Blogs

Top Hearted Posts

Chocolate or Cheesecake?

by on ‎07-25-2011 12:09 PM

I love summertime, but along with summer at my house comes lots of kids, chaos, and lots of people to feed (it seems like my three kids turns into nine kids on a regular basis — which I love). I try to keep the house stocked with fairly healthy treats, but like you, I'm busy. And maybe like you, I enjoy dessert (I have always had a sweet tooth and my favorite indulgence is ice cream). As a fitness professional, I try to provide snacks and treats for my kids and friends that are delicious, but still nutritious.

Attempting to eat perfect all the time is a recipe for disaster. That’s why I offer more than a dozen dessert recipes in my cookbook, Choose This! (F09219). One of my most popular recipes is my Yes You Can Cupcakes! They are easy to make, with just 15 minutes of prep time. Even better? You’d never know these cupcakes are low in calories! They’re just 120 calories per cupcake!

My Yes You Can Cupcakes start with ordinary cake mix, but you substitute canned pumpkin — masked by the rich chocolate — for the oil and egg yolks you’d normally use.

Here’s what you will need:

1 18.5-oz box chocolate cake mix

1 16-oz can pumpkin

2 large egg whites

1/2 cup water

1 full cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/2 tablespoons water


  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners.

  2. In an electric mixer, beat chocolate cake mix, pumpkin, egg whites, and 1/2 cup water for 2 minutes to create a smooth batter.

  3. Pour batter into the prepared cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 of the way full.

  4. Bake 20 to 24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out mostly clean.

  5. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract, and 1-1/2 tablespoons water to create the icing. Microwave 30 seconds — just until icing is fully combined and smooth.

  6. Drizzle icing over all cupcakes and let cool completely to set before serving.


If you’d like more dessert recipes that taste like you are indulging without the calories (like my cheesecake squares or peanut butter cookies), check out my cookbook, Choose This!

—Chris Freytag