I am usually a make-it-from-scratch type of baker who shies away from cake mixes. Call me a cake-snob, but I think it’s worth it to put in the extra time and effort because I love the fresher taste of baked goods made from real, unprocessed ingredients. However, I can’t help but bend this rule when it comes to The Cake-Mix Doctor baking book. This cookbook is always a great fall-back when I need a slightly easier and quicker cake recipe that will still be a delicious crowd-pleaser.

We visited Penn State this past weekend to attend the soggiest tailgate ever, but also to celebrate my good friend Brittany’s birthday! Brittany shares my love for anything with chocolate and peanut butter, so I baked up some rich chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting in honor of her birthday. Both recipes came from The Cake-Mix Doctor book, but I made some slight modifications to make them a (tiny!) bit healthier.

Happy Birthday Brittany!!!

Recipe:

Makes 21 cupcakes

Rich Chocolate Cupcakes:

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain devil’s food cake mix

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup fat free Greek yogurt

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup water

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Peanut Butter Frosting

1 cup creamy reduced-fat peanut butter

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, room temperature

3 to 4 tablespoons skim milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:

Rich Chocolate Cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with 21 liners. Set the pans aside.

Place the cake mix, cocoa powder, yogurt, applesauce, water, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute, stopping once to scrap down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides of the bowl again if needed. Pour the batter into the line cupcake pans, filling each liner no more than 3/4 the way full.

Bake cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans and place on the wire rack to cook completely, at least 15 minutes.

Peanut Butter Frosting:

Place the peanut butter and butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Add the confectioners’ sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and the vanilla. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is well combined, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, 1 minute more. Blend in up to 1 tablespoon milk if the frosting seems too stiff.

Nutritional Information (per cupcake):

Calories: 231

Fat: 13.7g

Saturated Fat: 4.9 g

Carbohydrates: 23.4 g

Protein: 6.0 g

*Okay, I’ll admit it: generic cupcakes have been Photoshopped into these two pictures in a lame form of improvisation for not having taken pictures. To the cupcakes’ credit, however, the reason I don’t have pictures is because they got gobbled up by tailgaters before I could snap a photo!

I pieced together two different Martha Stewart recipes to create these delicious cupcakes. The cupcakes turned out perfectly light and sponge-y while the mocha frosting turned out very rich and chocolate-y. They were the perfect ending to a delicious dinner of spinach salad (thanks Amanda!), stuffed shells (thanks Meredith!), and a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon (thanks Michelle!).

Recipe:

(adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook by Martha Stewart)

Makes 18 cupcakes

Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cake flour, sifted

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

3 large whole eggs plus 3 egg yolks, room temperature

1 cup sugar

Mocha Frosting

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

3 tablespoons boiling water

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Pinch of salt

Instructions:

Tiramisu cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Heat milk and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over medium heat just until bubbles appear around the edge. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter until melted, and let stand 15 minutes.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk together eggs, yolks, and sugar. Set mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, and whisk by hand until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm, about 6 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. With an electric mixer on high speed, whisk until mixture is fluffy, pale yellow, and thick enough to hold a ribbon on the surface for several seconds when whisk is lifted.

Gently but thoroughly fold flour mixture into the egg mixture in three batches; stir 1/2 cup batter into the strained milk mixture to thicken, then fold milk mixture into the remaining batter until just combined. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until centers are completely set and edges are light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Mocha Frosting:

Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (bot not touching) simmering water. Stir occasionally until chocolate has melted completely. Set bowl on counter-top and let chocolate cool to room temperature, 30 minutes. Meanwhile, combine cocoa powder, instant espresso, and boiling water in a small bowl and stir until cocoa and espresso powder are dissolved.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, confectioner’s sugar and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add melted chocolate; beat on low speed until combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture.

If the frosting seems thin, allow it to harden in the refrigerator for an hour. Frost cupcakes when they are completely cool. Decorate with Mini Merengues, if desired.

Nutritional Information (per cupcake):

Calories: 254

Fat: 15.1g

Saturated Fat: 8.0 g

Carbohydrates: 27.9 g

Protein: 3.2 g

These bite size treats are fat-free and super low in calories, so they are a great way to get a little bit of sweetness without going overboard! They can be eaten alone as a light dessert, or used to decorate your favorite cakes or cupcakes.

Recipe:

(adapted from www.marthastewart.com)

4 large egg whites

1 cup sugar

Pinch of cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Place whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof mixer bowl set over a bot of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer. Attach to mixer. Whisk on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and mixture is cool, about 10 minutes. Whisk in vanilla. Use immediately

Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Fit pastry bag with coupler and star tip, and fill with meringue. Pipe 1″ stars onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until meringue is dry by not brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool on parchment on wire racks.

Nutritional Information (per star):

Calories: 35

Fat: 0.0g

Saturated Fat: 0.0 g

Carbohydrates: 8.4 g

Protein: 0.6 g