SURPRISE CUPCAKES

I am having fun finding new recipes to make every Tuesday morning to take to Hillcrest Thrift Shop to share with the other volunteers downstairs.  They always like what I take, which is nice, but it is an opportunity to take something that sounds and looks really good, but I don't have to have it in the house tempting me to eat it.  

I have seen recipes with cupcakes or brownies with cookie dough or something like that in the center for a delicious but also interesting look when broken open.  In fact, I have a recipe to share that my friend Janice made and took some pictures during the process for me to share here on my blog.  I just haven't gotten around to writing it up.  Sorry, Janice.

So on Tuesday morning I decided to make a similar recipe that I found last week when I was going through that OLD file of Recipes to Try.  The interesting thing about the recipe clipping I found is that in another OLD 3 - ring recipe binder that I have for recipes that I started writing down when I first got married, I have the recipe written down.  Tonight when I tried to find the clipping so I could maybe figure out where I found the recipe, I can't find it.  So I can't give credit to anyone.

The recipe is called Self-Filled Cupcakes.  I decided to make the name more exciting and am calling them Surprise Cupcakes.  I did make some changes in the recipes so I think it is okay for me to change the name.

I started with a sugar-free Devil's Food cake mix and I substituted stevia for the sugar and omitted the chocolate chips from the filling.  I can't imagine having chocolate chips in it.  If I did, it would have to be the mini-chocolate chips, but I really think that would be too much.  Since I decided to leave out the chips, I decided to double the amount of coconut.  I also use unsweetened coconut.  I normally would have used fat-free cream cheese, but I had some regular cream cheese I bought that I needed to use first so that is what I did.

As usual, I received many compliments.  Several were glad to hear how I had reduced the calories, but then I do that as much as I can.

SURPRISE CUPCAKES

1       pkg Pillsbury Sugar-Free Devil's Food cake mix 
1       8 - oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/3    cup stevia or sugar
1       egg
dash salt
1       cup unsweetened flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

Mix cake mix according to directions on package (w/ oil, water, and eggs). Blend til moistened and then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Scrape sides of bowl as necessary.

Fill paper cups in muffin pans 2/3 full.














Cream the cream cheese with the stevia or sugar in mixing bowl til smooth, Beat in the egg and salt til smooth.  Stir in the coconut.

Drop one rounded teaspoon of the cheese mixture into the center of each cupcake.

Bake following the directions on the cake mix for cupcakes.....23 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan.

I frosted my cupcakes (to hide the surprise) with the following frosting. I buy my powdered sugar in a 2 - lb bag and store it in a large tupperware container.  So I sifted and measured about 4 cups of  it.  I know that they usually consider a lb box as 3-1/4 to 3-1/2 cups, but I like a little more so the icing is thicker.  I also reduced the amount of milk from 1/3 cup to 1/4 cup so it would be thicker.  I usually use this frosting on my Hershey's Disappearing Cake.  It is so - o - o - o good.  I also like how the Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa made the frosting darker.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING

1       stick (1/2 cup) margarine
1/2    cup cocoa (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
1/4    cup skim milk
1       teaspoon vanilla
4       cups shifted powdered sugar (or 1 lb box sifted)
1/4    teaspoon salt

Melt margarine in a large saucepan over medium low heat.

Add the cocoa, milk, and vanilla.  Stir until smooth.

Remove from heat and add the powdered sugar and salt until smooth.

Will ice 3-1/2 doz cupcakes or a 2 - layer 9 - inch cake.