(WW) "Red" Velvet Cupcakes

If you are available today at 1pm EST, be sure to join "Sweet Treats", the online ~ virtual cooking class I'm thrilled to be co~hosting. It's a part of the Cooking Connections series of classes sponsored by The Motherhood. I shared more details in Saturday's Post as well.

I have a killer sweet tooth that I unfortunately have given into too often.  It's killer in that it causes my jeans to become too small.  It also causes me to tremble in fear at the thought of my upcoming trip to the mall for the dreaded swimsuit selection.  That's why I'm especially excited about today's class.  There will be plenty of great recipes and ideas for indulgent desserts (which are wonderful treats from time to time).  But there will also be a portion of our class discussion devoted to light and healthy recipes and ideas.

We recently had some sweet friends for dinner.  We packed 14 around our dining room table ~ it seats 12, so the close quarters we were sharing show how much love we have for them!  As I planned our evening's menu and thought of dessert, I realized that I would either need to make two different things OR I could serve cupcakes.

Cupcakes are a GREAT option to serve a crowd.  And there are so many over~the~top cute display stands available to serve them in.

But this time, I not only wanted to serve dessert, I wanted to try to make it light and healthy....  yet still delicious enough to fulfill the obligation of ending the night with a bang.

I don't recommend trying new recipes when entertaining.  It's not always a great idea, because the results could be disappointing.  But I received a table of thumbs up on this one and breathed a sigh of relief.  These cupcakes fulfilled their duty:  Light, Healthy, and Delicious!

Side Note:  These "red" velvet cupcakes do not contain the typical bottle of red food coloring most recipes have.  I was thrilled to see a natural option.  However, these cupcakes are not going to turn out like a true red velvet cupcake would.  The taste is similar, but the look is not. Give these a try, you won't be disappointed!

Mahogany Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Weight Watchers

For the Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3 TBSP unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 (8 1/4 oz) can whole beets, drained and pureed in blender
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp white vinegar

For the Frosting:
1 (8 oz.) package cold fat-free cream cheese {I have just recently seen this sold in my local groceries....  If you use the tub style, the icing will turn out much more like a thick glaze, so try to find the baking style.}
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tsp grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350*.  Line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together beet puree, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vinegar.  Add this mixture to the flour mixture and stir just to combine (do not overmix).

Pour batter into prepared muffin cups, about 2/3 full.  Bake about 20 minutes.  Cupcakes are done when they spring back after lightly pressed.  Let cool completely on wire rack.

To make frosting, beat all ingredients until smooth with electric mixer.

Frost each cupcake with about 1 TBSP of frosting.

Note: this recipe makes 12 cupcakes.  I doubled the recipe to fill my 24 cupcake stand and it worked great.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value per cupcake: 6

This post is linked to TidyMom's "I'm Lovin' It"....  Be sure to stop by to see all the other great recipes and crafts!