Partway through college, I actually began to look forward to finals week. Not because I enjoyed exams like Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series… But because I knew I’d get a break that lasted at least a week or two (if not the entire summer!) after I turned in my last test.
At the end of my junior year, I started a new studying routine. After an hour of poring over my notes or focusing on practice exams, I took a short break to clear my head and rest my brain, which was just enough time to…
Watch one round of Cupcake Wars! I stumbled upon that Food Network TV series on Hulu, and since each episode contained three rounds of competition, with one of the four bakers eliminated after each round, one episode got me through at least three hours of studying.
The show always had a panel of three judges critiquing the contestants’ treats: Florian Bellanger, a famous French pastry chef; Candace Nelson, the founder of Sprinkles Cupcakes; and one guest judge, related to that particular episode’s theme. Although I marveled over almost every single cupcake all of the bakers produced, especially when performing under such short time constraints, those three judges had very high standards… And I can’t imagine how nerve wracking it must have felt to stand in front of them and serve them freshly baked cupcakes!
I now follow Candace Nelson on Instagram, and when she recently shared a post about an upcoming season of her new Netflix series, Sugar Rush, I started thinking about my Cupcake Wars study sessions…
Which resulted in a big craving for cupcakes. So I baked these Healthy Small Batch Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Frosting to satisfy my sweet tooth! Although not nearly as exotic as some of the flavors on Cupcake Wars, these sweet treats still taste incredible. They’re supremely moist and tender with lots of rich and decadent chocolate flavor, and the gorgeous swirls of raspberry frosting add the perfect finishing touch!
Also unlike those contestants’ cupcakes? These contain no refined flour or sugar and just 35 calories!
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