3.02.2011

Sweet Smarts: Duke's Healthy Dessert Contest

Over the past several weeks, I have been baking cupcakes like a crazy person. Why? For the Sweet Smarts Dessert Contest at Duke University.

The goal of this contest was to create a "nutritious, delicious dessert" for Bon Appetit's campus dining facilities. The contest called for desserts that could be presented in single servings that are healthier than traditional desserts. Semi-finalists were chosen in three categories (vegan, fruit, luxury--contains dark chocolate, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, or mousse) based on the healthfulness of the recipe and the ability of Bon Appetit to acquire the necessary ingredients.

I was lucky enough to get a spot in the semi-finals with my "Delectable Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes," alongside "Swagger Pie" and "Loaded Cheesecake Brownies." My recipe is below, and other recipes in the competition can be found here.

I've gotten lots of questions about how I go about developing my own recipe, so I'd like to take some time to describe my process.
Testers going to town!
  1. Make a mistake. I was making chocolate cake, and I didn't have enough brown sugar. I decided to use a combination of white sugar and molasses to mimic the flavor and texture of brown sugar. The result was a moist, rich cake with a deep chocolate flavor and a little boost of molasses flavor. I loved the intensity that molasses added to the cake, and decided to run with it.
  2. Have a goal. Per the dessert contest's goals, I wanted to develop a dessert that was healthier than average without sacrificing flavor. The "mistake" molasses cake was a great candidate, because its intense chocolate flavor would be able to hold up to some modifications. In particular, I wanted to use at least some whole wheat flour (for increased fiber), I wanted to cut the butter (for reduced fat), and I wanted to reduce the sugar.
  3. Start testing. I devoted a whole afternoon to testing recipes, and invited a bunch of friends over that night to taste test and give me some feedback. I started making changes to the recipe, like using increasing amounts of whole wheat flour (replacing the all-purpose flour), replacing half the butter with unsweetened applesauce, replacing half the sugar with molasses, and using a combination of egg whites and whole eggs instead of just whole eggs. 
  4. Taste carefully. I tasted each recipe before moving on to the next one, to make more effective substitution decisions. For example, the first recipe was airy, more like a muffin than a cupcake. To increase the density of the cupcake, I upped the whole wheat flour. The resulting cupcake was the dense, rich chocolate that I was looking for.
  5. Ask the audience. I took all of these cupcakes, combined with 2 different fillings and 2 versions of a ganache frosting, and let my friends have at them. Everyone got a plate, an evaluation form, and a glass of milk. At the end, there was a pretty clear winner. While it was the winner that I expected, the feedback was immensely helpful.
Happy taste-testers and an ever-hopeful pup.
So that's my process. Now for the recipe:













Delectable Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes


An Original Recipe
Makes 26-28 cupcakes

These cupcakes are a rich, grown-up treat, with far more intense flavor than their healthy ingredients betray. The cupcake itself is light and airy, with overtones of dark chocolate, molasses, and coffee. The inside is stuffed with a dollop of gooey, sweet-tart raspberry jam, which serves as a bright contrast to the deep, dark taste of the cupcake itself. The trio of flavors is completed with a decadent dark chocolate frosting containing brewed coffee, honey, and vanilla for depth of flavor.


  • 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • ¼ cup Dutch-processed cocoa
  • 1 t instant coffee
  • 1 ¼ cups boiling water
  • 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 t baking soda
  • ¼ t salt
  • 8 T unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
  • ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
  • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • ½ cup blackstrap molasses
  • 1 large whole egg
  • 2 egg whites
  • ½ cup plain Greek-style yogurt
  • 1 t vanilla extract
  • ½-3/4 cup raspberry jam (filling)

    Directions:

    1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line 24 muffin cups.
    2. Combine the chocolate, cocoa, and instant coffee in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over chocolate and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Stir until chocolate is fully melted. Set aside.
    3. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
    4. Beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add brown sugar and beat at high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add applesauce and molasses and beat until combined. Scrape down bowl as needed.
    5. Add eggs and beat well. Add yogurt and vanilla and mix until combined
    6. Add flour mixture and chocolate mixture alternately, ending with flour mixture. Mix until just combine.
    7. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins, about ¼ cup of batter each. Bake 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
    8. For the filling: Poke hole in center of each cupcakes with the handle of a wooden spoon. Fill with about ½ teaspoon of jam. Top with dark chocolate icing (recipe below).
    Dark chocolate icing

    • 4 oz. dark chocolate (such as whole foods 365 brand dark chocolate chips)
    • 2 T unsalted butter
    • 1 T brewed coffee
    • 1 T honey
    • ¼ t vanilla

      Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler until smooth and shiny. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Stir until well combined. Let stand 5 minutes before icing cupcakes.

      2 comments:

      1. Yum! When do you hear how you did?

        ReplyDelete
      2. Oh, I forgot to say that. I was not selected to move on to the finals. :(

        ReplyDelete