TasteI’m not a fan of peanut butter. So far I have tasted only peanut butter cookies and nothing else baked using it. So I was not sure if I would like these peanut butter muffins. Surprisingly enough the flavor of peanut butter was not dominating. It had the perfect blend of chocolate and peanut butter. The sweetness was right for us not as sweet as the store bought muffins. So If you prefer it sweeter add some chocolate chips or increase the quantity of sugar to 1 cup. Since I was making a vegan version I did not add chocolate chips but I don’t regret it at all.

My Notes1 Use dairy/non dairy milk of your choice.

2 As mentioned in the Procedure, either adjust the oven temperature or the baking time to get perfect muffins.

Procedure1 Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 13×9 inch baking pan. Since I used a glass pan, I preheated the oven at 325F.

2 In a large bowl, combine together the flour, granulated sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa and baking powder.

3 Stir in milk and applesauce to the dry ingredients until just moistened.

4 Fold in the cherries and nuts. The cake batter is very thick at this stage.

5 Spoon into the greased pan.

6 Mix the brown sugar, hot water and 1/4 cup cocoa in the same large bowl, until smooth; pour over batter.

7 Bake for 35-40 minutes or until set (cake will have a pudding like texture). Serve warm or at room temperature.

Taste

As the name suggests, this is a pudding cake. There is pudding in the bottom and cake on top. Frankly the three of us did not like it. The chocolate cake alone was very good, especially for a fat free one it was quite tasty, but we did not like the combination of pudding and a cake. First you bite into a firm cake then follows this ooey gooey pudding. To be more specific, it’s kozha kozha (non Tamilians please excuse me. I had to use this word to be very clear at least for Tamilians.) So if you have already tasted a pudding cake and like it you can go ahead and try this low fat version.

But what did we do with such a big cake, when we didn’t like it? That’s when a light bulb flashed and I put the cake (of course with the pan) in the freezer. I thought that it would taste like an ice cream cake and I was right. Yay! Freeze it for a couple of hours and remove it from the freezer and leave it on the kitchen counter for 15-25 minutes before serving, so that the pudding layer would soften up a little bit making it easy to eat (but not ooey gooey at all). Then cut them into slices and enjoy. Refreeze the rest of the cake.

My Notes1 I reduced the quantity of sugar by 1/2 cup and we felt that the sweetness was just right enough. If you have been following my recipes you know by now that we don’t eat very sweet baked stuff. So if you like it sweeter go with the original recipe by adding another 1/4 of white sugar and 1/4 of dark brown sugar.

2 While using a glass baking pan it is suggested to reduce the oven temperature by 25F or to bake 5-10 minutes less than the specified time. I have used a glass baking pan and so baked the cake at 325F. If you are using any other pan set the oven at 350F.

3 While reading the recipe I was not sure if the quantity of baking powder (3 tablespoons) was correct. I proceeded anyhow and was relieved that the cake did not have the after taste of baking powder.

4 Measure the 3 cups of boiling water in a liquid measuring mug. While pouring it over the cake batter it may look like that it’s a lot, but don’t worry the cake will turn out fine.

Cake Procedure 1 Preheat the oven to 325F. Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan and dust it with cocoa powder.

2 Grate the bottlegourd/zucchini, if using. After grating I also coarsely chopped it with a knife. Measure 1 cup and transfer it to a bowl. Let the water secrete from the gratings. If using the water you may omit the 1/4 cup of milk later.

3 In a large bowl sift together the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and sugar. Make a well.

4 Add all the wet ingredients one by one.

5 With an electric mixer, beat the mixture on low speed for 2-3 minutes until the dry and wet ingredients are well combined. Do not over beat it.

6 Add the grated bottle gourd/zucchini, if using. Mix together.

7 Pour the batter in the prepared pan. Tap the pan a couple of times so the batter is spread evenly and there are no air bubbles.

8 My cake was ready only around 38 minutes. I think it took longer because it was a dense batter with the whole wheat flour, applesauce and the bottle gourd. So start checking from about 20 minutes, depending upon the ingredients you are using. Toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake should come clean.

