Stephanie Sullivan: Recipe - Chocolate Cupcakes (with cake mix)

Recipe - Chocolate Cupcakes (with cake mix)

February 25, 2026

INGREDIENTS:

15.25 oz Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix
1.17 oz instant chocolate pudding (fat-free and sugar-free)
¾ cup PLUS 1 tbsp canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup PLUS 2 tbsp water

For the vanilla bean cream cheese frosting:

8 oz less fat cream cheese, softened
¼ cup plain low fat Greek yogurt
⅓ cup monk fruit sweetener or sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners and spray with oil to avoid sticking. Combine pumpkin puree and water in a large bowl; mix to combine. Add chocolate pudding mix and mix well. Add chocolate cake mix and beat 2 minutes. Fill cupcake liners ⅔ full and bake about 25 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. For the frosting: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and beat until smooth. Add to a piping bag or use a zip lock bag and cut the corner off, pipe onto the cooled cupcakes.

NUTRITION INFO: Serving: 1 cupcake, Calories: 149.5 kcal, Carbohydrates: 29.5 g, Protein: 3.5 g, Fat: 3.5 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 9.5 mg, Sodium: 429.5 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 12.5 g

(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)