whole wheat mint chocolate cupcakes with mint cream cheese filling

It's not often that I get to bake all kinds of treats with my friends, so when the opportunity presents itself I get really, really excited! My friend Alex came over this past weekend to do some cupcake baking and to bond over our mutual love for anthro and all things food-related.

We both like to experiment when it comes to baking, so it only seemed natural to make some healthier substitutions and put our own spin on the recipe. The result? A light, moist, minty chocolate cake with a satisfyingly sweet center. AKA mint chocolate perfection :)

Years ago my brother brought me back a soft leather notebook from Florence, Italy, and I've adored it ever since. I use it to write down my goals and to record my ideas/inspirations. One of the things at the top of my goals list is to bake more often. I truly love everything about it. Especially since I can endlessly use my new measuring spoons that I'm pretty much obsessed with.

We used whole wheat pastry flour (my absolute favorite for cakes and pastries) instead of all purpose, and Sucanat instead of regular cane sugar. If you're not familiar Sucanat, it is an organic, wholesome sweetener that is not very refined and still contains some nutrients & original molasses content. It may have been one of the best discoveries I've ever made. Although some people feel it can only be substituted for brown sugar, I find that it can work very well in place of white cane sugar in certain recipes. I very rarely use white cane sugar because I never find the need to with Sucanat always stocked in my house.

Until I get my tripod to function, I can't photograph myself and the food in the same shot. But I'm totally okay with that, and I'm so happy Alex agreed to let me snap some photos of her instead!

I have some really fun Valentine's Day ideas that I'm going to test out very soon. But in the meantime, make (and eat) these!! If you plan on sharing them with friends and/or family, be prepared for each to consume at least two ;) (I'm really not kidding)

Whole Wheat Mint Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Cream Cheese Filling
Yield: ~22 cupcakes
adapted from the baker chick, adapted from martha stewart's cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups Sucanat sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee*
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 3/4 cup low fat buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons of a light oil (sunflower, canola, vegetable)
• 1 teaspoon mint extract (peppermint can be substituted if necessary)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 4 oz cream cheese softened
• 1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint or mint extract

*Note: The instant coffee could be considered optional by some, but if I've learned anything from Ina Garten, it's that adding coffee to chocolate enhances the chocolate flavor, and who wouldn't want that?

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the cocoa powder, flour, sugar, instant coffee, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. Lightly whisk the eggs in a small bowl, then add the eggs. warm water, buttermilk, oil and mint extract to the dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth, about 3 minutes. Make sure the ingredients are well-mixed.

4. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. (~ 2/3 full)

5. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Rotate pans half-way through if needed. Transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.

6.For the filling: Cream together butter and cream cheese.

7.Gradually add the powdered sugar alternating it with the peppermint extract and milk.

9. Using a corer or simply a knife, make a well in the middle of the cupcake.

10. Add filling to a piping bag and pipe into the cupcake.

11. Garnish the finished cupcake with a dark chocolate morsel.

Enjoy :)