9 Once out of the oven, transfer the pan to a wiring rack to cool. After about an hour remove the cake from the pan and let the cake cool completely before frosting.

1 I think my cake had too much moisture content because of the milk, hot coffee and the water from the bottlegourd. I think that’s also one of the reasons it took so much time to bake. Also when I removed the cake from the pan I found that it was very wet. I had to use a couple of kitchen paper towels to blot the water. So I also refrigerated the cake for a couple of hours before frosting it. That’s the reason I have mentioned to omit milk if using grated bottle gourd or zucchini.

Frosting 1 In a medium size bowl add the margarine, ovaltine (powdered sugar) and cocoa powder. Start beating with an electric mixer on low speed. At this stage it may seem to be very dry. Don’t panic. Wait until you add the milk.

2 Add milk little by little and continue beating the mixture till you get a nice spreadable consistency. I used around 3 tablespoons of milk.

3 Now transfer the cake to a plate and start frosting it. I’m very lousy at it. Somehow managed to cover the cake with the frosting. But it was easier this time when compared to my first attempt. The frosting was in the correct consistency.

4 I saw this technique of using the back of a spoon to create swirls on the frosting. Tried it and I think it looked somewhat close. Create an indentation on the frosting with the back of a spoon close to each other.

1 The recipe for the frosting is from 1001 Low Fat Vegetarian Recipes. The original recipe requires margarine or butter. I didn’t have both. So I used the Promise blend which we have it on our toast. I was worried if it would work or not, but was so excited to see that the frosting came out beautifully.

2 There are 2 types of Ovaltine available. I used the Ovaltine which is fortified with 8 vitamins and minerals. I used Ovaltine because I didn’t have confectioner’s sugar at home, but in a way it worked out for the best. 4 tablespoons of Ovaltine (ie) 1/4 cup has 15gms sugar whereas the sugar content in 1/4 cup of confectioner’s sugar is 29gms. I checked it in the grocery store. So I think this frosting is even better and healthier than the original one. Even though Ovaltine has lesser sugar content than confectioner’s sugar, I found the frosting was a bit too sweet for my taste. Then imagine how it would have been had I used powdered sugar.

3 If you are going to try the ovaltine frosting, I would recommend decreasing the quantity of sugar in the cake to even 1/2 cup. I think this cake is a pretty healthy cake but for it’s sugar content.

Procedure 1 In a medium bowl sift together flour, cocoa and salt.

2 In a large bowl add the butter and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes until fluffy.

3 Add sugar and beat about 2 minutes, until very light in color and fluffy, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add vanilla if using.

4 Add the flour mixture and combine on low speed, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers.

5 Form dough into a flattened disk; wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

6 Preheat oven to 325F for 15 minutes. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. I greased it lightly with the butter wrapper itself.

7 Use a spoon to form the dough into balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. I chilled it for 2 hours and the dough became so hard I was not able to scoop the dough. I had to pinch the dough and roll it in between my palms.

8 Bake until firm, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating halfway through (that is, moving the baking sheet in the top row to the bottom row and the vice versa) My cookies were ready around 23 minutes.

9 Cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with cocoa powder just before serving. (I didn’t do this)

My Notes These shortbread cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

Procedure 1 Preheat oven to 360F/180c for 15 minutes.

2 Grease and flour a 9 inch spring-form pan. You can use cocoa instead of flour.

3 In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour,cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

4 In a small blender/processor blend together the Ener-G and water until it’s nice and fluffy like beaten eggs. I used my Magic Bullet blender. I pulsed it a couple of times.

5 In a medium bowl add oil, applesauce, sugars, vanilla extract and coffee powder. Using a hand mixer beat the mixture in medium speed for 3-5 minutes.

6 Add the egg replacer liquid in 3 additions beating it after every addition. Now also add the milk and beat until well combined.

7 Reserving half a cup of the flour mixture, add slowly the remaining flour to the wet ingredients, while beating it in low speed. Combine well the grated zucchini, chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of flour. Add this to the batter and mix it well. Note that the batter is thick at this stage. So don’t worry.

