Cupcake for One (It’s healthy!)


Above, a single lady with Reeses Pieces Chocolate Frosting.

Single Lady Cupcake

(makes a single serving cupcake)

  • 3 tbsp flour (30g) (See directions for flour notes)
  • heaping 1/16th tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp applesauce, oil, pre-melted margarine (such as Earth Balance or Smart Balance Light), or a combination
  • 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp liquid (milk of choice or water)
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • Sweetener (I hate giving specific amounts, since tastebuds are so different. For normal tastebuds, 1 to 1 and 1/2 tbsp of sugar, or 1 to 1 1/2 packets of stevia should be about right. If you use liquid sweetener, cut back a tiny bit on the other liquid.)

Directions: Preheat the oven to 330 degrees. Mix the ingredients and pour into an oiled (or sprayed) muffin pan. Smooth top of batter. Cook for 12-15ish minutes. Alternatively, you can cook in the microwave, in a greased mug or ramekin. (Microwave times will vary, depending on the flour you use and the strength of your microwave.

Notes on flour: If you use whole-wheat pastry or spelt flour for cupcakes, you’ll get a denser (more muffin-like) cake. Still delicious! White flour and Bob’s gluten-free also work. I wouldn’t recommend plain whole-wheat flour. (Also, be warned if you’ve never done fat-free baking: subbing all the oil in a recipe for applesauce will give you a gummier result. Once again, still delicious, but much denser than your traditional cupcake with oil.)

Nutrition Info:

  • Calories: 110
  • Fat: 0.5 g
  • Protein: 4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 23 g
  • Fiber: 4 g
  • ww points (new system): 3

(Add 100 calories if you use the tbsp of oil as opposed to the applesauce version.)

Above, with cinnamon and my Healthy Cream Cheese Frosting.

So basically, the cupcake became a Cinnamon Roll Cupcake. I have many more ideas for future cupcakes. It’s really fun dealing with one at a time. They’re so quick to make that you can measure ingredients in separate bowls and add different mix-ins to each bowl. One chocolate-chip cupcake, one pumpkin, one carrot cake… you get the idea.

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, Fox, The Huffington Post, and ABC’s 5 O’clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

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215 Comments

  1. Emily says:

    Your cupcakes look delicious! You are so talented, Katie.
    I’m sorry that things w/ sports store hottie didn’t work out as planned. It’s always hard and disappointing when things like that happen, but you have a great attitude, and I think some other guy will come to sweep you off your feet in no time. 🙂

  2. Steph - VegFortWorth says:

    Awesome! What a great idea! Perfect when I have a craving for baked goods but don’t want to be faced with a dozen cupcakes in my house!

  3. cleaneatingchelsey says:

    Such a great idea to just make ONE cupcake – but who reallly wants to do that? You have a lot of self control!!

    1. Chocolate-Covered Katie says:

      Ah, but that’s the beauty of it. You don’t have to stop at one! You can make 100… but all different flavors! 🙂

  4. Mary @ Bites and Bliss says:

    Sorry Sports Store Hottie didn’t work out, but it was for good reasons. At least he wasnt a total jerk or anything like that 😛

    I love that these cupcakes are for a single serving! That way there’s no dealing with leftovers when you just want one.

  5. Aly says:

    MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm. 🙂 Although, I’m taken as of now, I still just want to make this cupcake. He’s not a vegan, so he probably won’t want much to do with it. I should also share this with my parents. My mom is getting into the whole vegan thing, which is such a blessing, and she’s starting to understand why I do it. 🙂 (She even tried some of my food!! Although it was just a cookie… SHE LOVED IT!)
    But, thankies for this wonderful cupcake recipe! I’m soo excited to make it, and not have to share any bit of it. ;D
    Lots of love,
    Aly

  6. Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) says:

    the cupcake looks good but the truth is that i only really eat cupcakes so that i can eat FROSTING!!! 🙂

    The frosting is where it’s AT for me! yours looks….like a pile of sweet amazing-ness! Oh how i want that right now!

    Neg thoughts…well, I am so busy that I just become busy with one of my other 98798 responsibilities and “busy myself” to the point that I don’t/can’t/try not to think about whatever is plaguing me. Hang in there hon 🙂

    1. Chocolate-Covered Katie says:

      Hahaha when I was a sophomore in college, my roommie liked to take containers of Pillsbury frosting and eat with a spoon. Can’t say I never joined her… 😉

  7. Anonymous says:

    Your cupcakes look yummmo!

