Red Velvet Cake is my weakness and I can’t think of a better cake to eat on Valentine’s Day. Topped with low fat cream cheese frosting you wouldn’t even know these are light.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
Perfect for Valentine’s Day or birthday parties. A few other Valentine’s Day recipes I love making for the occasion are Homemade Chocolate Cake, Mixed Berry Pie, Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta and Chocolate Crepes with Strawberries. You can also check out this full list of Valentine’s Day recipes.
My 16 year old daughter (she’s the baker in my house) made her red velvet cupcakes are amazing! I made it my mission this week to make a skinnier version of them for this week’s post. It’s always a challenge to lower the fat in baking so when these came out of the oven (fingers were crossed the whole time) I was so happy to see perfectly baked cupcakes. Topped with low fat cream cheese frosting you wouldn’t even know these are light.
Skinny Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour, or GF flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp unsweetened dutch-process cocoa
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 2 egg whites
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/3 cup light buttermilk
- 1 tbsp red food coloring
Low Fat Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz 1/3 fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Line cupcake tins with liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together flours, salt, cocoa, and baking powder.
- In another large bowl beat sugar, applesauce and butter.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl mix baking soda and vinegar.
- Add half of the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, mix well.
- Add buttermilk, red food coloring and mix well.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients and fold in vinegar and baking soda.
- Pour in prepared cupcake liners 3/4 of the way.
- Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool, then frost with low fat cream cheese frosting.
Low Fat Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.
How can you call this GF when there is regular cake flour in the receipe?
It’s not tagged as GF?
I’ve made these yet. Can I you artificial sweetner instead of sugar?
Now, I’ve made these cupcakes. I just used regular sugar. I wasn’t thrilled with the actual cupcake because it didn’t have a lot of flavor/taste. I did use whole wheat flour though. The icing was super sweet. A little too sweet for me. Wow! My child really liked the icing on the cupcakes though.
Can someone post the nutritional values and serving size if you’ve figured it out? I love her recipes because I can check the macros before making the recipe to see if it will works for my diet. But for some reason a lot of her dessert recipes don’t seem to list the nutritional value Info. Is she moving entirely towards a weight watchers recipe collection maybe?
I was wondering this too! I used the recipe nutrition analyzer on verywellfit.com and it said:
2.6 g Protein
22.1 g Carbs
5.2 g Fat
Sorry guys! I will get it updated!
I always used to make your daughters recipe and now its gone 🙁 is there somewhere else I could find it?
Oh no! I will ask.
What are the carbs, sugars, fats, and proteins in the cupcakes?
Making these for Valentine's Day. Put the entire recipe in the recipe maker for WW using Sp and it comes up with 6sp. I can't wait to try them tonight. I'm having one and the rest are going to work with me tomorrow.
Thank you so much for this recipe. It's very good, definitely a keeper! Doesn't taste low fat at all.
Hi Gina, I'm loving all your recipes. I was just wondering because I live in Australia. I'm not sure of unsweetened dutch-process cocoa if I can buy it here is there any other substitute – can I use normal ordinarily coco. Also the recipe says to use cake flour – what other flour could be used instead and white whole wheat flour – what can be used instead. thanks
My cupcakes really stuck to the liners. They barely would peel off – any suggestions?
Hi Gina,
I've been searching the web for low fat red velvet cake and I think I found what I am looking for! Except these are cupcakes will it still work that I am using this for a cake recipe I couldn't find any other low fat recipes like this for red velvet I am going to try it out do you think it will be fine
Just tried these and i really recommend them ! They are delicious and not too sweet so you dont feel guilty after eating one.. or more 🙂 Thanks these are for sure a winner !!
Hi Gina,
Love your blog! I made this for my husband for valentines day as a cake and some extra cupcakes and it is fab! You can see the result on my blog http://caketart.wordpress.com/2013/02/14/red-velvet-skinnylove-cakes-%e2%9d%a4/
Thank you 🙂
The Cake Tart
I am going to try making this as a Cake this weekend. My husband wants a Red Velvet Cake for his B-day. Has anyone ever made this as a Cake?
Mine were also dry and stuck to the baking cups as well. I probabky will not make these again either.
I am not familiar with the Weight Watchers points plan. Coud you please tell me what the nutritional value is per cupcake?
I had to use all purpose flour. I have a very large grocery store near me, but they did not have white whole wheat OR cake flour. They were good, a little edry, but I am thinking that has more to do with the type of flour. Would love to know the fat, carb, fiber, and protein values for these though.
made these tonight… found them very dry and stuck to the cup cake foils… frosting was great but probably not making the cakes again
Do you think I can make these as a cake? Would the baking time change? Thanks!
What size cakes ? Regular? Can I third the recipe AND still get good results?
ANd what is dutch pressed cocoa?
@ Anonymous, I was also unable to find light buttermilk so I actually used coconut milk with a little vinegar in it and it worked just as well. I'm not sure how that changes the WW points.