Chocolate Chip Coffee Pound Cake Cupcakes

 

I am so excited to share this recipe with you! Before I do, I have a question to ask: do you believe in such a thing called healthier pound cake or is it an oxymoron? I guess that's debatable but if there is such as a healthier pound cake, this is the recipe. When I say healthier, I mean in a good way of course!

What do I mean exactly? Well, I anticipated these pound cake cupcakes to have a rich buttrery taste that pound cake is notorious for but...it was different. Before I eat any of my baked goods, I always analyze how it looks and smell before I taste. So while I could smell and taste the butter, there were many other things going on in my mouth. First, I got a taste of the melted chocolate and then the ever-present coffee flavor (but not overwhelming). Lastly, I tasted wheat...yes, from the wheat flour! This is what made the cupcakes seem healthier. The taste was reminiscent of my Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Oat Bran Muffins. Whether that's a good thing (that's your discretion), it made the pound cake cupcake less guilty to eat. It you're skeptical about the legitimacy of this recipe because of the "healthy" factor, I inhaled down my cupcake in two seconds without thinking about the amount of butter in it. That's how good I thought it was.

I began questioning whether this recipe I found was indeed a "pound cake" recipe and after comparing with other pound cake recipes, I confirmed this recipe to be a pound cake...it just uses less butter than most  recipes. I found this recipe on Passionate About Baking which I followed; however, I made a slight change in the amount of butter (by one tablespoon) and I made it into cupcakes. Check out Passionate About Baking for pretty pictures of Chocolate Chip Coffee Pound Cake (cake version).

Overall, I love this recipe. Even though it did not come out how I expected in terms of taste, it turned out to be better! Bored of plain pound cake? Give this recipe a try. Writing this has gotten me a little hungry. I think I know what will satisfy this sudden hunger urge I have (Hint: see picture below)! One for me and...one for you!

Chocolate Chip Coffee Pound Cake Cupcakes
adapted from Passionate About Baking

Ingredients
1/2 cup (or 1 stick) butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon instant coffee
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup chocolate chips
frosting (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a bowl, mix all-purpose flour, wheat flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar until creamy with an electric mixer on medium. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add coffee and vanilla.
4. Mix flour mixture into butter mixture until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Pour batter into lined or greased muffin tins, filling 1/2-3/4 full.
6. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean.

NOTE:
- Pound cake usually does not use frosting; however, since this is a cupcake, feel free to top these cupcakes with your favorite frosting!
- This is a small recipe but can be easily doubled to make 24 cupcakes or a bunt cake.

Yields: 12 muffins