Blackberry Champagne Cupcakes

Cupcakes are a wonderful way to help satisfy your sweet tooth while controlling your portions. Kelly from Kansas City, Mo., was excited to find a grown-up recipe for these tiny treats and dreams of serving them at tailgate parties. However, she was horrified by the high-fat ingredients in the frosting and just couldn't bring herself to make them. How can she indulge without blowing her diet?

Nearly all cake mixes contain small amounts of partially hydrogenated vegetables oils (or trans fats) -- unless you can find a good organic one. But even then, it's bound to be low in fiber. I will start my rehab by making the cupcake batter with a combination of whole-wheat pastry flour and white cake flour. Using blackberries and sweet champagne will allow me to cut the sugar without sacrificing flavor. For the frosting, I will cut out the shortening by using a combination of reduced-fat cream cheese and non-fat Greek yogurt. The thickness of the cream cheese will allow me to cut some of the sugar, and again, the blackberry jam and sweet champagne will add plenty of flavor.

These cupcakes are sure to be a hit at your next party or family gathering, and try using a non-alcoholic champagne to make them appropriate for all ages.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar (or 1/2 cup Splenda)
1 1/2 cups white cake flour
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup sweet champagne
6 egg whites
12 ounces blackberries

Frosting:
1/4 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup Neufchatel cream cheese
1 tablespoon champagne
1 tablespoon blackberry jam
1 cup powdered sugar (or 1 1/2 cups Splenda and 4 tablespoons cornstarch)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tins with paper cup wrappers.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Sift together the cake flour, pastry flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into the butter and sugar mixture slowly, alternating with champagne.
4. In another large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold in half of the egg whites to lighten the batter. Then fold in the remaining egg whites.
5. Evenly divide into muffin tins until they are about two-thirds full. Top the batter of each cup with one blackberry.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
7. To make the frosting, combine the yogurt, cream cheese, champagne and blackberry jam. Beat until smooth. Add half of the powdered sugar and continue to beat. Add the additional sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Chill to thicken further.
8. Once the cupcakes are cool, spread with frosting and top with another blackberry.

Makes: 24 regular-sized (3-inch diameter) cupcakes

Nutrition Content (per cupcake):
164 calories, 5 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 27g carbohydrates, 14 g sugars, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein, 256 mg sodium
Note: Using Splenda instead of sugar will reduce the calories to 125, sugars to 3 g and the carbohydrates to 17 g


More healthy recipes from Tanya Zuckerbrot:
Fresh Apple Cake
Chocolate Muffins
Banana Bread

Readers, I would love to hear from you! Please send me your favorite fattening recipes that need a RECIPE REHAB! Everything from your mom's meatloaf to your kid's favorite dessert -- let me lighten it up.

Celebrity dietitian and motivational life coach, Tanya Zuckerbrot, author of www.ffactordiet.com and founder of www.skinnyandthecity.com and www.theskinnyondietitians.com has helped thousands of people lose weight and keep it off with her program. Her philosophy? Tanya believes you should never sacrifice taste, even when you're eating healthy foods. Have a recipe in need of rehab? Send us your recipe!