Mad About Minis: Single-serve "Frosted" Vanilla Cupcake ... with sprinkles

I’ve been in a cupcake mode lately. We’ve been out and about in our Discovery Weekends and been encountering cupcake shops everywhere. Thank goodness for mini cupcakes; otherwise, I’d gain ten pounds.

In an effort to have a healthier cupcake and just limit myself to one, I looked for a single serving option. I found Shape Magazine’s online article on Delectable Deserts for One, and the vanilla cupcake seems to be a good start.

The advantage of this recipe is you probably have all the ingredients handy. The one thing that I usually do not keep is applesauce, but if I just made a batch of applesauce muffins, I am sure to have some left. I also used less butter and compensated with more applesauce. I may continue to reduce the ratio.

I am also used to baking single-serve muffins (see my low-fat chocolate banana muffin), so cupcakes should not be a huge transition. However, I did read once that the difference between a cupcake and a muffin: a muffin goes "Thud" when thrown at the floor. I take this as a challenge to get a cake like consistency to the cupcake.

Also, for these mini or single-serve recipes, use your toaster oven or the microwave. I am not that big on microwaved cakes, but if you don't have a toaster oven, use your nuker. It takes too much energy to heat up the big oven for this.

Single-serve "Frosted" Vanilla Cupcakes

Adapted from Shape Magazine's Delectable Desserts for One and Sally's Baking Addiction's Vanilla Cupcakes for Two

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 1 TBSP + 2 tsp unsweetened applesauce 
• 1 TBSP egg whites
• 1 TBSP skim milk (I used unsweetened almond milk) 
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1 TBSP whipped cream or prepared frosting (optional)
• 1 teaspoon sprinkles (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat toaster oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with one liner.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together applesauce and sugar until combined. Stir in butter, vanilla, and milk.
3. Add flour and baking powder and mix everything together well.
4. Spoon batter into cupcake liner and bake for 27 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely.
5. Frost and add sprinkles, if desired.

  

Verdict

Baked cupcake in ramekin...Nothing wrong eating it here.

Making this cupcake is so easy. It also spreads that yummy baking aroma all over the kitchen that drives my husband nuts. We ended up sharing the cupcake.

My husband loved this cupcake. It does have a very vanilla flavor. I am hoping that baking it in the toaster oven saved energy compared to turning on your big oven, but it did take a long time. Think of it is as contemplative time – to see if you really want to eat the entire cupcake.

Discovery Weekends: Sweet Taste of the Tropics At Plumeria Flours

I finally had a chance to redeem a gift certificate from Plumeria Flours. It was a gift from a friend of mine (Thanks Sengita Warich!) and after a long hard work week, I felt it was about time to redeem it.

Plumeria Flours has a cozy shop tucked away in a strip mall near Walnut Creek’s Broadway Plaza.  One of their specialties is square tropical-flavored cupcake, which is what my gift certificate was good for – six of them! OMG, I do not think I can finish six cupcakes!

They had four flavors available that day: Mango, Papaya, Guava, and Kona Coffee. Since my favorite fruit is mango, I got two mango cupcakes. Also, two Kona Coffees, and one each of the papaya and guava. I think of the bunch, Kona Coffee is my favorite: good coffee flavor complemented by a mocha frosting. Yummy. My next favorite: you guessed it – mango. The cupcakes were topped with a thin layer of whipped cream frosting, appropriately flavored of course. This ratio was okay for me, since I usually do not like too much frosting. However, I felt it could use just a tad more. The frosting may not be enough for most people though, but there was more than enough cake, which I think is the most important part.

I was disappointed that they did not have Haupia cupcake that day. Haupia is a traditional coconut-milk based dessert or snack. It has a similar consistency to gelatin, but richer. Haupia is one of my favorite snacks while I am in Hawaii and reminds me of being in Hawaii.

Another specialty item is their chocolate covered and plumeria decorated Oreos. I did not see any while I was there, perhaps because it was late on a Friday afternoon. If you check out Plumeria Flour’s website, you can see how gorgeous these cookies are (The website did say that it is Out-of-Stock).

However, the caramel popcorn was very tempting and quite inexpensive too. I think $6 per bag. The popcorn had names like “Kalua Pig”, “100% Hapa”, “Humuhumunukuapua’a”. The names reflect the flavor: “Kalua Pig” was Bacon Caramel and “Humuhumunukunukuapua’a” (the Hawaiian state fish, a type of triggerfish) was Seaweed infused, if I remember. I don’t remember what “100% Hapa” was made out of… but I did remember discussing the contradiction in the name (“Hapa” is a pidgin Hawaiian word derived from the word “Half” … so, go figure, 100% = Half?).  Anyway, with six cupcakes, I decided it maybe prudent to save popcorn for a later trip.

For the fall, Plumeria Flours have limited hours: only Wednesday – Friday, 10 am – 5:30 pm. You can catch them at different Polynesian events in the San Francisco Bay Area. Check them out at PlumeriaFlours.com.