Weekly Recipe: Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes
Serves 12
5 Points value

3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp vegetable shortening
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 Tbsp red food coloring
1 tsp white vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350. Place 12 paper muffin cup liners in muffin cups. set aside.

Combine sugar and shortening in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add egg; beat until creamy.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine buttermilk and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, stirring with a whisk just until smooth. Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 22-23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Spread about 1 1/2 Tbsp frosting over tops of cupcakes.

Per serving: 200 cal, 7.3g fat (3.6g sat fat), 0.5g fiber, 252mg sodium

Cream Cheese Frosting
Yields 1 1/4 cup frosting
1 Point value per tablespoon

1 (8oz) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth.

Per tablespoon: 46 cal, 2.4g fat (1.6g sat fat), 0g fiber, 51mg sodium