Chocolate and fruit is one of my favorite combos. Specifically – chocolate and strawberries. That was the inspiration behind these Chocolate Strawberry Cake Bites, which are fruity, sweet, rich, and indulgent. These little bites are made using my lighter chocolate cake as the base, plus a Greek yogurt frosting (yes, really) and strawberry jam. They’re bite-sized, WW friendly, and downright delicious. You can enjoy one of these delicious bites for just 2 WW SP on blue, or 3 for 7 points (and worth every one).
The cake
The base of this cake is my tried and true lighter chocolate cake recipe. It’s made with brewed coffee (or espresso) and nonfat Greek yogurt. The end result is moist, rich, and decadent. The addition of the coffee and yogurt help cut calories and WW points (both are 0 on blue). I’ve used this cake recipe to make layered cakes, like my Espresso Oreo Cake, as well as cupcakes, like this cupcake that’s just 4 WW SP. It’s a sturdy, stable cake that stands up to any kind of topping, so I make it all the time.
Greek Yogurt Frosting
Yeah, I thought it was nuts at first too. Typically, frosting is a combination of butter and sugar, two of the best things in life. However, butter and sugar aren’t super diet friendly. This Greek Yogurt Frosting is completely butter free, uses very little sugar, and is a pipe-able, stable, delicious topping. It does have a tang from the Greek Yogurt – so the end result is similar to a cream cheese frosting.
The key to creating this frosting is to strain your Greek yogurt well. I mean REALLY well. This can be done most easily with a cheesecloth, but if you don’t have one, paper towels will work. If you use the paper towel method, take 4-5, fold them so you have a thick base, and scoop your greek yogurt right onto it. Take another 4-5 paper towels, fold them, cover the Greek yogurt, and gently press. The paper towels should soak through. Repeat this until your end result looks more like a cream cheese.
Mix your strained yogurt with a hint of vanilla extract and some powdered sugar and voila- you’ve got a killer frosting that’s super diet-friendly (just 1 WW SP on blue for 1/4 cup, or 3 SP for 1/2 cup).
Assembling the Chocolate Strawberry Cake Bites
To create these, you’ll first want to make your cake base and let it cool completely. I made 24 mini cakes so that these were bite sized and I could enjoy more than one, but you can alter the recipe and make these big if you’d like. While the base cools, whip up your Greek Yogurt Frosting. Once your frosting is done and the cupcakes are COMPLETELY cool, then you want to pipe a ring of frosting along the outer edge of the cupcake. This ring is what will hold the strawberry jam inside. Then, using a sugar free strawberry jam (or whichever you like), put a 1/2 tsp dollop inside the ring of frosting. The end result is a perfect little bite of sweet, rich, creamy, and fruity all in one.
Chocolate Strawberry Cake Bites
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Oven
- Piping Bag
- Piping Tips
Ingredients
- 1 cup Flour
- 1/3 cup Cocoa powder unsweetened
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 tbsp Canola oil
- 1 Egg
- 3/4 cup Nonfat Greek yogurt
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup brewed coffee cooled
- 1 cup Nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2.5 tbsp Powdered sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Strawberry jam sugar free (I used Smucker's)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and cocoa powder
- In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, canola oil, Greek Yogurt and pour into dry mixture. Whisk together to combine.
- Pour in coffee (should be room temp so it doesn’t cook the egg) and whisk entire mixture until you have a uniform batter.
- Pour into a greased or lined mini cupcake pan, filling each cup roughly halfway. I like to use silicone baking cups to make life easier- no greasing required!
- Bake for 11-15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
- Strain the Greek Yogurt well through a cheesecloth or paper towels until the consistency is similar to a cream cheese. More details on this recipe.
- Add strained greek yogurt to bowl and mix in powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
- If you prefer it sweeter, add powdered sugar a tbsp at a time and a bit more vanilla (1 tsp for 1 cup of yogurt). Correct thin frosting by removing liquid and adding powdered sugar as necessary.
- Once your cupcakes are completely cool, pipe a ring of Greek Yogurt Frosting around the outside of each cupcake, creating a well in the center.
- Fill each well with 1/2 tsp of strawberry jam.
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Enjoy!
