Sugar Free Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes with Sugar Free Frosting

A rich chocolate cupcake, with a thick and fudgy chocolatey butter-cream with a crumbly sweet texture. Mmmmmm
Oh, and HAPPY NATIONAL CUPCAKE WEEK! So I thought I get you started with something that won't burst your belly...

While on one of my crusades to loose weight, I wanted to enjoy the tastes that I loved, without losing the flavour. So I came across the recipe online and just had to try it myself.I amended it slightly just to make them perfect. These are perfect if you're trying to cut out sugar, as these use Splendor as an alternative so can be classed as completely sugar free. However, the manufactured sugar has a slight aftertaste, so if you are able to eat a small amount of sugar, I would suggest adding a tablespoon or two to the cake mix, just so the cakes are sweeter and even more gorgeous.

Ingredients; (Makes 10-12 cakes)

For the Cake Mix;

• 60g unsweetened cocoa
• 125ml boiling water
• 150g sifted cake flour (sift, then measure) To make this Use Plain flour. Measure it out, and then remove 3 tbsp and replace with 3 tbsp Cornflour
• 25g granulated Splenda
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 175g butter, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 60ml whole milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp Caster Sugar (optional but it helps to remove the slight aftertaste of Splender)

For the Frosting;

• 60g unsweetened chocolate (Good quality)
• 80ml heavy whipping cream
• 60g butter, softened
• 4 tbsp Splenda (6 small packets)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp chocolate extract or strong prepared coffee
• Gold Edible Glitter (optional)

Method;

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4 / 350'F / 180'C, and line a muffin tin with cases. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa and boiling water until the mixture is smooth, and put to the side. In another bowl, combine the flour, Splenda, optional sugar, baking soda and salt. Add butter and mix until the mixture is crumbly in texture. Into a separate bowl put the eggs, milk, cocoa mixture and the vanilla essence. Put a third of this mixture in with the floured mixture and combine together, with an electric mixer on the slowest setting. After it appears to be mixed, increase the speed to medium and beat for a further 30 seconds. Use a spoon to scrape the mixture down to the bottom of the bowl. Add another third and mix in like the last. Then repeat again until all the wet mixture has been added. Using a spoon or an ice cream scoop, put the mixture into the cake cases. Bake for about 18-20 minutes until you can insert a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean. They will looked cracked when cooked but this is normal. Place on a wire rack and let them cool completely. 

While the cakes are cooling, make the frosting. In a glass jug or cup heat the chocolate in a microwave in 30 second bursts (it took me 3 times to do this) then stir with a spoon until no lumps remain. Put into a larger glass bowl and add the cream into the chocolate, whisking as you go. Use and electric mixer and beat on a medium speed and then add the butter, Splenda, cocoa, vanilla and chocolate or coffee extract. Beat until flffy and smooth, which takes a few minutes. Either spread the frosting directly onto the cakes or put in a piping bag and pipe onto the cupcakes. If you're piping on the icing, you may only cover around 7 of the cakes, so save a bit to spread over the last ones. If the mixture doesn't easily pipe (although mine was fine) then you can refrigerate the mixture for about 25 minutes to allow it to stiffen up a bit. Add the glitter if you wish, as it makes everything better :D

Eat the day you make them, as they don't keep too well, but I'm sure that won't be a problem. As always, Enjoy!

Making the chocolate mix with the cocoa and boiling water

Measuring out the ingredients in my awesome all-measures jug

This is the Flour, Spenda, baking soda and salt mix. 

Mixing everything together in the bowl

Adding the room temp butter...

Cream them together using the 'scraping' technique and making small butter lumps with your spoon until everything is mixed together

It should look like this, with everything combined

Add the rest of the ingredients to the cocoa mix

Whisking it until smooth..

Add a third at a time and mixing (with an electric mixer)

After the first third it should start to look like this

Adding the last third, the mixture should be pretty chocolaty now :)

It should look something like this..

Spooning the mix into the cases

Once all the cases are filled..

The cupcakes will look cracked, but have to fear, Esther is here! (along with a large dollop of frosting)

Just letting them cool before deco time

Making the frosting, I had quite a bit of chocolate left over from the Chocolate truffles (also on here) and so decided just to use that :)

It should start to melt nicely after the microwave bursts, but feel free to taste now, obviously

Putting the chocolate in the bowl... I used the same bowl that I used to make the cake mix in

Doesn't this look like a cool guy with big lips? Or is it just me... 

Mix the cream and chocolate together...

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix 

It should look like this. It tastes AWESOME!

Either spread on with a knife or use a piping bag. I used one with a star-shape nozzle but use whatever you like. Oh and don't forget to add the glitter if you like :)

Please Comment and Rate! Thanks for Reading!