Dark Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
Oh dark chocolate, how I love thee. You are practically perfect on your own, only to be improved upon by the addition of orange. The mix of bright and decadent, rich and light flavors is absolutely irresistible. This is one of my all-time favorite flavor combinations and for 114 calories per cupcake, I am excited to indulge in these Dark Chocolate Orange Cupcakes! To view your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!
Diet soda and cake mix is such an easy way to get moist, fluffy, easy-to-make cupcakes that are easy on the waistline. I love topping them with a cream cheese frosting. I’ve come up with a few different flavors and twists on the idea, from Black Forest to Lemon-Lime to Peppermint-Iced Red Velvet. Each cupcake is only 5 Weight Watchers SmartPoints on myWW Green, Blue or Purple and no one ever knows they’re light. Have your cake and eat it too!
Dark Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25 oz) box of dark chocolate cake mix, (I used Betty Crocker Super Moist)
- ½ - 1 teaspoon orange zest, zest from one large Navel orange
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice, squeezed from an orange
- 12 oz of diet orange soda
- 2 egg whites
- 8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark chocolate unsweetened cocoa powder, I used Hershey’s Special Dark
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 24 canned mandarin orange slices with no added sugar, I used Libby’s Skinny Fruits, drained and then patted dry with paper towels
Instructions
- Preheat oven per directions on cake mix box.
- Line cupcake pan(s) with 24 cupcake liners
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, orange zest, juice, soda and egg whites. Whisk together or beat with an electric mixer until thoroughly mixed. Pour mixture evenly into cupcake spaces, filling each about 2/3 full.
- Bake according to directions on cake mix box. Let cool completely before frosting.
- In a separate bowl, begin beating the cream cheese with an electric mixer and slowly add the powdered sugar. Add the cocoa powder and orange extract and beat until smooth and well combined. Frost the cupcakes and place one mandarin orange slice on each.
Notes
114 calories, 21 g carbs, 13 g sugars, 3 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 2 g protein, 1 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com) MyWW SmartPoints per (1 cupcake) serving: (SP calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com) Green: 5 SmartPoints/ Blue: 5 SmartPoints/ Purple: 5 SmartPoints Weight Watchers Points Plus:
3 per cupcake (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
These sound amazing! Can’t wait to try them! 🙂
Those look delicious! I’ll have to try them!
Did you bake these in a mini-cupcake pan or did you make 24 normal sized cupcakes? Btw, can’t wait to try them!
Normal sized!
I want to do something like this with dark chocolate and raspberries for a friend’s bday who loves that combo. do you think I could just use diet coke or diet dr. pepper?
Thanks!
Susan
Absolutely, I’ve made cupcakes with both of those. Sounds delicious!
these are beautiful!!!
I’ve made many of your recipies, and never been disappointed! Today was no different, just got done frosting these and they are AMAZING! Mine came in at 113 calories each and I redid the math because I couldn’t believe it could be true 🙂 Thank You!
Hi Emily!! These look soooooooooooooooooo good 🙂 I like how you used cream cheese intead of butter in the frosting; always a good choice!!
very nice thank you so much =)
These are delicious! I made them for a friend’s birthday and everyone loved them!
These were SOOOOO good!! Thank you!!
When i have made cupcakes/cakes with diet pop I only use that and the box mix what do the egg white do?
Hi Emily. My sister made these for my birthday dessert, and they were fabulous! We will definitely be making them again. Wonderful recipe!
With the box of dry cake mix, did you add the ingredients of that also i.e. the oil, water and whole eggs? There isn’t any fat in the ingredients so wondered how this worked without these ingredients also?
I love your recipes and have been making them for years, but somehow missed this one!
Everyone who tried these cupcakes at our family cookout thought they were scrumptious. I think the cream cheese frosting makes them irresistible. Thanks Emily! 🙂