Dalmatian cupcakes

A friend of mine asked me for the recipe of Dalmatian cupcakes.
I originally found Dalmatian cupcakes on Betty Crocker's website.
I remember browsing through the website and looking for fun ideas then I came across with this recipe.  My dog is a Dalmatian and Black Lab mix, what a cute coincidence. 

This is Blaze when she was a puppy :)

Dalmatian cupcakes

(this recipe yields 28 cupcakes ~ 138 calories each)

Ingredients:

 For cupcakes

4 oz fat free cream cheese, softened

1 egg

60 g mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist devil's food cake mix or any chocolate favored cake mix

1/3 cup lite or fat free sour cream

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

4 egg whites

1 cup water

For toppings

2 cups Confectioner's sugar

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp unsweetened coco powder

2-3 tbsp fat free milk

3 tbsp toffee bits

Directions:

1) Pre-heat oven to 325 F. Place paper liners into regular size muffin pan.

2) In medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and egg with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Stir in mini-chocolate chips, set aside.

3) In a large bowl, beat cake mix, water, sour cream, applesauce and egg whites on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch on medium speed for 2 minutes. 

4) Divide batter among muffin cups about 1/3 full, then spoon about 1 teaspoon of the chocolate cream cheese mixture right on top of the batter, then cover up the cream cheese mixture with the batter again until each one is about 2/3 full. 

5) Bake 20-25 minutes, test the cupcakes by inserting a toothpick inside the cupcake, if it comes out clean, they are done!

6) Cool cupcakes in pans for 5-10 minutes, then remove from pans to cooling racks.  Cool completely before you start frosting them!

7) While the cupcakes are baking/cooling, beat the Confectioner's sugar, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, coco powder, and milk until smooth.  Make sure the frosting has the right consistency for pipping.  If it's too dry, add more milk; if it's too wet, add more sugar.

8) Frost cupcake with frosting.  Sprinkle them with toffee bites.  Store them covered in refrigerator.



Chocolate cake with white cream cheese filling and mini chocolate chips resembling the pattern of a Dalmatian dog

 I have also baked another Dalmatian cupcakes with Devil's food cake mix and frost with vanilla buttercream frosting.  Played around with some chocolate and created a gift celebrating a friend's newborn baby :)