8 Pour the batter in the prepared cake pan and smooth it out using a spatula. While using a spring-form pan it’s advisable to place the pan on a baking sheet, so that the batter or baked cake does not fall down if the pan is not locked properly.

9 Prepare the topping by mixing the brown sugar and pistachios. Sprinkle this mixture evenly on the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Mine was done in 45 minutes.

My Notes 1 The key in using Ener-G is processing it with the water in a blender until it’s nice and fluffy. Simply whisking it with a fork does not give desirable results. If you pour this immediately in a liquid measuring cup, you will see that it measures exactly 3/4 th of a cup, which is perfect because we usually replace every egg with 1/4 cup of any egg substitute. But by the time I was ready to add this mixture to the rest of the wet ingredients, I saw that it had reduced to 1/2 a cup. So to replace the 1/4 cup of liquid missing I used unsweetened soy milk. You could use any milk or even some fruit juice which you think would go with the flavors you are baking.

2 You can also use an 8 inch or 9 inch round cake pan instead of a spring form pan. But I think you cannot do the topping because, while inverting the pan to unmould the cake the toppings may fall down.

3 Zucchini can be grated without peeling. After grating I felt that the strands were very big, so I chopped them coarsely.

Procedure 1 Preheat oven to 375F. Grease or line with paper liners 1 regular size muffin tin and 1 mini muffin tin.

2 Drain the black beans from the can, rinse it well under running water and puree it in a food processor/blender using approximately 1/4 cup of water. The puree should be very smooth without any lumps.

3 To this also add the sugar, prune puree, 2 tablespoons of water, canola oil and vanilla extract. Process/blend it again for another 2-3 minutes. Transfer it to a large bowl.

4 In a small bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda.

5 Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in 3 parts. That is, first add 1/3rd of the flour mixture to the bean and prune puree, mix it well. Then add another 1/3rd and then the last 1/3rd of the flour mixture. Having some lumps is fine. I found that using a wire whisk to mix the batter worked well than using a spatula. The batter was in the consistency of pancake batter. Initially I felt that the quantity of the wet ingredients was way too much, but once I started mixing it to the flour I was relieved to find out that the proportions were getting right.

6 Fill the muffin wells 2/3rds full, around 3 tablespoons of the batter. For the mini muffin tin, just use 1 tablespoon. I placed both the muffin tins in the same rack. The mini muffins were done by 9 minutes and the regular size muffins around 14 minutes. Oven temperatures may vary so check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center and it should come out clean.

7 Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Slide a knife around the edges of the cupcake and invert the tin slowly. The cupcakes will fall down, cool them on a rack. Frosting is optional.

My Notes 1 For the prune puree I used 2 jars (2.5oz each) of Beech Nut’s baby food. Applesauce can also be instead of prune puree. Use unsweetened organic applesauce, like Nature’s Promise.

2 Melted butter or any vegan butter substitute can be used in place of the canola oil. The original recipe called for soy margarine.

3 I didn’t have cupcake liners at home, so I used vegetable shortening to grease the pans instead of coating it with non-stick cooking spray. I have noticed in the past that while using the latter, pans get grease stains which are very difficult to clean.

4 I recently have found out that using 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda for each egg replaced gives the light and airy texture to the baked product. In this recipe I used 1/2 cup of prune puree to substitute 2 eggs, so I used 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in total. The result was eggless chocolate cupcakes with the spongy texture of the usual cupcakes.

5 We can also control the sodium in the recipe by using low-sodium or no salt added canned beans. Or better soak dried beans and cook it ourselves without salt and add a pinch of salt to the flour mix, because salt enhances the flavor of any sweet dish.

Procedure 1 Preheat oven to 350F/ and line a muffin tin with paper liners.

2 Melt the butter and chocolate chips together. I did this in the microwave oven, first for 15 seconds, stirred it once and heated it again for 20 seconds. Microwave oven times may differ so use caution while melting the mixture.

3 Remove from heat and let it cool for sometime.

4 In another bowl, stir together the pureed prune, vanilla, purple puree, sugar and 1 tablespoon water.

5 Combine this purple mixture with the melted and cooled chocolate mixture.

6 In another mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Add this to the chocolate mixture and blend thoroughly.

