"Skinny" Red Velvet Cupcakes

I know I am a day late, but Happy Valentine's Day! We spent the day relaxing, visiting a few open houses, and cooking dinner together. I will post our dinner and appetizer over the next few days. Since my sweet tooth is craving more of these cupcakes, I figured I would share them first! I was trying to decide what to make as a V-day treat, and as soon as I saw these pop up in my Google Reader I knew they were it. This recipe is another from Gina's WW Recipes. These tasted great and were a lot lower in calories than your usual red velvet. I had some fun playing with the frosting on these. I would certainly make this dessert for another occasion in the future.

For the cupcakes you will need:
* 1 1/2 cups cake flour
* 1 cup white whole wheat flour
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 tbsp unsweetened dutch-process cocoa
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1 tsp baking soda
* 1 tsp white vinegar
* 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
* 1/4 cup butter, softened
* 1 egg
* 2 egg whites
* 2 tsp vanilla
* 1 1/3 cup light buttermilk
* 1 tbsp red food coloring

1) Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake tins.

2) In a large mixing bowl, stir together both flours, salt, cocoa, and baking powder.

3) In another large bowl beat sugar, applesauce and butter. Then beat in the eggs and vanilla.

4) In a small bowl, mix the baking soda and vinegar.

5) Add half of the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and mix well. Next, add the buttermilk and red food coloring. Mix well.

6) Add the remaining dry ingredients and fold in vinegar and baking soda.

7) Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake liners until they are 3/4 full.

8) Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting you will need:
* 8 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese
* 1 cup confectioner's sugar
* 1 tsp vanilla extract

1) Beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Apply to the cooled cupcakes.