"Healthy" Triple Chocolate Cupcakes!

I have a love of baking that I can't deny. I have been feeling really torn between the world I love of sugary treats, mostly the baked variety (cupcakes, cookies & pie), and the world of healthy eating (whole foods and less or no sugar). You may know that I worked at a cupcake shop for a few months last year and absolutely loved it. I wanted to start my own in fact. But I keep rethinking the idea and wondering if it's really in-line with what I feel my body deserves. Okay, I know it's not.

It's a battle. Every day I feel like I'm being pulled in both directions, but I have to say that the healthy side is starting to win me over. I've been working on eating healthier this week, cutting back on my carbs and sugar and I can tell a difference in how I feel. I like that I feel more satisfied and I don't have that constant desire to snack on junk. I would probably have more energy, but I keep staying up WAY to late to feel the effects of that. Tonight is a perfect example of that. It's 1:00 am! I have been so hooked on discovering new healthy eating & lifestyle blogs though to help support me in this new way of living I'm embarking on. In my search I've found a lot of great sites, and Vanilla & Lace is one of them. She won me over when I saw her post on how to make chocolate cupcakes using agave! (a natural plant based sweetener that has much less of an affect on your blood sugar than regular white processed sugar does) *Bonus- if you're on a vegan diet these are vegan cupcakes!

I tried making them and I am so happy to report I CAN have my cake and eat it too!! These are some of the best chocolate cupcakes I've ever tried!

(and I am picky about my chocolate desserts)

I hope you'll trust me and try them too. Do NOT be scared by the tofu part. I swear you won't believe it's tofu. It tastes just like chocolate mousse. I will give you one tip...use the best possible chocolate bars you can. It'll make a difference. I like dark chocolate Lindt bars. The higher the number the darker the chocolate. I used 80% cocoa bars but for those of you that aren't dark chocolate lovers you could 70% or lower.

Vegan Triple Chocolate Agave Cupcakes

original recipe source

*Note: this recipe only made about 9 cupcakes for me. I would definitely double it.

Filling:

5.5 ounces silken tofu, drained

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup agave

Melt the chocolate and agave over a double boiler until perfectly smooth. Set aside. Puree the tofu in a food processor, until perfectly smooth. You will need to scrape the sides down with a rubber spatula. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the tofu and process until smooth and thick. It will look like chocolate pudding. Set aside while you bake the cake.

Cake:
1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder (1/2 tsp for *high altitude)
1 teaspoon baking soda (1/2 tsp for *high altitude)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup agave
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

To bake the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 12 muffin tins with papers.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Melt the chocolate and oil in a medium sized bowl over a double boiler until perfectly smooth. Whisk the agave into the chocolate mixture. In a third bowl whisk together the soy milk, vanilla, and vinegar, then stir it into the chocolate mixture. gently whisk the wet mixture into the dry. Divide the batter into the muffin cups and bake for about 18 minutes or until the tester comes out clean.

Using a paring knife cut out a portion of the cupcake, to make a space for the filling. Don’t cut too much away or the cupcake may not have enough structure and fall apart. Use a pastry bag with a round tip to fill the cupcakes with the filling and spread it smooth.

Ganache:
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons vanilla soy milk

Melt the chocolate and milk over a double boiler until smooth. Spoon the ganache over the top of the cupcakes.

*high altitude applies to 3,500 ft above sea level or higher. (I live at 5,000 ft above sea level and these adjustments have made all the difference in successful baking for me!)