Happy Birthday Kari!

These perfectly skinny purple beauties are a super fun alternative to the infamous red velvet cake that we all know and love.

Seriously. I don't know anyone that doesn't love red velvet cake. Do you?​

So anyway, why purple?​

Well...​

​Red velvet cakes makes me smile. Purple velvet cake makes me grin like the Cheshire Cat and these are for my sister-in-laws birthday today! Purple is her most favorite color and I am more than happy to oblige.

​You could just as easily make these any color velvet that you want. Just use the food coloring of your choice. Less or more.

The frosting? Oh. My. The. Frosting.

I've been searching for a while for a cream cheese frosting that was light, tasted amazing, and was stable enough to be piped somewhat.​

Ta-da.​

Only three ingredients for a magical cream cheese frosting that I was not licking out of the bowl.​

Skinny Purple Velvet Cupcakes
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 24 • Size: 1 Cupcake • Calories: 134.3 • Fat: 3.4 g • Carb: 22.8 g • Fiber: 1 g • Protein: 3.3 g • Sugar: 12.6 g • Sodium: 191.9 mg

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
1/2 C. Unsweetened Applesauce
1/4 C. Light Butter, Softened - Room Temperature
1 Egg
2 Egg Whites
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 1/3 C. Light Buttermilk (I use 1 1/3 C. Fat Free Milk with 1 Tbsp. + 1 Tsp. White Vinegar; Let stand for 5 minutes.)
1 Tbsp. Purple Food Coloring
1 Tsp. White Vinegar
1 1/2 C. Cake Flour
1 C. Whole Wheat White Flour
3/4 C. Natural Sweetener (Such as Stevia, Truvia, Etc.)
3/4 C. White Sugar
1 Tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Salt

Frosting:
8 Oz. Neufchatel (1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese), Softened
1 C. Powdered Sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake trays with liners. I also gave mine a light spritz of baking spray to prevent the cake from sticking to the papers.

Whisk the egg and egg whites together in a large bowl together. Add in the remaining wet ingredients and whisk until well blended. Set aside.

In another large mixing owl, combine the dry ingredients. Stir together until well mixed.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix on medium-high speed for about a minute or until well combined.

​Pour the cake batter into the prepared cupcake pans and fill each about 3/4ths of the way. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles in the batter.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Set the cupcakes to cool on a wire rack. While cooling, mix up the cream cheese frosting ingredients together until well combined.

Once completely cool, frost the cupcakes as you desire.

Keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

I would not recommend setting these out for long, especially on a hot day! The frosting will soften and 'melt'.​