Devil's Food Cupcakes - Show Your Team Spirit

On Saturdays and Sundays in the fall, this family watches a lot of football. This weekend marks the start of the season and everyone is pumped up.

I started trying last year to have a few more related items to turn to when it comes to food on those days. While I like to try to keep it healthy, every now and again, there's a game that comes along that requires something a little extra special.

 

I thought cupcakes were the perfect treat for the games - portable, and always customizable in your teams' colors! And bonus - I got to use my new decorating tip! Little things make me happy. 

These Devils Food cupcakes were just the ticket. They were moist and oh so chocolaty. I chose to use dark cocoa to deepen the color closer to black, since hubby's Bulldogs are red and black. The black went fine for my Jaguars, too, with white buttercream and teal sprinkles to round them out. 

 Here's hoping that his first game ends better than my team's preseason did!

 Feel free to decorate with your teams colors and show your spirit along with your sweet tooth!

Servings Yield: 24 cupcakes

price per serving: .47 per cupcake

Devil's Food Cupcakes

adapted from David Lebovitz

2/3 c. dark cocoa powder

1 1/2 c. flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. milk

sift dry ingredient together in one bowl

in another bowl, cream together the sugar and butter

add eggs, one at a time

mix water and milk

add a little of the milk mixture and fully incorporate, then add about 1/3 of the dry mixture

alternate wet and dry until all ingredients are used

place cupcake liners in a muffin tin and fill about 2/3 full with batter - about 1/4 c. each

bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until done

cool on a cooling rack before decorating as you choose

Banana Roll With Peanut Butter Cream Cheese

I got this amazing deal on bananas, and now we have them everywhere. The first order of business when you are overloaded with bananas is always banana bread, isn't it?
Well, I wanted to try to be different this time.  With fall around the corner, the idea of a pumpkin roll has been floating around in my mind for a while, so I thought, what about a banana roll?

 

 The cake was light, spongy and moist, and could accommodate a number of filling flavors. I have a house full of peanut butter lovers, and peanut butter and banana go so well together, I thought, why not?

 

I think one of the biggest tricks to the success of this cake is the pureeing of the bananas - simply mashing them would not provide the right texture and you will end up with a mess on your hands. Send the bananas for a ride through your food processor or blender and douse them quickly with the lemon juice so it won't turn dark. A grayish cake is not very appetizing. 

 I'll admit, I think I would have enjoyed this with a plain cream cheese filling a little more, because for me, the peanut butter flavor overpowered the banana a bit too much. If you want the banana to shine through, I think the traditional cream cheese, or even a lemon flavored one, would be a better fit. That being said, it was still a fantastic flavor combination that I wouldn't hesitate to make again.

Servings Yield: 16 slices

Cost per serving: .30 per slice

Banana Roll With Peanut Butter Cream Cheese

for the cake:

• 3 eggs
• 1 c sugar
• 3/4 c pureed bananas
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3/4 c flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon

powdered sugar (needed for a towel, to keep the cake from sticking)

For the Filling:

• 2 c powdered sugar
• 1 8-ounce package of reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 4 tbsp light butter
• 1 /3 c reduced fat peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla

Powdered sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, banana (already mixed with lemon juice when pureed).

In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well blended.

Spray a 10 1/2" by 15" non-stick cookie sheet with cooking spray. Pour the batter onto the cookie sheet, spread evenly.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Prepare a clean kitchen towel by sprinkling heavily with powdered sugar.

After baking, turn the cookie sheet onto the towel, the cake should slide out onto the towel. Starting at one end, roll up the cake into the towel. Cool 30-40 minutes.

For the filling, stir together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter, vanilla and butter. Mix well.

After the roll has cooled, unroll it and spread the filling evenly. Roll back up without the towel. Wrap in foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, or until filling is firm.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

I was so excited when I saw Cooking Light's new special Baking Issue out on the stands. I immediately found a handful of recipes that I am dying to try, and with my mind on fall, I thought one with apples would be a perfect one to try first!

This cake not only tasted great, but came out so beautiful.  The amazing apple slices on top, with their caramel sheen....I didn't even want to cut it! But, with a three year old and a grown man both begging for a slice as the smell wafted through the house, I caved.

It tasted as good as it looked! It was so simple to make and looks like you spent so much time on it! Plus, its the perfect size for a smaller family like ours, since it is a single layer cake.

The cake is tender and lightly spiced, laying under a led of soft apples coated in a caramel glaze that gently drips down the sides, where you have a crunchy edge. If you like apples, its to die for.

Do yourself a favor, if you have a potluck or anything coming up in the next little while where you need to take something, make yourself a hero and whip up one of these. It will be a hit - I promise!

Servings Yield: 10 slices

Cost per Serving: .21 per slice

  

Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake

 

from Cooking Light

• 1 to 2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin
• 1/3 c. fat free caramel ice cream topping
• 1/4 c. toasted wheat germ
• 1/2 c. low fat buttermilk
• 5 tbsp canola oil (I actually used olive oil & the cake was still light and moist)
• 1 1/4 c. flour
• 2/3 c. brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c. applesauce
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 2 egg whites
• 1 whole egg, beaten

Spray 9 inch round cake pan with cooking spray

Drizzle topping on bottom - it will not completely cover the bottom

Arrange apples slices over the caramel - slightly overlap them

Combine flour, wheat germ, cinnamon and salt

Combine buttermilk & baking soda in another bowl. Stir in applesauce and remaining ingredients

Add to the dry ingredients and combine well

Pour batter over the apples

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes

Cool for 10 minutes

Invert pan over a plate and take off the pan.

Cheesy Onion Flatbread Crisps

When you're not sure if you want a cracker or some bread to go along with your salad or soup, do I have the tastiest solution for you!

These little crisps are full of flavor and so easy to make! I made a few revisions to lighten the calories and fat, but they still came out great. 

Hubby inhaled them with sandwiches, soup, anything. I liked them as a quick snack. 

There are only a handful of ingredients and the dough comes together so easily. 

If you wanted a more uniform cracker look, you could roll a sheet of dough out and cut them into rectangles, but I liked the rustic look, and dividing the dough made it super easy to roll out thin enough.

If you like savory crackers, you really have to give these a try. You won't be sorry!

Servings yield - 8 servings, 3 flatbreads each

cost per serving - .50 for all three flatbreads combined

 

Cheesy Onion Flatbread Crisps

adapted from Biscuit Magic

2 1/2 c. reduced fat baking mix (like Bisquick - I used a store brand that I had on hand)

1/2 c, water

2 tbsp hot sauce (I used Franks Red Hot)

2/3 c. 2% milk shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

2/3 c. cheddar French fried onions, divided

mix 1/3 c. onions and remaining ingredients together and knead until the dough forms a ball.

divide into 24 portions and roll into balls (about the size of a ping pong ball)

roll out to about 1/16 inch thick and place onto a parchment lined cookie sheet

brush with egg white and sprinkle with additional onions, pressing them lightly into the dough

bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes until browned and crisp