The title of this recipe is slightly misleading.

Because not only is the frosting dreamy, but so are the cupcakes.

Basically, this whole recipe is dreamy! 😉

Yesterday one of my best friends and I got together for what turned into a baking/skating/eating extravaganza. After my friend practically held me up as I attempted to roller blade (shocker: I’m not coordinated!), we returned to her house and proceeded to whip up the most decadent chocolate cupcakes with vanilla icing I think I’ve ever had.

Seriously, so good. They were moist, sweet, and rich, and in fact were so chocolate-y they tasted as if they had been made with Dutch Chocolate. (Surprise: we just used Hershey’s Cocoa Powder!) And the icing… needless to say I practically licked my plate to make sure I enjoyed every last bit!

These cupcakes inspired me to attempt to create a cupcake recipe of my own. As I’ve already made a Chocolate Cupcake recipe in the past, this time I decided to try my hand at vanilla cupcakes.

For these cupcakes, I chose to use all gluten-free flours, and therefore included Xanthan gum in the recipe. If you don’t have Xanthan gum, don’t fret, simply use ground flax seeds or ground chia seeds as a substitute! (Or replace the gluten free multipurpose flour with wheat flour if you don’t necessarily need a gluten free recipe.) I next included lowfat yogurt, which gave these cupcakes the much-needed moistness gluten free and healthy recipes can both easily lack. Of course, these cupcakes unfortunately aren’t 100% guilt-free… I had to include a bit of sugar to assure the cupcakes had sweetness and the correct fluffy texture of any good cupcake.

My final secret was actually inspired by my earlier mentioned friend: almond extract. I was first exposed to the magic ingredient that is almond extract when she brought Chocolate mini cupcakes to school last year, which she had added a splash of almond extract to before baking them. From that point on, I’ve been crazy about almond-chocolate cupcakes (and her cupcakes in general), and dying to try using almond extract in a recipe of my own.

Believe me when I tell you, the almond extract in this recipe does not disappoint. It plays off the vanilla and chocolate flavors of the cupcake and icing perfectly, creating a downright dreamy cupcake.

But wait, I haven’t even mentioned the “dreamiest” part of this recipe yet…

Each cupcake, with the icing, is only about 150 calories!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Dreamy Chocolate Frosting

Vanilla Cupcakes

• 1/2 c coconut flour
• 1/2 c gluten free multipurpose flour
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum (or 1 tbs ground flax seeds)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 c vanilla lowfat yogurt
• 1/2 c sugar (white or coconut sugar)
• 1/2 small banana
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1 c milk of choice (I used unsweetened coconut milk)

Decadent Chocolate Frosting

• 1 c raw cashews
• 1 1/2 c warm water
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 c  low fat vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 c stevia
• 1/4 c cocoa powder
• 1 tbs coconut oil
• 1 tbs sweetener of choice (I used maple syrup)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Add coconut flour, gluten free multipurpose flour, xanthan gum, and baking powder to a small bowl and whisk to combine. In a large mixing bowl, combine yogurt, sugar, banana, egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract with a whisk. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk to wet mixture, stirring in between additions. Once combined, line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners, then lightly grease liners. Fill 2/3 the way full with batter. Bake for 40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove and let cool.

Meanwhile, add cashews and water to a bowl and let sit for 2-3 hours. Then, strain and add to a food processor and process until smooth (about 3-4 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Scoop into a piping bag and pipe onto cupcakes, once cool. Top with sprinkles or other desired toppings. Enjoy! Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Information (from myfitnesspal.com)

Calories: 155

Fat: 6g

Carbs: 24g

Protein: 3g

(Yields a dozen cupcakes)

Nutritional information calculated for cupcakes including icing. Each cupcake (w/o icing) is only 105 calories, 2g fat, 20g carbs, 2g fat.

Icing recipe yields enough icing for about 18 cupcakes. Therefore, nutrition information calculated as if icing were being used to frost 18 cupcakes. (You will have some left over, unless you like a lot of icing on your cupcakes!) Each serving of frosting contains 50 calories, 4g fat, 4g carbs, and 1g protein.