7 Scoop out the dough and fill it in the muffin cups almost to the top. (I used an ice cream scoop, which measures 3 tablespoons)

8 Bake 23 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Mine was done exactly at 23 minutes, but anyway I baked it for another 1 minute, just to be sure.

9 Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack before frosting. Frosting is optional, you may simply dust it with some powdered sugar or leave it plain.

My Notes 1 For the prune puree I used Beech Nut brand, baby food. It’s a small 2.5oz jar of pureed prunes. It measures exactly 1/4 cup. Alternatively you may buy prunes, soak them in hot water and grind them into a smooth paste and measure 1/4 cup of the paste. We were not able to taste the prunes in the cupcakes.

2 I strongly recommend eating these cupcakes the day after baking. It is unbelievably good the next day. When I tasted on the same day the taste was definitely good, but since I had used the Earth Balance blend, that flavor was definitely dominating. Actually we (couple of testers) did not taste the blueberries or spinach. I was so sure that it was the Earth Balance because I had a similar experience with the Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. But we were in for a big surprise the next day because the cupcakes tasted very normal, like any other regular cupcake.

3 Also when tasted on the day of baking, we were able to tell that it was made of whole wheat flour, but not on the second day. The only thing which was different is the texture. I guess that’s because of the blueberries. I did grind it smooth, but I guess I should have processed it for some more time in the food processor.

4 My son ate half a cupcake on the first day. But when offered another piece after sometime he told me that he didn’t like it. I iced the cupcakes the following day, while he was in school. They were ready when he came back and he had totally forgotten that it was the same cupcakes which I had offered him yesterday. He was clearly attracted by the icing and the sprinkles and he ate 1 cupcake without complaining. To my surprise he liked it the next day and also the day after. I also tested it with another kid who is 5 and also a picky eater. He usually doesn’t eat anything including junk food like cupcakes and cookies. To his mother’s surprise he also ate it. So I guess this cupcake recipe is definitely a keeper.

5 Alternatively this batter can also be baked in mini-bundt pans and vola you have your baked donuts. For donuts, bake 12 to 14 minutes until the tops spring back when pressed lightly. Loosed the edges with a knife and turn the donuts out over a plate. I have not tried this.

6 These cupcakes are vegan if you leave out the icing.

Cake Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 325F (160C).
2. Grease and flour (I used cocoa powder to flour the base of the pan because it’s a chocolate cake) two 9-inch cake pans.
3. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and sugar into a large mixing bowl.
4. Make a well. Add the canola oil. Then the hot coffee decoction.

Frosting

1. Sift the mix.
2. Add the butter, hot milk, vanilla and baking soda. (I read in the same book that adding a pinch of baking soda to icings prevents hardening and cracking so icing stays moist)
3. Beat the mix using a hand mixer at medium-high speed. Add few drops of water/milk if required.

Frosting the Cake:
This was my first experience with frosting a cake, so I simply followed the steps listed in the book.
1. First I placed the bottom layer upside down, so the rounded side (top of the cake will be on the serving plate). If you have dome top on the cake, even it out by slicing it with a serrated knife and then place it upside-down.
2. Spread about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of frosting on top of the bottom layer. Don’t use hard strokes, but spread it gently using an offset metal spatula or plastic spatula.
3. Now place the second layer on the first, cut or domed side up.
4. Frost the sides of the cake first with another 1/2 cup of frosting.
5. Finally frost the top of the second layer.

Decorating

As you all know the options are endless. Being a rookie that I am, and because my son loves M&M’s I used them to line the cake. I also used the ready made CakeMate decorating pens which are available in the grocery store in the baking aisle to write the birthday message and draw some flowers.

My Notes As a whole the cake was excellent. But considering healthy eating I would modify the recipe a little bit the next time. Like reducing the quantity of sugar in the cake recipe from 2 cups to 1.5 cups. Since the frosting is also sweet enough, we don’t need that much sugar in the cake too. Next reducing the quantity of oil too. Instead of 1 cup of oil, 1/2 cup can be replaced with unsweetened applesauce.