A few tricks for making healthier cupcakes

With a couple of tweaks, you can make cupcakes a bit lighter and healthier than the usual butter-laden treats. Use canola oil, fruit butters and purees such as applesauce or apple butter, and whole-wheat flour. Whole-wheat pastry flour (rather than bread or all-purpose) has less protein, which tends to make baked goods tougher and chewier. Jim Romanoff, Associated Press

Orange-buttermilk cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

For the cupcakes:

1cup all-purpose flour

1cup whole-wheat pastry flour

1teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk

1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

1/3 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 18 muffin tins with cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl whisk together both flours, the baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another medium bowl, combine the granulated sugar, buttermilk, orange juice concentrate, oil and eggs. Whisk thoroughly until the orange juice concentrate is dissolved.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold just until blended. Divide the batter among the 18 cups (each cupcake should be about half full). Bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes.

Cool the pans on a rack until the cupcakes are cool enough to handle. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool completely on a rack before frosting, about 40 minutes.

To make the frosting, in a medium bowl combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and orange juice concentrate. Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth and creamy.

Makes 18 cupcakes.

Note: The frosting is made with reduced-fat cream cheese, but to cut fat and calories even more you can make a glaze by whisking together 2 tablespoons of orange juice, 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest and 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cupcakes just before serving.