One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes & Peanut Butter Frosting (358 Calories & REDUCED FAT)

So the day finally arrived and I was able to celebrate my 100th post today.  I started blogging in October 2009 and completed my 100th post in July 2010. The journey has been slow and steady and I’ve learned a lot along the way.  It is so fun to blog about my 2 biggest passions… cooking and baking.  I’ve had some wonderful comments along the way that inspire me to continue what I’m doing and improve myself.  I LOVE the blog world, the past 10 months have been such a fulfilling experience.  In addition, blogging about my recipes, my travels, my dinings, and my life experiences are rewarding to me in a way I can’t describe.  My day job that actually pays the bills doesn’t even equate to the same level of satisfaction as blogging.

To celebrate my 100th post I baked today.  I believe I deserve to indulge a little and baked these amazing cupcakes which I admit are pretty high in fat, however since the frosting contains peanut butter, by cupcake standards they are high in protein too.  I made Martha Stewart’s One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes, which means, you only need “one bowl” to mix up the batter, hence the clean-up is not so bad.  The chocolate cupcakes itself are not that high in fat and only require 1.5 tbsp of oil (I halved the recipe).  Now here comes the bad part, I topped it off with Peanut Butter Frosting which was divine, but deadly.  I absolutely love the chocolate and peanut butter combo ever since I had a cupcake from the Sweet Bakery in Hoboken, NJ.  My friend, Jhiane, came over and tried these cupcakes, she loved them, as did my husband.  I guarantee you will love these cupcakes and the frosting that perfectly complements them.

MODIFICATIONS I MADE:

• I added 1/2 tsp of Medaglia D’Oro Instant Espresso to the chocolate batter.
• For the frosting, I used 1/4 cup of peanut butter, instead of 1/2 cup.  This saved about 400 calories and 32 grams of fat, not bad, right?
• For the peanut butter, I used Natural Peanut Butter that only contained 2 ingredients… peanuts and salt.  There were no artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup in my peanut butter.  I used Peanut Butter & Co. Smooth Operator Peanut Butter – LOVE THIS STUFF!  Keep in mind, peanut butter is good for you in moderation and is a good source of protein.

APPROXIMATE NUTRITION PER SERVING 
(yields 7 huge cupcakes… I halved the recipe)

• Calories: 358 cals
• Fat: 16.1 g
• Saturated Fat: 6 g
• Carbs: 53 g
• Protein: 5.5 g
• Fiber: 1.4 g

MARTHA STEWART’S ONE-BOWL CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES 
(adapted from Martha Stewart)
~ yields 7 huge cupcakes @ 350 degrees – I halved the recipe

INGREDIENTS (here is the version I used… halved):

• Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – 1/4 + 1/8 cup
• All Purpose Flour – 3/4 cup
• Sugar – 3/4 cups
• Baking Soda – 3/4 tsp
• Baking Powder – 1/4 + 1/8 tsp
• Salt – 1/4 + 1/8 tsp
• Egg – 1 large
• Warm Water – 1/4 + 1/8 cup
• Medaglia D’Oro Instant Espresso – 1/2 tsp
• Buttermilk – 1/4 + 1/8 cup
• Canola Oil – 1 1/2 tbsp
• Vanilla Extract – 1/2 tsp

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.
3. Sift the dry ingredients… cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
4. Add the espresso to the warm water and set aside.
5. Now add the wet ingredients to the same large bowl… eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.  
6. Mix until smooth, DO NOT OVERMIX!
7. Scoop the batter into the muffin tins – I filled mine 3/4 full.  
8. Bake for 20 minutes and insert a toothpick in the cupcake to see if it comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and allow the cupcakes to cool completely.  

(adapted from AllRecipes)
~ frosts 7 huge cupcakes

INGREDIENTS (here is the version I used):

• Unsalted Butter – 1/4 cup
• Natural Peanut Butter – 1/4 cup (I used Whole Foods Creamy Peanut Butter)
• Confectioners Sugar – 1 cup
• Milk 1% – 1 1/2 tbsp

DIRECTIONS:  

1. Cream the butter and peanut butter until smooth.
2. Add the confectioners sugar and beat with an electric mixer.
3. Slowly add the milk, start with 1 tbsp and work your way to another 1/2 tbsp, if need be.
4. Beat for 3 minutes, the frosting should be a mocha color, fluffy, and easy to spread.

FROSTING RATING: 5 / 5
This frosting was perfect!  It was creamy, fluffy, smooth, and buttery… it almost tasted like peanut butter whipped cream.  The color is a light mocha, so pretty and SO GOOD!  Although I lowered the peanut butter amount by a 1/4 cup, next time I want to work on reducing the butter in this recipe by 2 tbsp.  Remember, butter is bad for you, however peanut butter in moderation is good for you.  Butter is high in saturated fat, whereas peanut butter is much lower in saturated fat.  Therefore, try to increase the peanut butter content and lower the butter content.  Get it?

OVERALL RATING: 5 / 5
The chocolate cupcakes were not super sweet since it contained unsweetened cocoa and espresso, they were good and I’d give them a 4 on their own.  The cupcakes were moist and light.  Now add the frosting and the cupcakes taste amazing.  The frosting perfectly complements the cupcake with just the right amount of sweetness.  
Texture: These cupcakes are made with oil so they can easily fall apart.  
Moistness: The cupcakes are extremely moist and light… the buttermilk and warm water probably contributed to this.