Whole Wheat Chocolate Minicakes with Cream Cheese Glaze and Candied Ginger

Whew! That's a long title, isn't it? I couldn't think of a better way to represent my little Christmas treats, so I thought I'd pack as many words into the title as I could. Why the name "minicakes"? Well, it's a lot cuter sounding than cupcakes (boring!) and I find it hard calling them cupcakes when: they're not that sweet, they're healthy, and you won't get cavities from eating one. I made these a week or so ago, but life has been a bit busy, so I hadn't had time to post pictures. They're little bites of joy, little flavor filled treats. I personally love eating big chunks of candied ginger solo, but I understand the flavor can be strong for some. I used only one giant bowl for these (washing before the glaze!). While the finesse may not be there, the flavor certainly is!

Mmmmm, don't they just look Christmas-y? I've been drinking a lot of hot cocoa recently, and I can tell you that these babycakes are divine with a steaming cup.

Ingredients:

Minicakes-

4 oz. dark chocolate (70% or more cacao) or half a bag of dark or semi sweet chocolate baking chips
3 tbsp. coconut oil
3 tbsp. agave nectar
1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 eggs
1 tbsp. powdered ginger
1 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of cinnamon

Glaze-

1/2 c. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
3 tbsp. powdered sugar
2 tsp. milk

Topping-

candied ginger, found near the dried fruit in your grocery store

Method:

Preheat oven to 375. In a large saucepan, melt the coconut oil and chocolate over medium-low heat. When mixture is almost completely melted, remove from heat and stir until completely combined. Pour chocolate/coconut oil mixture into a large mixing bowl and add your remaining ingredients, reserving the flour last. If mixture is too dry, add a tsp. or so of soy, almond, or non-fat milk.

Now, grab your muffin tin, grease with some butter or oil, and then fill each about 3/4. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, keeping your eye on those minicakes. Let cool for about an hour, then mix up your glaze. My cream cheese was soft enough that I could just whisk it, rather than breaking out the Kitchenaid. I like the idea of a light glaze on these, because I want to taste the combination of chocolate and ginger and not be overpowered by a frosting. I drizzled my glaze lightly just on top. Finish with two or three small pieces of candied ginger and take a big bite!

Only NINE more days 'til Christmas! I already found my Christmas Dessert that I'll be making... and the appetizer, too!