Low Fat White Chocolate Saffron and Vanilla Cupcakes

Don’t let the low fat make you think these cupcakes are not super delectable with a super tasty texture. Replacing 60% of the butter with apple puree ensures that the texture is still just as good but makes me feel much more guilt free!

It does sound like a strange concoction of flavors in this recipe, but the combo really works and complements each other.

Saffron is a common South Eastern Asia savory flavouring. While vanilla is a stock standard sweet flavor enhancer, white chocolate though not the usual go to chocolate for baking is still a common ingredient and yoghurt, well this ingredient is becoming more and more utilised in baking. So, you can imagine from this blend of varying flavors the recipe could have gone very very wrong…but to my delight I must say it’s quite a moreish sweet treat.

The white chocolate and vanilla sweeten and put a floral accent on the saffron and the natural yoghurt calms the icing sweetness down.

Ingredients:

140ml milk
Large pinch of saffron
250g flour
4 tsn baking powder
80g sugar
160g white chocolate
70g butter
100g apple puree
4 tsn vanilla essence
2 eggs

Icing:

50ml natural yoghurt
325g icing sugar
20ml vanilla essence

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200c degrees and line a 12 hole cupcake tin with patty cases.
Place the milk into the microwave until steaming and add the saffron. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
Sieve the flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine.
Chop the white chocolate into small pieces and place into the flour mix, stir.
Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave and add the milk, puree, vanilla and eggs. Whisk with a hand whisk until well combined.
Pour the milk mix into the flour mix and using a hand whisk beat until just combine.
Pour the batter into the patty cases and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until and skewer in the center comes out clean.
Place the cupcakes onto a cooling rack until cool.
Meanwhile to make the icing beat the ingredients until well combined.
Using a spatula spread over the cupcake evenly.
Grate extra white chocolate over the icing and a few saffron strands.