Pumpkin Muffincakes

Guess what! Baking with boxed cake mixes doesn’t have to be boring or unhealthy! Guess some more! Enhancing boxed cake mixes with healthy ingredients doesn’t have to be hard or expensive!

I call these muffincakes because due to the addition of pumpkin, they have a distinctively cupcake-like moistness. Still, upon looking at these baked goods, one automatically assumes, “muffin.” They just have that look, you know?

I really like these little gems, and I can’t think of anyone who has not liked them. Feel free to experiment with other ingredients; the options are endless! From shredded coconut to chopped walnuts, shredded carrot to chopped dates, you can really go to town and not get bored with this basic recipe. You’ll see that the pictures I provided are of a batch that I topped with some sweetened and spiced cream cheese (a mixture of light cream cheese, vanilla yogurt, a drop of vanilla extract, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and something sweet like honey, a touch or sugar, or splenda).

Be careful where you choose to enjoy these, because they may cause excessive groaning.

The Stuff:

• cupcake tin
• large mixing bowl

The Edibles:

• 1 (15 oz. can) PURE pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
• 2 egg whites
• about 1/4 to 1/2 c. water
• 1 box carrot cake mix

The Making:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix first three ingredients together in the bowl until well blended. Slowly add contents of carrot cake mix. Stir until fully incorporated. There will be lumps; it’s okay.
3. Pour into 12 muffin tins.
4. Bake at for about 20 to 30 minutes, checking after 15 in case your oven cooks faster than mine. You can try to test the muffin doneness with a toothpick, but the pumpkin makes the muffins very moist, so it may appear to be uncooked. I like to press on the top of the muffin, and if it feels hard, and looks a little crackly, it's cooked.

I'm so scientific.

I usually divide the batter so that it makes 15 muffincakes or more. The below estimated stats would be if you also make 15 muffincakes.

Estimated Nutritional Information (per muffincake):

Calories: 155

Fat: 3.5g

Saturated Fat: 0.5g

Protein: 2.5g

Sodium: 200mg

Carbohydrate: 30g

Fiber: 1g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Iron: 6% RDV

Calcium: 7% RDV

Vitamin A: 115% RDV (2267.4mcg Beta Carotene)

Vitamin C: 3% RDV