Cupcakes are good for the soul, and that is all the need they need. (The End.)
I can geek out on numbers sometimes. So, when a recent discussion started on calories in cupcakes, I wanted to find out more. I Love Cupcakes. So much that my favorite dessert is Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting, but after that, I want cupcakes of almost any sort over any other dessert.
And, these numbers are more to show that cupcakes can be part of a healthy eating life. (For those unable to have sugar and/or gluten, there are still options out there!) There is no food on earth that is inherently “bad for you” or “good for you.” Food is food, and the nutritional content is value neutral. What you choose to eat is up to you, your mouth, your stomach, and your brain. Enjoy eating, and life.
Since there is a lot of information on this post, and I can get rambly, I have summarized things here. (I am not affiliated with Weight Watchers or any bakery mentioned here, and my calculations are my own)
Crumbs: 18 points
Magnolia: 8 points
Robicellis Cupcakes: Estimating 6-7, based on french buttercream and an oil based cupcake. (ZOMG so tasty!)**
King Arthur Flour Devil’s Food Cake: 7 for the cupcake without frosting.
HERSHEY’S “PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” Chocolate Cake: 3 for cupcake only, 5 with frosting
Cake Man Raven’s Red Velvet: 6 points for cupcake only, 12 points with icing
Sweet Revenge’s “Pure” Cupcake: 12 points (And Worth it!)
***On Twitter, @Robicellis corrected me to say it was a Canola Oil Based cupcake (I love them more now!) :) So, I would guess 2-4 points for the icing, and 4-6 points on the cupcake. (From talking with them, and their wholesome ingredients, I would guestimate on the lower end, and make sure I had a few WW points left over for the week.)
A LOT depends on portion sizes. A Crumbs cupcake is 780 Calories (18 WW Points), Magnolia’s is 389 (8 points). (NPR Story) For anyone not near a Crumbs, their cupcakes are HUGE!.
The place that started this discussion is the Wonderful and Absolutely Amazing Robicellis Cupcakes. I had the fantastic opportunity to try them out today, and they are very very tasty. I had the “The Southern Belle(house)”- Banana bourbon cake with vanilla buttercream and brown butter-bourbon pecans.” I also got to talk with the owners a bit about their cupcakes. (Want to talk to them yourself? They are teaching a class at The Brooklyn Kitchen on Monday, April 19th.)
Their cupcake (I think) is a butter based cupcake, with a french buttercream frosting. Making a french buttercream with 1 pound of butter, 4 whole eggs, and 1 cup of sugar, spread over 32 cupcakes, you get about 140 calories, 12 grams of fat (3 points for just the icing.)
Cupcake recipes can vary so much. Some recipes give me 20 cupcakes, others give me 30. It is really hard to tell until you make the cupcakes, or you weigh each of them out. Using the King Arthur Flour Devil’s Food Cake (Butter based), which they say makes 24 cupcakes, you get 300 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 7 Points.
Using HERSHEY’S “PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE” Chocolate Cake (An oil based cake with a very liquid batter). The recipe for just the cupcakes says makes 30 cupcakes, for each being 168 calories (7 grams of fat, and 4 WW Points). when dished out with a #20 disher, it made 32 cupcakes, for 158 calories, and 3 points each. Icing, over 32 cupcakes, ads 70 calories (Total of 5 points).
Using Cake Man Raven’s Red Velvet recipe (not chocolate, but very oily), for 24 cupcakes, you get 230 calories, 14 grams of fat, for 6 points for the cupcake. Use the icing, spread evenly on all 24 cupcakes, and you get 500 calories, and it is 13 Points.
Using Sweet Revenge’s “Pure” Cupcake is 525 calories (12 points) for all of it. (And Very Yummy as well.)
Want me to check on another cupcake for you? If there is a recipe or nutritional information posted, I can post it for you :)
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for the Wii.
