Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Some of us don't like pink.

I don't have anything against pink; not at all. But I have trouble really enjoying it and valuing it as a color. Does that even make sense? I think it's because I've been exposed to so much pink propaganda growing up with the hegemonic female ideal of "pink this, pink that, pink everything."  And, of course, around V-day (which I also don't have anything against, but enjoy mocking nonetheless) it always becomes an issue. Store shelves filled to the brink with pink and red! The idea that you must be consumerist if you want to show love towards those you cherish! Capitalism! Marketing!

So, yes. Around this time of the year, pink doesn't always jive well with me.

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut (really emphasize the length here in your mind)....

...these decadent, flavorful muffins can definitely make getting some pink into the day a lot easier!

They start out with a rich and sweet cream cheese base, which ensures a perfect texture and almost fluffy end result. Fresh raspberries are folded in at the end (they were on sale at my grocery store! yes!!), making each bite bright and flavorful. Two adjectives which clearly I need more of, because I am a huge cynic and should probably appreciate all the chocolate on the shelves more. 

Have some Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins with a cup of tea to beat any morning blues!

P.S.

Happy V-Day week! If it's something you celebrate, I hope it's great. For everyone else-- happy Tuesday! 

Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Adapted from Cooking Light

Makes 12        

• 1/4c. light vanilla soy milk
• 1/4tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/3c. reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
• 3tbl light margarine, room temperature
• 3/4c. splenda OR sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4tsp vanilla
• 1tbl canola oil
• 1/2c. all purpose flour, plus 1tbl
• 1/2c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2tsp baking powder
• 1/8tsp baking soda
• 1/4tsp salt
• 1c. fresh raspberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a small bowl, combine soy milk and cider vinegar. Let sit for at least 5 minutes. It will curdle slightly-- you are basically making dairy-free buttermilk.
3. Meanwhile, combine cream cheese and margarine in a medium bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until very creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Slowly add splenda/sugar; beat until fluffy. With the mixer still running, add vanilla, egg, and oil. Beat well.
4. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and soy milk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture (I did it in 2 batches). Mix until just moist, and then put away the mixer.
5. In a small bowl, coat the fresh raspberries with 1tbl flour (this helps them from bleeding into the mix and from sinking to the bottom of the muffin). Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, gently fold them into the muffin batter. 
6. Cook at 350° for 17-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

Nutritional Information (with Sugar)
Sodium: 104mg
Total Fat: 4g
       Saturated:  1g
       Trans: 0g
Protein: 2g
Sugar: 26g
Calories: 183


Nutritional Information (with Splenda)
Sodium: 104mg
Total Fat: 4g
       Saturated:  1g
       Trans: 0g
Protein: 2g
Sugar: 1g
Calories: 87 
 

Upside-down Apple Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

I am in love with the idea of apples right now.

With the weather cooling down, I’ve found myself craving the sweet, warm goodness of one of fall’s best fruits. There are all these recipes going around about baked apples, apple pie, apple ice cream, apple everything. My friend is fantastic at making baked apple chips (I don’t know how she gets them so perfect every time, it’s insane), so I’ve basically been on an apple fest the past few weeks. I was looking on Pinterest (because yes, I am a stereotypical white college girl who browses Pinterest when I should be studying) and I saw this recipe for Pineapple upside-down cake. It reminded me of a recipe I’ve been making for years: Apple Upside-Down Cake.

When I was in high school, I was inspired by a recipe from Relish, which I followed avidly while in Arizona (our local newspaper got Relish snippets on Thursdays, and I would wait with bated breath to see what was inside). Seeing the cake on Pinterest made me want to make these again! These upside-down apple cake squares are so perfect for welcoming fall. Well, here in CO, it’s hard to actually call it “fall”—after all, we just switched from a 32 degree day to a 72 degree weekend. Talk about crazy. I feel like CO skips around between summer and winter as it pleases, and if we are lucky then fall lasts a few weeks. It’s so sad! One of my favorite things about fall is the leaves changing, and it doesn’t last very long here.

Anyways! Back to the food (which is what we are all here for, let’s be honest). The cake itself is light and fluffy and made extra special with a touch of cornmeal. Cinnamon is perfuming my entire house right now, plus the apple-maple combo is practically intoxicating. To top it all off, I added a maple-cream-cheese drizzle over the top to balance some of the sweetness and to make it look even more tempting.

These are best eaten while warm out of the oven, but I remember that I once took them cold into my English class in high school and they got devoured. No one had any clue that they weren’t sugar-loaded or unhealthy. Ok, I’m salivating just thinking about it. I’ll hurry it on up, and get to the recipe!

Upside-down Apple Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting 

Serves 12  Serving Size: 1 square

Ingredients:

• 2T light margarine
• 1/3c. sugar OR splenda
• 1/4c. sugar free maple syrup
• 2 crisp apples (I used gala), peeled, cored and cut into slices
• 1/4c. light margarine
• 2/3c. sugar OR splenda
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 2 room temperature large eggs
• 1c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2c. yellow cornmeal
• 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2tsp salt
• 1/2tsp cinnamon
• 1/4c. no sugar added applesauce
• 1c. lowfat vanilla yogurt
• 1/2c. low fat cream cheese
• 3T to 1/3c. sugar-free maple syrup (use less for a thicker glaze, more for a thinner glaze)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet over low heat. Add apples (in a solid, even layer) and sugar and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Flip over apples (or move around in pan), add maple syrup, and cook an additional 5 minutes or until tender. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, beat margarine and sugar using a electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and eggs. Combine flours, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Combine applesauce and yogurt. Alternate adding in the flour mixture and the yogurt mixture in batches, starting and ending with the flour mixture (ex. flour, yogurt, flour, yogurt). Mix until well blended.
4. In a 9x9 square metal pan sprayed with cooking spray, layer out the apples so there are no gaps on the bottom and so the layer is even. Pour any liquid that is with the apples into the pan as well. Spoon the batter over the apples, making sure to start with the edges and work inward (in order to avoid the maple syrup bubbling up the edges of the pan). Place in over and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and cooked (springy to the touch).
5. Remove from oven, and let cool at least ten minutes (if you don't, your cake falls apart when you flip the pan over). Invert the pan onto a serving tray. Carefully remove the pan from the cake. 
6. Beat the cream cheese and maple syrup with an electric mixer until desired consistency is reached, and drizzle over cake while still warm. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Nutrition Information (Sugar):
Sodium: 210mg
Total Fat:6g
       Saturated: 2g
       Trans: 1g
Sugar: 14g
Protein: 5g
Calories: 198


Nutrition Information (Splenda):
Sodium: 210mg
Total Fat:6g
       Saturated:2g
       Trans:1g
Sugar:6g
Protein: 5g
Calories: 164