Skinny Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you - I was finally successful in taking a full fat recipe and making some modifications to make it a little healthier! Yay! 

It's Father's Day and nothing says I love dad like cake. James wanted brownies for his dessert today but I felt the urge to bake. I found this gorgeous cake on a new blog and modified it slightly to come up with these fantastic cupcakes!

You know how I love the Greek yogurt but I was a little worried about using it in this recipe. When these cupcakes came out, they smelled heavenly! The icing is literally the icing on the cake because it just adds to the lemony goodness of the cake. It's pretty amazing. The consensus at the Father's Day dinner tonight was that these little gems were a hit, not just for the taste but for the guilt free factor as well.

Skinny Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes

(Adapted from Lemon Poppy Seed Cake)

Batter

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, softened

2-3 lemons, juiced and zested
2 ¾ cups granulated sugar

1 ½ tsp. lemon extract
6 large eggs
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup poppy seeds

1/3 cup raw sugar

Lemon Syrup

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup granulated sugar

Lemon Cream Cheese Icing

½ brick cream cheese

1-2 TBSP. milk

½ - ¾ cup powdered sugar

1 lemon, juiced and zested

Mix the ingredients for the Lemon syrup; set aside for 10-15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together the white flour, baking soda, and salt. In a food processor or blender, combine the sugar and the zest from the lemons and blend until combined.

Cream the butter in the large bowl of a standing electric mixer on moderate speed until creamy. Add the applesauce and sugar and mix until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until they are completely combined. Add in the extract and the yogurt. Be sure to scrape down the bowl to make sure everything gets mixed properly. Slowly add in the sifted mixture in and then the wheat flour. After completely combined, add the poppy seeds until mixed, but be careful not to over mix.

Line a cupcake pan with cupcake wrappers and fill them ¾ of the way full with the batter. Sprinkle the raw sugar liberally on the top before baking for 10-12 minutes – until a toothpick comes clean.

When they come out of the oven, use the toothpick and poke lots of holes in the top of the cupcakes. Liberally brush the lemon syrup over the top, using all of it and allow the cupcakes to cool completely.

Mix the cream cheese until is fluffy and mostly free of lumps. Add the lemon juice, powdered sugar and zest and mix until combined and smooth. Use the milk to thin the frosting to the desired consistency. (Depending on how sweet you like it, you might want to add more powdered sugar).
 I did a calorie comparison and I was surprised how much of a difference adding applesauce in place of the butter made. This doesn't take into account the icing though, so be aware of that.

The first chart is for the amended recipe and the second is for the original recipe. As you can see, not only is it lower in calories but has half the fat as the original recipe! 

	Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe   24 Servings Amount Per Serving   Calories 201.6   Total Fat 5.3 g       Saturated Fat 2.9 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g       Monounsaturated Fat 1.5 g   Cholesterol 63.3 mg   Sodium 46.6 mg   Potassium 28.9 mg   Total Carbohydrate 35.4 g       Dietary Fiber 1.2 g       Sugars 23.8 g   Protein 4.3 g   Vitamin A 4.0 %   Vitamin B-12 3.1 %   Vitamin B-6 1.2 %   Vitamin C 0.1 %   Vitamin D 2.3 %   Vitamin E 1.1 %   Calcium 2.0 %   Copper 0.7 %   Folate 5.1 %   Iron 3.1 %   Magnesium 1.0 %   Manganese 3.0 %   Niacin 2.4 %   Pantothenic Acid     2.5 %   Phosphorus     4.3 %   Riboflavin 7.5 %   Selenium 9.6 %   Thiamin 5.0 %   Zinc 1.3 % *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe   24 Servings Amount Per Serving   Calories 236.4   Total Fat 9.1 g       Saturated Fat 5.3 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g       Monounsaturated Fat 2.5 g   Cholesterol 73.4 mg   Sodium 73.8 mg   Potassium 34.6 mg   Total Carbohydrate 35.3 g       Dietary Fiber 0.4 g       Sugars 23.3 g   Protein 4.1 g   Vitamin A 6.3 %   Vitamin B-12 3.2 %   Vitamin B-6 1.3 %   Vitamin C 0.0 %   Vitamin D 2.9 %   Vitamin E 1.4 %   Calcium 2.2 %   Copper 1.2 %   Folate 8.7 %   Iron 5.1 %   Magnesium 1.4 %   Manganese 5.5 %   Niacin 4.7 %   Pantothenic Acid     2.8 %   Phosphorus     5.3 %   Riboflavin 9.8 %   Selenium 13.4 %   Thiamin 9.1 %   Zinc 1.7 % *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.