low-fat chocolate cupcakes -or- what to make when you have no butter but really want to bake

mmm low fat chocolate cakes? no. exactly thats what I think, but then when I found that my fridge was bereft of butter and not being up for going to the local shop in my pajamas (again) I found these to be a surprising triumph. Mainly because all they are is non-butter cakes; like lots of cakes...the low-fat title is rather misleading, yes, they are low in 'fats' but the volume of sugar more than makes up for that little diet factoid. Anyhoo, they are nice and here is how i did it...

Ingredients

300g plain flour

225g caster sugar

1tbsp baking powder

2tbsp cocoa powder

2 lightly beaten eggs

115ml sunflower oil

175ml skimmed milk

1tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 175C and line a 12-cup muffin tin (you could use fairy cake cases to make more, smaller cakes)

2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and cocoa.

3. In the bowl of a cake mixer combine the eggs, oil, milk and vanilla. Add the dry mixture to this and beat until just combined - do not overbeat.

4. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases - half fill the cases or you will get muffin tops (heh, a little low fat irony for you)

5. Bake for 20 minutes then remove and cool in the tins for 5 minutes; remove to a wire rack to cool completely and ice as you wish (thus negating the low-fattyness!)