Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Pineapple Cream Cheese Glaze

I was reading through one of my "womany" magazines (as my brothers call them) looking at all the delightful food pictures and recipes. A reader asked about using substitutes for oil in a recipe. I knew about using applesauce, but I didn't know you could really use any type of fruit puree. So...I decided to test it out and see if it worked. I had a can of pumpkin puree in the cupboard, plus a Betty Crocker SuperMoist Carrot Cake mix. Easy! I had all this done in about 90 minutes and took the cupcakes into work. Everyone lovvvvvvvved them. You'd seriously never know they were light in calories/fat!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes
1 package Betty Crocker SuperMoist carrot cake mix
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup crushed pineapple in juice*
1 egg
4 egg whites**
1 cup of water

Heat oven to 350°F.

Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

In large bowl, beat cake mix, pumpkin, egg and egg whites, water, 1/2 cup (half the container) pineapple with juice, with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3rds full. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and place on a cooling rack. Repeat so you have 24 cupcakes.


Pineapple Cream Cheese Glaze
8oz Weight Watchers Reduced Fat Cream Cheese
1/2 cup crushed pineapple in juice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp butter flavored extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup toasted coconut

Combine cream cheese, pineapple, extracts, and cinnamon in a medium mixer bowl and beat until smooth, about two minutes. Add the powdered sugar in 1/4 cup increments. Mixture will be loose. Spoon about a teaspoon on the top of each cupcake. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Enjoy! Makes 24 cupcakes.


*I had an 8oz can on hand and divided it between the cake and glaze
**feel free to use all eggs or Egg Beaters...nutritional values will change.


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PER CUPCAKE
133 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 21 carbohydrates, .2 fiber
3 Weight Watchers Points