Chocolate Whole Wheat Olive Oil Cupcakes
This will be your new go-to chocolate cupcake or cake when you need a quick dessert that keeps your long-term health goals in mind.
Equipment
- 2 12-cup muffin pans
- 24 cupcake liners optional
- measuring cups and spoons
- 1 Large bowl with pouring lip preferred
- 1 large stainless steel mesh strainer optional
- 1 whisk or electric hand mixer
- 1 coffee mug microwave safe
- 1 spatula
- 1 stand mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
- olive oil spray or canola oil spray
- 1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder packed
- 1 ¾ cup coconut sugar or palm sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup water
- 1 recipe Lower Fat Cream Cheese and Whipped Cream Frosting
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line cupcake pan with liners and spray with olive oil spray. Grease and flour pan(s) if making a cake.
- Stir flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. If you have clumps of coconut sugar, you can use a fine mesh strainer to sift the ingredients together, so they are well blended. Then use the back of a spoon to push the clumps of sugar through the strainer to breakup the big clumps.
- Add milk, eggs, olive oil, and vanilla extract and beat with a whisk or electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be very thick.
- Microwave water in coffee mug for 90 seconds. Add hot water to the batter and mix well to combine. The batter will become very watery.
- Pour batter into the pans or cupcake pan. Scrape any batter clinging to the bowl with a spatula.
- For cupcakes: bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a toothpick poked through the middle of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 24 cupcakes.
- For 9” round pans: bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick poked through the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
- For 13” x 9” x 2” baking pan: bake for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick poked through the middle comes out clean.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, put softened cream cheese and sugar into a mixer with a whisk attachment. You can also place it in a bowl and use a hand mixer. Mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes until slightly whipped. Add heavy whipping cream to bowl. Mix/whisk on medium-to-medium-high speed for about 5 minutes until it looks like it doubled in volume. Makes 4 cups of frosting.
- Once the cupcakes are cool, frost with the cream cheese and whipped cream frosting. Use about 2 tablespoons of frosting per cupcake. You will have about ½ cup of frosting leftover.
Video
Notes
Tips and Tricks
Want an even darker, richer chocolate cake?
Increase the cocoa powder to 1 packed cup and the coconut sugar to 2 cups. It will be even moister and have an intense dark chocolate flavor. You won’t even notice that it’s made with whole wheat flour! Perfect for when you’re craving a decadent chocolate cake like the one they make for the molten chocolate lava cakes at the restaurants but with ingredients that may not spike your insulin as much.
Will the hot water cook the eggs in the batter and make scrambled eggs?
No, you’re safe from scrambled eggs. You do need to work quickly and mix the water into the batter as soon as you pour it in the bowl. It will be hard to combine at first because the batter without the water is so thick. Give it a minute of mixing and you will be fine. The batter will be watery once the water is incorporated; this is normal and will make for easy pouring into the cake or muffin pans!
Can I make this cake in advance?
Yes. This cake can be made up to three days in advance if you plan to have leftovers. I suggest keeping it in the refrigerator to help extend its life, up to 6 days.
This cake also freezes well. Freeze the unfrosted cake/cupcakes for up to 3 months. Defrost the cake at least 24 hours before you plan to frost and serve.