Mocha Muffins with Chocolate Ganache Glaze

I love cupcakes, but I don't really make them at home. There are many reasons:

1. I don't own proper piping bags and tips, and I don't feel like buying them.
2. I don't own an electric mixer or a stand mixer, and I'm waiting for (preferably the latter) to magically appear on my doorsteps.
3. I am not a big fan of piping with a ghetto ziplock bag.
4. I cringe when I have to use more than half a stick of butter in one sitting.
5. I cringe even more when I have to combine said amount of butter with equal amounts of sugar and some heavy cream.

So I basically leave the task of cupcake-making to the hands of strangers and pretend that they are totally not going to offset the hours I clocked at the gym.

A girl can dream!

Anyway, this is my at-home rendition of cupcakes. Technically, they are just muffins with a layer of melted chocolate. But this is good enough for me. I used applesauce instead of oils in the cake, and the frosting had just a dollop of butter. Yup, they are pretty much guilt free!

Mocha Muffins with Chocolate Ganache Glaze
Adapted from Joy of Baking

Makes about 9 muffins

For muffins:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/8 cup whole wheat flour
1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 large egg
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup safflower, corn, vegetable, or canola oil (I used 1/4 cup of applesauce)
1/8 cup black coffee at room temperature
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

For chocolate ganache:

*See this recipe on allrecipes.com

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line muffin cups with paper liners.

2. In a bowl, sift flours and cocoa power together. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nuts and chocolate chips.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, oil, coffee and vanilla extract. 

4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix just enough to incorporate everything. 

5. Evenly fill the muffin cups and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Set aside and let cool. 

6. Prepare chocolate ganache and frost the muffins after they have completely cooled. I just frosted with the back of a teaspoon. For a smooth effect, put the muffins back into the oven for about a minute. 

*if you are adventurous, and/or you don't have heavy cream at home, you can try this (as I did)- melt some chocolate chips on low heat, add a small drop of butter and just enough milk to achieve a silky consistency. You want the chocolate to be just soft enough for you to drip onto the muffins. 

Carrot (pulp) Cupcake with Greek Yogurt and Agave Frosting

I developed an obsession over carrot cake last night.

Let me just put this out there. I don't like carrots. Doesn't matter if it is raw, cooked, shredded, pureed... I hate it all. I had never had more than one little bite of carrot cake in my entire life because I thought it was nasty.

But last week I was in my apartment, juicing as usual, getting ready for my morning workout. As I was juicing the carrots, this fluffy cute pulp came spitting out of the juicer in the back.

It was so beautiful and fresh that there was no way I could have dumped it into trash! So I asked Mr. Bear and he said he loves carrot cakes. And I thought, okay, I don't like carrots, but it can't be so bad if I dump a whole lot of coconut and walnuts in it, right?

And I was right. They came out pretty good... moist, soft and sweet with a hint of coconut and cinnamon.

But something is missing... YES! Frosting!!! The one topping that makes anything 10 times better.

No, its not cream cheese....

It's.... (drumrolls).... Greek yogurt with agave nectar. Guilt-free frosting anyone? The tartness of yogurt works really well with the sweetness of cake... like, REALLY well.

And there, an obsession over carrot cake is born. Yummmm.

Carrot (pulp) Cupcake with Greek Yogurt and Agave Frosting
Adapted from Joy of Baking

Makes 12 large muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar 

3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup sweetened coconut

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 large eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil (could have used a little less. can substitute with applesauce) 

2 cups carrot pulp (or shredded carrots) 

2 tbsp water (not needed if using shredded carrots)

1 large apple, peeled and grated
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Greek yogurt

Agave nectar

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, mix flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, walnuts, coconut, salt, and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, oil, carrot pulp (or shredded carrots), apple, and vanilla extract.
4. Mix wet ingredients into dry until just incorporated. If using carrot pulp, add 1 tbsp of water at a time until mixture is gooey but not too thin. When you scoop with a spoon, the mixture should slide off very slowly. Do not over mix the batter.
5. Place paper liners in muffin pan. Fill each muffin cup to the top.
6. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool completely. Top with a few tbsp of greek yogurt and drizzle with agave nectar.