Better Than Anything Cupcakes

These Better Than Anything Cupcakes are about to be your new favorite dessert! If you’ve had the cake version, you already know it’s good! I’m not a big cake person, or even cupcake persona for that matter but I have always loved Better Than Anything Cake. I mean, who doesn’t love a good moist chocolate cake when the inside is filled with caramel and then topped with whipped cream and candy bar pieces? It’s what dessert dreams are made of.

It’s one of those cakes you can eat yourself sick. The cake was always so good but I hated that sick feeling after eating it from all of the sugar and fat I just consumed so I decided to make a cleaner version. Let me tell ya, I think it’s just as good! It’s the perfect amount of sweet, especially if you add the chocolate Active Stacks protein powder to it but it’s way lower in sugar and fat and high in protein. You can have a few of these and you’ll still be feeling great!

What You’ll Need for Better Than Anything Cupcakes

• Birch Benders Chocolate Cake Mix- I love there pancake and waffle mix so when I saw they made cake mixes, I had to try and they did not disappoint and I love the ingredients in them!
  
• Chocolate Active Stacks Protein Powder- If you’re not new around here, you’ve heard me rave about this protein. It’s beef protein, not a whey protein so it’s much easier on the stomach, made with good ingredients, and do delicious! The flavor is unreal, it adds so much to these cupcakes. You can get a discount on it here with the code:
  TRAINER-KELLI.
  
• Medjooled Dates- Have you ever had date caramel? You might want to make extra to use and make My Homemade Twix Bars or to use for dipping apples slices. You blend dates, make sure you get pitted, a little milk and sea salt and your left with this creamy caramel goodness. Ahhh my mouth is watering just thinking about it. It is so good in the center of these cupcakes.
  
• Whipped Topping- We have some food allergies at my house so we need to keep things dairy free so I love these with coconut whipped cream but any kind works great!
  
• Dark Chocolate Unreal Peanut Chocolate Gems- Ok, so really any crushed up candy here will do but these are so good and they use only good ingredients in their products. A few places I’ve seen them are Whole Foods, Sprouts, Publix, Harmons, and online of course.

Are you drooling yet? Let’s get to baking!

Better Than Anything Cupcakes

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 22 minutes mins

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

For the cupcakes

• 1 pouch Birch Benders Chocolate Cake Mix
• 2 scoops Chocolate Active Stacks Protein Powder optional but I love the added chocolate flavor. Use code TRAINER-KELLI for a discount.
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2-3/4 cup water start with 1/2 cup. If adding the protein, add water until it's runny enough to pour into cupcake liner.

For the filling

• 1 cup pitted medjooled dates
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup milk of choice

For the topping

• 1 handful dark chocolate peanut Unreal Gems You can use peanut M&M's or other candy of choice. I prefer these because of the clean ingredients.
• Whipped topping of choice I typically use coconut whipped cream because we need dairy free. Any will work!

Instructions

 

• Mix cake mix according to directions on the back of the Birch Benders pouch. If adding the protein, you will add it in with the mix and the extra water.
• Split mixture into 12 cupcake liners. They should fill almost to the top.
• Bake at 350° F for 20-22 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Don't overtake them or they will be dry.
• While they are baking, make the date caramel filling. Combine the milk, sea salt, and dates in a blender. Blend until creamy. It might take a minute if you don't have a good blender but just keep blending. It's ok if there are some chunks in it still, you won't be able to tell.
• Once the cupcakes are done, let them cool. Then make a hole in the center of each cupcake but don't go all the way through. I just use a straw or the bottom of a utensil. Make the hole 1/2-1 inch in diameter. I like mine on the bigger side so there is more room for the caramel.
• Fill the holes with the date caramel. You can just spoon it in. I put the caramel in a ziplock bag and cut a small hole in the corner and just squeeze it in. If you have extra caramel, you can cover the tops as well.
• Top with whipped cream and crushed up candy pieces.

Let me know if you try these out and what you think!

XO,

TrainerKelli