Somethin' Pumpkin

It's been a little while since I've blogged but it's not because I've ditched my healthy choices and gone the way of cream-laden coffees and glazed donuts. No, I'm still at it. I have been shifting gears internally and my fragmented thoughts could not be expressed coherently so I've waited. Some may call it writers block but I see it more as the receding of the ocean water just before a huge wave is about to hit. So get ready!

One delight I was introduced to by my mom on Thanksgiving Day is the Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcake. Anyone who has been reading my blogs regularly will know that my two biggest downfalls this year have been cake-inspired. With my year of healthy choices commitment coming to an end, this recipe for pseudo chocolate cake-like treats is a great way to allow some fun back into my diet without reverting back to bad habits.

Pumpkin in chocolate cake? Yuck!! That is exactly what I thought until I tasted it. I don't eat anything pumpkin so I was skeptical. You can't taste the pumpkin and yet, it's in the recipe giving you points for vegetable consumption with every bite.

Here's the recipe:

1 Duncan Hine's Dark Chocolate Cake Mix
1 14-15oz can of pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling-that's different)
1/2 cup water

Mix the pumpkin & water together in a bowl. Add cake mix. Stir and pour into muffin pan. Bake according to package directions.

Yield: 24 cupcakes. Each cupcake contains: 90 calories, 2.3g fat, 0.8g saturated fat, 17g carbohydrates, 0 protein

Now, in my sugar deprived state, this cupcake is wonderful just as it is but some people prefer to put just a little icing on top just to give it that extra touch. Another person actually baked this recipe as a one-layer cake complete with walnuts & frosting. You can do whatever you want so long as you know that anything added will also add calories, sugar and fat too.

What you don't get is the eggs and oil that cake recipes usually call for and you get the benefit of vegetable nutrition. In fact, it has been discovered that these tasty little desserts will assist you greatly if you tend to be a little constipated. Warning--do not eat four servings and then go for a run!

I will admit that my family has not embraced this recipe as I have. They knew what was in it before trying it and they swear it doesn't taste good at all. I think that if you make this recipe for your family they will enjoy it and never know that it has nutritious ingredients at all.