  8. Bianca- Vegan Crunk says:

    Baking is also how I deal with negative business. As long as I’m in the kitchen, my thoughts are happy. If I’m licking the bowl, I’m even happier. Love the idea of a single cupcake!

  9. unbelloaperitivo says:

    Yumm! Delicious…I love the idea of making a whole bunch of cupcakes of different flavors. Sometimes I think my tastebuds have ADD, so a bunch of flavors would definitely be right up my ally!

    For a flavor suggestion, how about a spiced pear cupcake with caramel frosting?

  10. Elizabeth says:

    I. Love. You. CCK!! This is fantastical, especially for us single gals!! Yum!

    1. Chocolate-Covered Katie says:

      Girl, I love you right back!! 🙂
      You are SUCH a sweetheart!

  11. littlemisspotato says:

    Aw, don’t get down! Some really great creations can come out from moving on! You’re like Taylor Swift writing songs about boys…except you create delicious treats. 😉
    But I hear ya. Keep your chin up!

    That frosting looks so amazing. It is always my favorite part of cupcakes.

    1. Chocolate-Covered Katie says:

      LOL oh my goodness! Funniest comment ever. I’m like the Taylor Swift of the blogging world… or maybe that’s just wishful thinking, because I think she’s awesome (even though Country music isn’t my favorite genre). She’s just so fun and outspoken :).

  12. dancinghopinglivingdreaming says:

    awww your cupcake looks so sad with no frosting 🙁
    but it looks absolutely amazing decorated! mmm it’s making me hungry haha.

    hmm way of distracting myself from negative thoughts? i like to write in my journal, or blog. If it’s out of my head, onto paper (or computer haha), then usually I can move on with my day. I like ot bake too though… that’s always relaxing and distracting. And yummy! Long walks on the beach, if I’m at home, are absolutely amazing as well 🙂

    and personalized cupcake flavour? Peanut butter banana chocolate chip. Pumpkin. Pumpkin Ginger. Carrot ginger. zucchini chocolate. honey and tofutti. dark dark dark dark chocolate. oooh there are so many i’d like! :p

    1. Chocolate-Covered Katie says:

      How much do I love your phrase “dark dark dark dark chocolate”? Someone needs to invent that. Perhaps in a vegan ice cream flavor. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm 🙂

  13. Toast and Tofu says:

    Katie! Ive never commented before but I LOVE your blog. I just wanted to say (sorry this is unrelated to your post) but I have oats in the fridge for tomorrow morning that Im using your voluminous oatmeal trick on! I was so skeptical because after microwaving it was still all water but its already sucked it all up! Im so excited for breakfast now. I make oatmeal everyday. I have a million flavour combinations and a whole box in my cupboard dedicated to oatmeal toppings and mix ins. =]

    1. Chocolate-Covered Katie says:

      Aww! LOL I was just thinking the other day, “I should do a Voluminous Oat tutorial, because I bet people see the oats all watery and just throw them out, never believing they’ll absorb so much water.”
      Thanks for the sweet comment… and I hope you enjoy the heck out of your oatmeal ;). Hehe your oatmeal box sounds awesomelicious!

  14. EmbraceYourSkin says:

    That cupcake looks epic!
    I run to get my mind off the bad things 🙂

  15. BroccoliHut says:

    Love this! Sometimes I need A cupcake, not a whole pan of them.

  16. Albizia says:

    As a biologist I must disagree with you on how boring Biology textbooks are. Although sometimes they really are utterly boring 😀 . But I get what you mean because my love life is the same, i.e. missing. I usually use music, movies and long walks for distraction form any kind of negative thoughts but I think baking is a good idea too.

    My dream cupcake would be with banana, coffee and caramel. And maybe an almond on top 🙂 .

    1. Chocolate-Covered Katie says:

      Hehe oh ok, I’m sure there are good bio books out there… I probably am not giving them a fair shot because the ones I remember were generic, public-school textbooks trying to put a ton of info into a little book and drum it into the minds of kids who couldn’t have cared less. Plus, my 10th-grade bio textbook was growing mold. I’m serious! I moved schools, mid-year, and that was the one they gave me! 😕