q. I would like to make these strawberry cupcakes; they are from a famous cupcake bakery chain. I am trying to cut back on fat and sugar and would really like to know what you would do.
A. Cupcake lightening can be a tricky business because if you lighten the fat and sugar too much, it becomes more like a muffin and less like a cupcake.
When I tested these light cupcakes I also used half whole-wheat flour. That might be taking the health thing too far for some people. If so, just use all white flour.
I increased the strawberries from 2/3 cup to 1 cup and decreased the butter from 1/2 cup to 1/3 cup and switched to a less-fat margarine with 8 grams of fat per tablespoon. (Stick butter or stick margarine contains about 12 grams of fat per tablespoon.) I also cut the sugar by one-third.
You can use half as much frosting as called for in the original recipe and still have plenty for the dozen cupcakes. But we can make the frosting even lighter by using half reduced-fat margarine and half light cream cheese, instead of butter. The light cream cheese complements the strawberry flavor.
The original recipe comes from the Sprinkles Cupcakes chain, found in California and Texas. Those cupcakes each contain around 477 calories, 23 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 78 mg cholesterol and only .8 grams of fiber.
LIGHT SPRINKLES' BAKERY STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside. Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until puréed. You should have about 1/2 cup.
In medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder and salt with whisk. In a small bowl, combine lowfat milk, vanilla and 1/2 cup of strawberry purée; set aside.
In large mixing bowl, cream margarine and sugar on medium speed with paddle attachment, until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and blend in the egg and egg whites, scraping down sides of bowl with spatula after 10 seconds of mixing.
With mixer on low, slowly blend in half of the flour mixture. Pour the milk mixture into the mixing bowl and blend, scraping down sides of bowl. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of bowl again with spatula.
Fill prepared muffin cups evenly with the batter. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until tops are just dry to the touch. Let cupcakes cool completely before icing.
LIGHT STRAWBERRY FROSTING
Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor and process until purée forms.
In mixing bowl, beat together (using a paddle attachment) margarine, light cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy. Turn mixer off and add powdered sugar all at once. Mix on low speed, scraping sides of bowl, until well blended. Add vanilla and 1 1/2 tablespoons of strawberry puree beating only until just blended.
Frost cupcakes with the strawberry frosting. Store in the refrigerator if you like your cupcakes nice and cool.
Makes 1 dozen frosted cakes.
